Bold tweet from a former Cardinals pitcher is aging like spoiled milk

A few weeks ago, retired St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright tweeted out a prediction that could either be considered a hot take or pure lunacy. The former right-handed pitcher tweeted “I’m looking at the schedule. I’m calling it now. The Cardinals shock everybody and are playing for a wild card spot on the last series of the season against the Cubs. Cubs-Cards last 3 days of the regular season at Wrigley could be wild.”

Yea, okay Adam. It was a less bold (but still bold) prediction on August 9 with the Cardinals sitting at 59-59 and 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot. The Cubs had given up first place in the NL Central to the Milwaukee Brewers and weren’t playing good baseball, though they still held the top wild card spot by a healthy margin.

As we fast forward two weeks to today, let’s check in on Wainwright’s prediction. Looking at the standings, it appears that the Cardinals have actually lost ground in the wild card chase. They currently own a 65-67 record and sit 5 1/2 games out of the final wild card spot. They have also lost eight of their last twelve games. Meanwhile, the Cubs have found their groove and have won eight of their last ten games while increasing their lead in the wild card to six games.

With 30 games still to play, of course, the Cardinals can still make Wainwright’s prediction a reality. However, with their inconsistent play all around this season, it remains a pipe dream to anyone who is not a Cardinals fan. According to Fangraphs, the Cardinals currently have a 1.3 percent chance at making the postseason, just ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates at 0 percent. Did anyone else just hear Jim Carrey say “So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance”? If I were a betting man, I think I’d pass on those odds.

The Cubs and Cardinals have one big difference in their remaining schedules

One thing Wainwright may have overlooked is the remaining strength of schedule for both the Cubs and the Cardinals. Of their remaining 31 games, the Cubs play just seven games against teams currently above .500. The Cardinals, on the other hand, play 18 of their remaining 30 games against teams with a record above .500.

Maybe this article will age like spoiled milk and the Cardinals will mount a valiant climb in the standings in their remaining schedule. However, that’s a bet I’m willing to take. St. Louis, afterall, is only consistent in being one thing - boring.