After passing almost every test in front of them so far, the Cardinals next measuring-stick moment will come over the next two weeks when they face 12 straight foes from the NL Central. The NL Central is MLB's lone division where all five teams are better than .500.
ST. LOUIS – His Cardinals having already passed numerous tests this season while compiling a 27-19 record and becoming one of the best feel-good stories in baseball, manager Oliver Marmol snarled at the mere mention of the squad facing another measuring-stick stretch over the next two weeks.
Beginning on Tuesday with a three-game series against the rival Pirates at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals open a stretch of 12 consecutive games against teams from the National League Central, a division that has languished in past years, but one that has enjoyed a surprising rebirth in 2026.
Going into play on Monday, the NL Central is the only division where all the teams are above .500 with the Cubs (29-18) leading the way, followed by the Brewers (26-18), Cardinals (27-19), Pirates (24-23) and Reds (24-23). Those five teams have gone a dominant 71-49 at home and have a solid 60-53 on the road, led by the Cardinals’ impressive 15-8 run away from Busch Stadium.
After hosting the Pirates (May 19-21), the Cardinals make their first trips to Cincinnati (May 22-24) and Milwaukee (May 25-27). Then, they return to St. Louis for their first three games of the season against the hated Cubs (May 29-31). Those games, Marmol insisted, are just next dates on the schedule and not necessarily sort of litmus test on the legitimacy of the young and surprising Cardinals.
“I feel like no matter what stretch (of the schedule) that you’re in, somebody is going to call it a test,” Marmol said. “We’re focusing one game at a time, and we’re not concerned with who is across the way or in that otherer clubhouse. We’ve got to take care of our business and continue to get better at every aspect of the game and everything else will take care of itself. But the focus right now isn’t on the opposition; it’s on us and making sure we continue to get better.”
Big bounce-back following Seattle sweep
The last time the Cardinals faced a similar test of their fortitude as a legitimate contender it was the end of April and they were coming off a home sweep at the hands of the playoff-tested Mariners, with two of the defeat being the kind of gut-punch losses that offer stagger young clubs.
All the Cardinals did that time was string together a season-best six-game winning streak with four of the wins coming in Pittsburgh and the next two against the back-to-back champion Dodgers. In the six series after the taut sweep by the Mariners, the Cardinals have gone 4-0-2 with series victories over the Pirates, Dodgers, Athletics and Royals.
A big part of the Cardinals’ success of late has been centered around the improvement of their starting pitching. Their starters’ ERA sits at 4.02, which is good for fifth in the NL. Michael McGreevy (2.10, fifth), Kyle Leahy (3.94, 26th), Andre Pallante (4.04, 27th), Matthew Liberatore (4.40, 31st) and Dustin May (4.81, 32nd) rank among the top 32 starters in the NL in ERA.
The Cardinals’ overall ERA languished in March (5.09, five games, 13th in the NL) and April (4.69, 26 games, 13th), but things have been much better in May (2.79, 15 games, 3rd). Liberatore, McGreevy and Leahy are scheduled to start the three games ahead against the Pirates.
“When you see one guy do something well and expose something that the hitters are bad at, we’re all able to learn from it and build off that,” said Pallante, who limited the Royals to five hits and one earned run on Sunday while becoming the first Cardinals starting pitcher to record an out in the seventh inning this season. “That’s huge when we can carry that momentum from start to start and help the team win.”
After losing to the Phillies on Sunday, Pirates star Paul Skenes is not scheduled to pitch in the series – which might be a bad thing for St. Louis considering its success against the reining NL Cy Young award winner. Skenes is 0-5 with a 2.74 ERA in seven career starts against the Cards. St. Louis reached him for seven hits five runs (three earned) and two home runs in a win in Pittsburgh on April 30.
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