2014 MLB Playoffs: St. Louis Cardinals’ Magic Number/Scenarios
David Banks — USA TODAY Sports
Last week it looked like the St. Louis Cardinals were safely on the way to the NL Central title and a chance to firm up the pitching rotation for the NL Division Series.
It’s funny how baseball works sometimes.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been charging hard at the Cardinals in recent days. As of Wednesday the magic number for clinching the title stood at four, meaning any combination of four Cardinal wins and Pirate losses would give St. Louis the division championship.
The playoffs are already guaranteed. St. Louis clinched that berth over the weekend. But will the Pirates overtake the Cards in the final days to capture the division?
The outcome will determine which way the Cardinals go with their postseason lineup.
Right now there are only two scenarios the Cardinals have in sight. If St. Louis wins the division title, they would face the Los Angeles Dodgers in an NLDS matchup. The earliest St. Louis can win a share of the division is Friday. If that is the case, the Cardinals could rest key players over the weekend like Matt Holliday, Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter and Adam Wainwright to get them ready for the postseason.
Granted, the Cardinals would have just two games to rest key starters, but that division series does not start until Oct. 3. In reality, St. Louis players would have a week to heal little injuries and get ready for the playoffs. That is the ideal scenario.
The other scenario is the one the Cardinals don’t want to see.
Suppose the Pirates keep winning and the Cardinals stumble a bit down the stretch. Pittsburgh takes over the division lead, wins the title and relegates St. Louis to the Wild Card slot.
This would send the Cardinals to a date with the San Francisco Giants on Oct. 1. Right now the game would be in St. Louis by virtue of the Cardinals’ better record, but anything can change. The Cardinals would want their best pitcher facing San Francisco, so Wainwright would likely get the assignment.
That’s fine, but if Wainwright goes in a Wild Card game then it weakens the ability for the Cardinals to set the rotation. Not to mention St. Louis would face the Washington Nationals in the NLDS.
Those are the two scenarios. The Cardinals fans need to think division title, because that is the only way this team will relax, recharge and refresh in time for the postseason.
A Wild Card would upset everything.
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