Cardinals are More Dangerous Than We Realize After Series Win vs. Dodgers

The Cardinals shouldn't be counted out just yet.

Sep 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal (13) celebrates hitting a 2 run home run during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday night brought a wave of different emotions for the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans. After falling into an early hole against the Los Angeles Dodgers, during a bullpen much less, they scratched and clawed and ended up pulling away with an 8-6 comeback win over the defending champions.

The Cardinals won their fourth straight series against the Dodgers and continued their hot start to the month of September. They even touched Yoshinobu Yamamoto for four runs.

While the Cardinals may not be a true contender this season, they are more dangerous than people realize as the final month of the season rolls on.

Cardinals are more dangerous than anticipated this month

Sep 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Thomas Saggese (25) catches a ground ball from Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman (25) during the tenth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Again, the Cardinals are unlikely to make the postseason this year, but what is clear is that they are more dangerous than people realize down the stretch. Strangely, after selling at the trade deadline, they have found a way to win series against some very strong teams. They beat the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs in the month of August.

Now, they have beaten the Dodgers twice. What this means is that the Cardinals are well equipped to play the role of spoiler down the stretch. The Dodgers are fighting with the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League, and St. Louis dealt a significant blow to the Dodgers' hopes of gaining the top seed in the playoffs.

They'll face the Brewers in the final weekend of the season and will have a chance to do the same to their hopes of finishing with the top record, and prior to that, they'll face the Chicago White Sox and will have a chance to at the very least delay their quest to win the American League Central, and even potentially put a damper on their playoff hopes.

Even the Cardinals themselves picked up ground in the wild card race, coming to within 3 1/2 games, and besides facing the Brewers and White Sox this month, they have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way, so it should be interesting to see how they perform in the last month of the season.

They have just 22 games left on the schedule, but given that they have been able to beat some good teams lately, they should not be taken lightly, even if the playoffs are a long shot.