Cardinals' 2026 Fate is All But Sealed with Series Loss to Phillies

This may have been the final nail in the coffin.

Aug 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals had won five consecutive series heading into their weekend set with the Philadelphia Phillies, but the cracks were starting show. They barely edged out the Cincinnati Reds in their last series, losing two very winnable games.

Now, they have lost back-to-back games in Philadelphia, and while they are still a game over .500, they have been hit hard by the injury bug in the last few days. Both Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante are now on the IL.

Saturday night's loss was a clunker, as St. Louis fell 12-3. With that loss, the Cardinals' fate for 2026 is basically sealed.

Cardinals' fate may be sealed for 2026

The Cardinals were slowly gaining ground in the National League wild card race with their recent streak of series wins. However, they have now fallen to 4 1/2 games back in that race, and with just over a month to go in the season, there is little hope for a turnaround.

Still on the schedule for St. Louis in September are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, so things aren't about to get any easier. They were also sellers at the trade deadline, so it's not as if they planned on making a run.

But with the pitching injuries and their recent luck, all appears lost for 2026, and it's ultimately proof that the Cardinals still need a little bit of time to rebuild, and that 2027 will likely be another year in which they put contending on the backburner.

Things haven't played out in the Cardinals' favor this weekend, and with their latest injuries and seemingly a lack of depth on the pitching side, it doesn't appear as though they are going to turn things around.

The rest of the National League's playoff contenders are easily better than the Cardinals on paper, and even if St. Louis does get to the postseason, they don't have the pitching necessary to overcome a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves or Milwaukee Brewers in the wild card series.

The future is still bright in St. Louis, but the current outlook isn't great, and if fans were hoping for a trip to the postseason in 2026, they'll have to wait at least one more year for that to happen. This season was never meant to be a year in which the Cardinals were a clear contender anyway.

Add us as a preferred source on Google