Cardinals Elimination Number Falls to Single Digits Before White Sox Series

The St. Louis Cardinals' playoff hopes are almost completely gone. In fact, St. Louis' elimination number has dipped into single digits and sits at eight heading into the club's three-game set against the Chicago White Sox beginning on Friday night.

There have been points over the last few weeks in which the Cardinals seemed close to making a run. There were times in which St. Louis got its deficit down in the Wild Card standings to just a few games. But things have shifted and the Cardinals put together one of their most back-breaking series of the season earlier in the week against the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants are among the worst teams in baseball. San Francisco has the second-worst record in the National League at 62-85. The only team that is behind the Giants is the Colorado Rockies at 55-91. A three-game series against the Giants should've been an opportunity for the Cardinals to rack up a few wins, but it wasn't. The Giants swept the three-game set in three straight one-run affairs. That's baseball.

The Cardinals Aren't Going To Be In The Playoffs This Season

St. Louis Cardinals hat — Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Now, the Cardinals are three games below .500 at 72-75 and are 6 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. Again, the Cardinals' elimination number is down to single digits at eight. Any combination of losses by the Cardinals, or wins by clubs in the hunt for the No. 3 Wild Card spot will drop the number further. With just 15 games left to go in the regular season, it's pretty safe to assume at this point that it's not going to be the year that St. Louis makes its big return to the postseason.

In the first half of the season, the Cardinals looked like a team that could make a run. There were points in which St. Louis was flirting with the idea of being over .500 by double digits, but things shifted in the second half of the season. This was the case in 2025 as well, but this team is better than last year's. The Cardinals have the third-youngest roster in Major League Baseball and a few legit pieces to build around, including JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, and Alec Burleson.

The Cardinals aren't very far away, but they need to use this upcoming offseason to add more big league pitching. The Cardinals have done a good job reloading the farm system with pitching, but St. Louis needs more legit big league options.

If the Cardinals are able to add more pitching this offseason, maybe next year will be the year they get back to the playoffs. There's a lot of talent here, but the Cardinals need to find a way to sustain winning across the 162-game marathon of the season, and not just part of it.

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