St. Louis Cardinals slugger Alec Burleson returned to the lineup last night and homered after spending time on the injured list due to a right wrist injury. Today their other power hitting first baseman Willson Contreras is eligible to return, having served his four-game suspension.
After arguing with the umpires and throwing gum onto the field on Aug. 25th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Contreras was handed a six game suspension that ultimately was reduced to four.
Burleson and Contreras lead the Cardinals in home runs, combining for 37 of them. With their return, St. Louis will have one last shot at the National League wild-card during this stretch.
Losses suffered by Cincinnati and New York yesterday offered the Cardinals a chance to move within 3 1/2 games of the final Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, they also lost and remain 4 1/2 games back with 17 left to play.
In order to progress to the playoffs, the Cardinals will have to dig deep and beat many playoff teams. After finishing their current series in Seattle, they'll go on the road to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers, a team they'll face six times in their final 17 games.
St. Louis has the league’s toughest remaining strength of schedule at .556. In addition to the Brewers, St. Louis will have to contend with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants.
While a late-season surge may be unlikely, the Cardinals still have a chance to beat their wild-card rivals head-to-head and keep their postseason hopes alive.