Phillies-Cardinals clash could have major playoff implications

When the Phillies come to Busch Stadium on Monday night, it’s not your typical August series. This three-game set bears a lot of weight for both the Cardinals and Phillies as they make their pushes for Wild Card berths.

Philadelphia currently sits in the third NL Wild Card spot with a 3 1/2-game lead over St. Louis.

Both clubs have stumbled out of the All-Star break, with the Phillies’ 9-13 record narrowly besting the Cardinals’ 9-14 record. Philadelphia entered this year as a World Series contender but has had to scratch its way back from a brutal beginning to the year, while St. Louis defied expectations to begin the year but has fallen back down to around .500 as of late.

If the Cardinals are able to take two of three from the Phillies or even pull off a sweep, it would be a step toward re-establishing themselves as legit threats to snag a Wild Card spot. And it's just the first of the Cardinals' opportunities to gain ground in the race this month -- they also play the Phillies Aug. 21-23 at Citizens Bank Park.

And remember, the winner of the head-to-head season series will hold the tiebreaker, which would be the deciding factor if the clubs finish with the same record.

The roadmap for the Cardinals to take down the Phillies in this series seems to ride with the recent uptick in offensive production. Over St. Louis’ last seven games, the Cardinals have scored 37 runs while posting the seventh-best OPS (.784) in MLB. The Phillies’ offense has woken up during its last seven games as well, with stars Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber leading the charge by driving in five runs each while posting OPS marks north of .980.

Busch Stadium has suppressed offensive production in a significant way this season, but the likes of Harper and Schwarber have the kind of power to go deep in any ballpark at any time. And with newcomer Luis Arraez joining Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm in the infield, the Phillies have ways to string together hits as well.

After the Cardinals’ offense went cold during the month of July, their top four of JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker have heated up to lead their offensive resurgence. It’s hard to see a world where the Cardinals come away with a series win -- or even stack wins together down the stretch this season -- without their core bats getting on a roll once again.

They can be among the most productive top of the orders in baseball and are capable of driving the offense while allowing other pieces in the Cardinals’ lineup to play more of a complementary role.

St. Louis will draw Andrew Painter (1-8, 6.48 ERA) on Monday, but after that is slated to take on NL Cy Young candidates Cristopher Sánchez (15-4, 2.65 ERA) and Zach Wheeler (10-3, 2.69 ERA).

While the Cardinals have three of their own most productive starters on the mound this series in Hunter Dobbins, Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy, the Phillies' primary strength as an offense -- their plethora of left-handed hitters -- will have to be countered by lefty relievers Justin Bruihl and Caleb Ferguson in big spots. Those matchups could make or break this series. And while both Bruihl and Ferguson have been strong as of late, the Cardinals’ bullpen as a whole has been far too leaky.

Like St. Louis, the Phillies have also had bullpen challenges this year. So if the Cardinals can knock Philadelphia’s starters out of the game early, it could give their offense a chance to pile on runs.

When the Cardinals traded away players at the Trade Deadline, they continued to declare that their present focus is on building toward the future. But they won’t shy away from the opportunity to fight for a postseason spot down the stretch. If the young core is going to make a run, they’ll need to show out against this veteran-led Phillies team with World Series experience.

And for a young club looking to form its own postseason track record, series like this become the measuring stick for both the clubhouse and front office to understand what they have and where they need to improve in order to reach their goals.