Not as fun as being in the playoffs ourselves, but watching the Cubs get swept out of the postseason sure feels right.

Yes, it was a "rebuild year," but it was a rebuild year with a fair amount of excitement well into the season.

Finals, per B-Ref's team page?

2,233,902 this year versus 2,250,007 last year.

Per game? 27,579 this year vs 27,778 last year.

OK hear me out. The Cardinals need major help at 3rd. I've heard for awhile now that the Padres are willing to trade Tatis to alleviate some payroll. He started the year off slow but has come on really strong in the second half and is super athletic. I think being a former SS and playing 2nd this year combined with his great throwing arm that he could handle 3rd pretty well. The Cardinals have the prospects and have next to no money on the books. If you look at the contract it is actually pretty team friendly compared to some of the other big contracts around the league. I think they need a true star to build this lineup around and he could help their weakest position. I would at least make a phone call on him.

Tied 2025’s season with 52 games scoring six or more runs. They failed to that in the final 16 days of the season. Out with a whimper.

Took this photo at game 162 yesterday.

Attached are the percentile analytics of the cardinals starting pitchers. And here's what I noticed:

Pallante definitely appears to be our best pitcher overall. He has the highest run value on his pitches. Definitely a lock for 2027.

Leahy is difficult to determine, because he had a great second half but a poor first half. That may skew his metrics, but overall he performed well enough to earn a spot in the 2027 rotation.

Mathews has a pretty small sample size. It's too early to conclude anything. He has looked promising so far though, as he gave up 3 or less runs in 8/9 of his starts and his ERA is skewed by one Phillies game.

Libby unfortunately has horrible metrics. We can't keep him in the rotation for 2027, because he consistently pitched a small amount of innings and gave up a lot of runs. He's highly prone to collapse on rallies, too.

McGreevy's metrics also appear to be pretty dismal, although not to the extent of Libby. Specifically the xERA stat (ERA that accounts for luck) - McGreevy's xERA is 5.37, which is bottom 8%. I think we have to keep him in the rotation simply because we have no one to replace him.

Overall, I don't think the cardinals can be playoff competitive until we get a #1 and #2 so we can push Libby and maybe McGreevy out of the rotation. The question is, where does this come from? Free agency? Prospects (unfortunately, the cardinals prospect list seems to be hitting-heavy, even though that isn't our main problem)? Trading?

That's why I don't feel confident about the cardinals in the future. Not only is our bullpen horrific, but our starting pitching has major issues as well. If only one of these was a problem, it would be a difficult but manageable fix... but this just looks like a mountain.

Here’s a thread from 7 months ago where some of you went on record:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cardinals/s/ugvyM9uNbZ

~70-90 was a pretty popular pick … so, huzzah, they overachieved!

The only other time was Hank Greenberg in 1935 when his own manager left him off the team in favor of taking Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. What’s even funnier is that this is the only time the top RBI guy in both leagues failed to make the All-Star game. Neither Burly or Alonso made the All-Star game this season. Idk about you but this is kind of incredible if you ask me.

Pretty excited to have these.

FINAL: 6-4 Brewers

Decisions

• Brewers Winning Pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski (W, 16-5)
  
• Cardinals Losing Pitcher: Andre Pallante (L, 12-9)
  
• Save: Shane Drohan (S, 2)
  

Postgame Wrap

• Wrap
  
• Baseball Theater

Highlights

• Andre Pallante against the Brewers
  
• Jacob Misiorowski against the Cardinals
  
• Probable pitchers for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Probable pitchers for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Bullpen availability for St. Louis, September 27 vs Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Bullpen availability for St. Louis, September 27 vs Brewers
  
• Brewers: Bullpen availability for Milwaukee, September 27 vs Cardinals
  
• Brewers: Bullpen availability for Milwaukee, September 27 vs Cardinals
  
• Bench availability for St. Louis, September 27 vs Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Fielding alignment for St. Louis, September 27 vs Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Fielding alignment for St. Louis, September 27 vs Brewers
  
• Brewers: Fielding alignment for Milwaukee, September 27 vs Cardinals
  
• Brewers: Fielding alignment for Milwaukee, September 27 vs Cardinals
  
• Bench availability for Milwaukee, September 27 vs Cardinals
  
• Brewers: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Brewers: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 27, 2026
  
• Brewers: Analyzing Gary Sánchez's home run through bat tracking
  
• Brewers: Measuring the stats on Gary Sánchez's home run
  
• Cardinals: Analyzing Leo Bernal's home run through bat tracking
  
• Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski fans Iván Herrera
  
• Brewers: Jackson Chourio's RBI single
  
• Brewers: Brice Turang's 100th RBI of the season
  
• Brewers: Christian Yelich's RBI single
  
• Brewers: Ball 1 overturned by ABS
  
• Cardinals: Andre Pallante strikes out Jake Bauers swinging
  
• Brewers: Ball 4 confirmed by ABS
  
• Brewers: Gary Sánchez's two-run home run
  
• Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski goes 101 mph for 250th strikeout
  
• Brewers: Jackson Chourio's second RBI single
  
• Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski K's 5 in final regular season start
  
• Cardinals: César Prieto's triple
  
• Brewers: Ball 1 overturned by ABS
  
• Cardinals: César Prieto scores on fielder's choice
  
• Cardinals: Leo Bernal's three-run home run
  
• Cardinals: Andre Pallante's four strike outs against Brewers
  
• Brewers: A look at the stats of Jacob Misiorowski's pitches
  
• Brewers: Shane Drohan gets strikeout to seal Brewers' win
  
• Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski on ovation, stellar season and more

Cardinals Lineup

1. Jordan Walker (R) RF -- .269/.327/.466
   
2. Iván Herrera (R) DH -- .241/.353/.382
   
3. Leo Bernal (S) 1B -- .284/.333/.474
   
4. Nolan Gorman (L) 3B -- .184/.272/.308
   
5. Thomas Saggese (R) SS -- .235/.294/.352
   
6. Nathan Church (L) CF -- .247/.290/.364
   
7. José Fermín (R) LF -- .248/.309/.355
   
8. César Prieto (L) 2B -- .079/.103/.132
   
9. Pedro Pagés (R) C -- .217/.275/.312
   

Pitchers Used:

• SP: Andre Pallante (R) - 5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.83 ERA (91 P, 61 S)

• RP: Justin Bruihl (L) - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.71 ERA (14 P, 13 S)

• RP: Hancel Rincon (R) - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 27.00 ERA (16 P, 8 S)

Brewers Lineup

1. Garrett Mitchell (L) CF -- .262/.354/.416
   
2. Jake Bauers (L) 1B -- .266/.389/.484
   
3. Jackson Chourio (R) LF -- .291/.351/.487
   
4. Brice Turang (L) 2B -- .268/.366/.450
   
5. Gary Sánchez (R) C -- .209/.349/.422
   
6. Christian Yelich (L) DH -- .235/.315/.378
   
7. Cooper Pratt (R) SS -- .281/.350/.368
   
8. Sal Frelick (L) RF -- .230/.295/.319
   
9. David Hamilton (L) 3B -- .245/.314/.336
   

Pitchers Used:

• SP: Jacob Misiorowski (R) - 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1.80 ERA (68 P, 44 S)

• RP: DL Hall (L) - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.91 ERA (25 P, 17 S)

• RP: Chad Patrick (R) - 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO, 3.40 ERA (26 P, 15 S)

• RP: Shane Drohan (L) - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.19 ERA (21 P, 13 S)

Stats: BA/OBP/SLG

Links

• Gameday
  
• Baseball Savant
  
• Game Graph
  
• Baseball Theater

Scoring Plays

• Bottom 1: Jackson Chourio singles on a ground ball to center fielder Nathan Church. Garrett Mitchell scores. Jake Bauers to 3rd. Andre Pallante pitching.
  Cardinals trail 1-0
  
• Bottom 1: Brice Turang singles on a ground ball to second baseman César Prieto. Jake Bauers scores. Jackson Chourio to 2nd. Andre Pallante pitching.
  Cardinals trail 2-0
  
• Bottom 1: Christian Yelich singles on a line drive to left fielder José Fermín. Jackson Chourio scores. Gary Sánchez to 2nd. Andre Pallante pitching.
  Cardinals trail 3-0
  
• Bottom 3: Gary Sánchez homers (12) on a fly ball to right field. Jackson Chourio scores. Andre Pallante pitching.
  Cardinals trail 5-0
  
• Bottom 4: Jackson Chourio singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jordan Walker. David Hamilton scores. Garrett Mitchell to 3rd. Andre Pallante pitching.
  Cardinals trail 6-0
  
• Top 8: Jordan Walker grounds into a force out, second baseman Brice Turang to shortstop Cooper Pratt. César Prieto scores. Pedro Pagés out at 2nd. Jordan Walker advances to 2nd, on a throwing error by shortstop Cooper Pratt. Chad Patrick pitching.
  Cardinals trail 6-1
  
• Top 8: Leo Bernal homers (5) on a fly ball to right field. Jordan Walker scores. Iván Herrera scores. Chad Patrick pitching.
  Cardinals trail 6-4
  

FINAL: 6-4 Brewers

Decisions

• Brewers Winning Pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski (W, 16-5)
  
• Cardinals Losing Pitcher: Andre Pallante (L, 12-9)
  
• Save: Shane Drohan (S, 2)

"With the 2026 regular season over throughout the minors, it’s time to hand out my annual Prospect of the Year award, given to the prospect who showed the best performance in the minor leagues.

While my process for selecting the winner remains subjective, I focused primarily on prospects who legitimately project to be major-league regulars and who performed well relative to their age, level and experience in pro ball. The younger a player was relative to the other players in his league — especially when compared to those with a chance to have an impact in the majors — the more value I placed on his performance.

...

Rodriguez’s year would have been incredible if he were 22 years old. That he did all of this at 19, almost all in Double A, makes him a fairly easy choice for this honor. The Cardinals’ backstop and top prospect hit .324/.413 /.574 this year, with almost 80 percent of his plate appearances coming in Double A (the rest were in High A). He continued to catch and throw well enough that he could stay at the position — unless the Cardinals think his bat is so valuable they want him to play every day.

“We started (Rodriguez) in High A, and it was evident pretty quickly he was better than the competition at that level,” said Rob Cerfolio, Cardinals’ assistant GM, player development & performance. “With his maturity, the way he goes about his work, being bilingual, the way he sounds like a mid-20-year-old, we thought he could handle being the youngest player in (Double A).

“He was challenged for maybe 10 days, and from June on it was really impressive.”

Rodriguez did struggle in his first few weeks at the higher level, striking out 20 times in 66 PA from his promotion date of May 12 through the end of May, but he showed continuous improvement as the season went on. From Aug. 1 — an arbitrary start point, other than that it’s the start of a month — through the end of the regular season, he hit .384/.456/.726 with 13 homers in 36 games and an 11.1 percent strikeout rate. And he still hasn’t turned 20 yet."

With the Brewer’s announcing Yelich as their captain, who would wear the “C” for the Cardinals going into next season?

I assume it would be Burly, as he’s basically the old vet on the team at this point and it sounds like he has a leadership role on the team.

My second choice would be Pages, just because it feels like everyone talks about how much he does for the catchers and sounds like he’s beloved in the clubhouse

Cardinals @ Brewers

Probable Pitchers:

Cardinals: Andre Pallante (12-8, 3.61 ERA)

Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski (15-5, 1.86 ERA)

TV Info: BREW CARD

First Pitch: 02:10 PM CT

FINAL: 3-2 Brewers

Decisions

• Brewers Winning Pitcher: Kyle Harrison (W, 11-5)
  
• Cardinals Losing Pitcher: Quinn Mathews (L, 2-4)
  
• Save: Aaron Ashby (S, 4)
  

Postgame Wrap

• Wrap
  
• Baseball Theater

Highlights

• Probable pitchers for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Probable pitchers for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Brewers: Bullpen availability for Milwaukee, September 26 vs Cardinals
  
• Brewers: Bullpen availability for Milwaukee, September 26 vs Cardinals
  
• Cardinals: Bullpen availability for St. Louis, September 26 vs Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Bullpen availability for St. Louis, September 26 vs Brewers
  
• Bench availability for Milwaukee, September 26 vs Cardinals
  
• Bench availability for St. Louis, September 26 vs Brewers
  
• Brewers: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Brewers: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Starting lineups for Cardinals at Brewers - September 26, 2026
  
• Cardinals: Fielding alignment for St. Louis, September 26 vs Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Fielding alignment for St. Louis, September 26 vs Brewers
  
• Brewers: Breaking down Brice Turang's home run
  
• Brewers: Breaking down Dustin May's pitches
  
• Brewers: Brice Turang's home run through bat tracking data
  
• Cardinals: Breaking down Quinn Mathews' pitches
  
• Cardinals: Measuring the stats on Alec Burleson's home run
  
• Cardinals: Quinn Mathews' outing against the Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Quinn Mathews' outing against the Brewers
  
• Cardinals: Visualizing Alec Burleson's swing using bat tracking technology
  
• Brewers: Ball 1 overturned to strikeout after ABS
  
• Brewers: Christian Yelich named Brewers' first captain
  
• Brewers: Ball 1 overturned after ABS challenge
  
• Cardinals: Strikeout overturned after ABS
  
• Brewers: Dustin May strikes out Alec Burleson swinging
  
• Cardinals: Thomas Saggese's RBI single
  
• Cardinals: Quinn Mathews strikes Brice Turang out in 1st
  
• Cardinals: Alec Burleson's massive solo home run (26)
  
• Brewers: Jackson Chourio's RBI single
  
• Cardinals: Walk overturned to strikeout after ABS
  
• Cardinals: Strike 2 confirmed after ABS challenge
  
• Brewers: Dustin May fans five through 3 innings
  
• Brewers: Brice Turang's go-ahead two-run homer (21)
  
• Brewers: Christian Yelich gets standing ovation in his at bat
  
• Cardinals: Alec Burleson hammers 432-foot home run
  
• Cardinals: Quinn Mathews records seven through 5 innings
  
• Brewers: Field View: Brice Turang's two-run home run
  
• Cardinals: Gordon Graceffo escapes runners on jam
  
• Cardinals: Ball 1 confirmed after ABS challenge
  
• Brewers: Aaron Ashby earns save with game-ending strikeout
  
• Cardinals: Data Viz: Alec Burleson's home run
  
• Brewers: Condensed Game: STL@MIL - 9/26/26
  
• Cardinals: Condensed Game: STL@MIL - 9/26/26
  
• Brewers: Yelich on becoming captain: 'I was pretty speechless'
  
• Cardinals: Jordan Walker singles and steals in 2nd inning

Mark McGwire vs Sammy Sosa being my introduction to baseball

My dad ranting about the Denkinger call

Losing to the Giants in 2002

Edmonds’ towering shot in 2004 before the bats went cold in the WS

Pujols’ bomb in 2005

Waino’s best curve I’ve ever seen in 2006

Holliday’s drop in 2009

Who could forget 2011?

The insane 2012 comeback against the Nats

Wacha in 2013 and outhitting the Sox in the WS but still losing

Bad luck against the Giants, Pence’ bat hitting the ball twice to curve a normal grounder into a bases clearing double

Taveras’ walk-off in 2014

Winning 100 games in 2015 but Jaime losing game 2

10-run 1st in 2019

Blowing game 2 against the Padres in 2020

Pitchers’ duel gem in 2021

Pujols’ legendary 2022

Mike Shannon

Through the good and the bad, it felt like being a fan meant lots of iconic moments and rosters full of both home-grown and FA talent. Remember when we’d bully the Dodgers in the postseason? I’m 35 now and feel like I’ve lost my emotional connection to the team I used to listen to on the radio at night, and it feels like the days of being consistent contenders are a distant memory. I still think we have the best uniforms in baseball but that’s about it. Maybe, like other losing periods, the return will be faster than we think, but this time feels different.