Insider Claims Cardinals 'Playing Above Their Heads', Won't Make Playoffs

St. Louis' chances of making the postseason aren't looking good

Jul 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (left) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) and second baseman Nolan Gorman (16) and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) look on during a Cardinals pitching change against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for a second consecutive season of missing the playoffs if they can't quickly turn things around.

The Cardinals have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league and it can't come at a worse time. After losing seven of their last ten games, things aren't looking good for St. Louis.

Fans still want to believe that their beloved Cardinals team will go on a tremendous run to make the playoffs but unfortunately, an insider doesn't see that happening.

"Not only are they (Cardinals) below .500 -- their run differential -- third worst in the National League, is worse than the (Washington) Nationals," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal stated Thursday on Foul Territory. "So probably, they're playing above their heads with that kind of run differential and I just don't see how they're going to come out of this."

Run differential statistics show whether a team is scoring or allowing more runs. A positive run differential implies that a club records more runs than it gives up and vice versa.

St. Louis's run differential is embarrassingly low at -63. The Cardinals have the lowest run differential in the National League Central and NL Wild Card race -- only including the top nine contenders.

With only 41 games left to play, it's doubtful St. Louis will have a miraculous turnaround based on their run differential, which exposes the underachieving club. However, they're only four games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third NL Wild Card spot, so the playoffs cannot be ruled out yet.

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