St. Louis Cardinals Just Passed Their Toughest Test of 2026 Yet

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a juggernaut of a schedule over the last few weeks, but they have made it through one of the most difficult parts of their schedule even more impressively.

St. Louis has been talked about all season to this point as a bright spot and a surprise around the league. Right now, the club is 23-17 on the season and is just 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central. The Cardinals are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the division. Milwaukee is 22-16 on the campaign.

If you had told a Cardinals fan that the club's record on May 11 would be 23-17 before the club kicked off their four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 28, they would be ecstatic. Over the last 13 games, the Cardinals have had series against the Pirates, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres. Before this juggernaut, the Cardinals were 14-13. Despite playing a few of the top teams in the game, the Cardinals went 9-4 against these four opponents. The Cardinals went 4-0 against the Pirates, 2-1 against the Dodgers, 1-1 against the Brewers, and 2-2 against the Padres.

The Cardinals Are A Pleasant Surprise

May 10, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) points skyward after hitting two-run home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

St. Louis is simply a good team. We've made the case that the club is here to stay and that this start to the season isn't a fluke in large part due to how the club has performed against the league's best. The only two teams in the National League with more wins than the Cardinals (9) against clubs above .500 are the Washington Nationals and Pirates, both with 10. The Cardinals haven't had some sort of easy path to get here. They have had tough competition, as shown through the last 13 games, and yet they have been able to come out on top.

The Cardinals' roster is young, but it's hungry. Because of that, the Cardinals are just scratching the surface of what they can be. No one expected this. Even if you were optimistic about the club heading into the 2026 season, no one expected that the Cardinals would be six games above .500 after this juggernaut of a stretch in the schedule this early on.

The schedule doesn't lighten up much on Tuesday. St. Louis will begin a three-game set against the Athletics, who are in first place in the American League West. Then, the club will have a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals before another three-game series against the Pirates.

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