Cardinals All-Star Hurler Believes Club Could Be 'Dangerous Down The Stretch'

St. Louis still has its eyes on the prize

Apr 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals secured a necessary divisional series win over the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday and will look to keep the momentum going.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol recently spoke highly about where St. Louis is headed. He still believes the club has what it takes to storm back into playoff contention.

Marmol isn't the only member of the Cardinals organization who still has faith in his team despite St. Louis having its back against the wall in the playoff race.

"'I’d rather not wait until we need to win 17 in a row, but I think with the pitchers in this rotation and the young guys stepping up, I think it’s very possible for us to go on a good run here,' (Miles) Mikolas proclaimed," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Thursday when quoting Mikolas's post-game comments from his dominant performance that day. “Whether that’s 17 in a row, or 10, or five in a row, lose a game and win five more. This is a team capable of catching fire and being dangerous down the stretch.”

Mikolas stepped up when the Cardinals needed him most Thursday after he recorded zero earned runs on two hits, three strikeouts and one walk in six innings pitched to help St. Louis defeat the NL Central rival Brewers 3-0 in a much-needed win.

The Cardinals' chances of making the playoffs aren't out of reach. They sit 10 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central and are five back from the third NL Wild Card spot.

This is a Cardinals team that was dead last in its division in May and then went on a 50-game stretch where it was the hottest team in baseball. If St. Louis could go on a run back then -- when it was playing without its best hitter, Wilson Contreras -- it's safe to say it can do it again.

With 35 games left to play, there's plenty of time for the Cardinals to steal a wild card spot. If St. Louis plays like they did against Milwaukee in their most recent match-up, there's a good chance they'll be playing in October.

More MLB: Ex-Cardinals Five-Time Gold Glover Made Available; Should St. Louis Re-Sign?