With 23 games to go the St. Louis Cardinals are 71-68. They are three games back of San Diego for the second Wild Card spot. Two games ahead of them are the Cincinnati Reds at 74-67, just one game back of the second Wild Card spot. To make the playoffs the Cardinals must jump ahead of the Reds in the standings. The easiest way to do that is to win this weekend’s series.
The Cardinals and Reds have played 16 times this season already. Here is a preview I wrote earlier in the year. The Cardinals won two of three games in the last series they faced the Reds, putting them at 7-9 against them overall with a 73-90 run differential.