After the All-Star Break, the Cardinals were starting to, uh, walk their way out of the malaise of terrible that marked the first half of the season. That was reflected in their playoff odds which dipped, at times, below 3%.
That better play has turned into downright optimism. The Cardinals returned home from Pittsburgh and Kansas City the proud owners of a six-game road winning streak, with two sweeps. They have won eight of their last nine and sit at 61-56. They are 4 games out of the second Wild Card spot.
Ahead of them are the Reds and the Padres.