Cardinals' Series Loss to Brewers May Have Sealed Their Fate for 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals might be cooked.

Jun 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals just completed a five-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, and it did not go according to plan. St. Louis snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the first two games and only managed to win one game the entire series.

On Thursday night, Andre Pallante allowed six runs over five innings, and the Cardinals never recovered, falling 8-4. They are now 10 1/2 games back of the Brewers in the National League Central and fell to three games behind the surging Miami Marlins in the wild card race.

Unfortunately for St. Louis, this series may be the one that ultimately sinks them in the playoff race.

St. Louis Cardinals Fate May Be Sealed After Series Loss

Jul 2, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits an RBI single against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals are obviously still within striking distance, but they have only won two games against the Brewers all season. They'll play Milwaukee again during the final weekend of the season at American Family Field.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their schedule isn't about to get any easier. They'll face the Atlanta Braves over the weekend and will close out the month of July with anothe rseries against the Chicago Cubs. The New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Cubs are on tap for them in August.

It's important to remember that St. Louis is a rebuilding team, and it was not expected to contend this season. So, the fact that they are still four games over the .500 mark is nothing short of miraculous.

However, they appear to be showing their true colors now. They still made several trades over the winter, and their pitching staff doesn't appear to be capable of holding up for the rest of the season.

With the trade deadline approaching, it appears all but inevitable that St. Louis will be selling. They have Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Ryne Stanek, Lars Nootbaar, and even Riley O'Brien as trade chips.

All of them could ultimately be on the move this summer, and from there, the Cardinals aren't going to get any better most likely. They can at least get some good pieces back in exchange for their tradable players, but any move they make will likely be done with the future in mind rather than simply playing for the postseason in 2026.

The deadline is going to be crucial for Chaim Bloom, but given that the Cardinals are 5-6 in this current stretch against contenders, it appears likely that Bloom will choose to sell.