The Cardinals may have moved pieces at the 2026 MLB trade deadline, but they’re still hanging around in the National League playoff picture. At 59-59, St. Louis sits 3 1/2 games back of a Wild Card spot, which makes this week’s three-game set against the Phillies at Busch Stadium feel a lot bigger than a mid-August series usually does.
St. Louis opens the matchup Monday night, and the pitching matchups give the whole thing some real weight.
The Cardinals will turn to Dobbins in the opener, with the fifth spot in the rotation now his for the time being after Dustin May was traded away. Dobbins has made eight appearances this season, five of them starts, and he’s been steady with a 3.60 ERA over 40 innings.
He’s coming off a strong outing on Aug. 4 against the New York Yankees, when he gave up two runs across 6 1/3 innings. Andrew Painter will take the ball for Philadelphia.
Game two brings one of St. Louis’ better success stories this season.
Andre Pallante was a struggle last year, posting a 5.31 ERA in 31 starts, but he’s bounced back with a 3.63 ERA in 22 starts this year. The Phillies will counter with Cristopher Sánchez, who is in the mix as an NL Cy Young Award contender.
The series wraps with another Cardinals arm who has completely changed his season. Leahy got off to a rough start and there was at least a case to send him back to the bullpen early on, but he has turned things around in a big way.
He now leads the Cardinals’ rotation with a 3.45 ERA in 22 starts and a 99-to-35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 112 1/3 innings. He’ll face Zack Wheeler in the finale.
For a Cardinals team that also traded JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar, this is the kind of series that can say a lot about where they stand, even after the deadline sell-off. The gap is still there, but so is the chance.
In Other News...
Phillies Bullpen Suddenly Has A New Problem In The Wild Card Race
The bullpen reinforcement the Phillies hoped to get at the deadline took a hit in August, when Caleb Kilian went down with an injury that could leave the club thinner at a time when every arm matters. Philadelphia added Kilian, Luis Arraez and Brooks Raley in separate deadline moves with an eye toward strengthening the relief mix, but the group has already been asked to absorb more stress than planned as the Wild Card chase tightens.
Interim manager Don Mattingly said the injury may keep Kilian out for an extended stretch, which puts even more pressure on a bullpen that was already under strain. If Philadelphia is forced to navigate the coming weeks without him, the front office and coaching staff may have to look hard at other pitching options just to keep the late innings from becoming a nightly scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Fans Have One More Reason To Celebrate Gary Matthews Sr
Gary Matthews Sr. is adding another honor to a baseball life already rich with them, and Phillies fans have reason to take note. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum announced that Matthews will be part of the 2026 Hall of Game class, alongside Ralph Garr, Reggie Smith and Andre Thornton, with the induction set for Sept. 26 at the Gem Theater in Kansas City, Missouri.
For Philadelphia, Matthews still carries the kind of name recognition that stretches beyond a box score, tied to the era and personality that made him a memorable part of the franchises history. The museum also said journalist Rob Parker and the creator of MLBbro.com will receive the JL Wilkinson Innovator Award, underscoring a class that recognizes both playing careers and broader influence on the sport. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Fans Have Every Right To Question Dombrowskis Deadline Plan
The Phillies came out of the trade deadline with two new pieces, landing Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley, but the bigger conversation in Philadelphia has been about what Dave Dombrowski did not add. The club was looking for ways to deepen a roster with clear needs, and Dombrowski said there were no suitable right-handed hitting outfielders available to help.
That explanation is already drawing skepticism because several right-handed outfield bats did change hands at the deadline and could have been in play for Philadelphia. For a front office with a win-now mandate, the issue is less about the moves made than the ones left on the table, and fans have every reason to wonder whether the Phillies did enough to address the spots that mattered most. [Read more 🡒]