MILWAUKEE – The St. Louis Cardinals finally parted ways with the Milwaukee Brewers in early August after chasing them for much of the season.
Since then, they haven’t looked back, turning what had been a NL Central run into something of a runaway.
MVP contender Paul Goldschmidt He went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs as the Cardinals beat the Brewers 6-2 on Tuesday night to win the division title. Miles Mikolas.
“With the people we have and the veteran leadership, we knew we smelled blood right there and took that lead,” Mikolas said.
Andrew Knizner He hit a two-run homer to snap an 0-for-22 slump as St. Louis clinched its first division crown since 2019 and its fourth straight playoff berth against the team that won the NL Central last year. This is the third straight year the Cardinals have completed the postseason with a win over the Brewers.
The Cardinals (90-65) were guaranteed at least a matchup with second-place Milwaukee (82-72), and now they own the title because Tuesday’s win gave St. Louis an unassailable 10-8 lead in the season series.
St. Louis held a low-key celebration on the Brewers’ home field after the last game, a midseason game they won’t react to. The party didn’t start until the Cardinals entered the locker room and started popping the champagne.
“It’s just one step, folks.” Albert Pujols He told his teammates at the start of the festival. “Just remember this time. We want to go deep into October and hopefully win the championship and bring it to the city of St. Louis.”
The Brewers remain 1½ games behind Philadelphia for the final NL wild card. The Phillies won the season series against Milwaukee and would earn a playoff bid if the teams finish tied.
St. Louis has trailed Milwaukee in the NL Central standings for most of the season and was four games back on the morning of July 31st. The Cardinals are 37-17 and the Brewers are 25-28.
“We haven’t played well enough all season to win the division,” said the Brewers outfielder. Christian Yelich he said. “You get a lot of what you deserve in sports, and we just haven’t been able to put it all together for whatever reason. We’re not saying we still don’t have a shot. We still have a shot at the wild card.”
Tuesday’s clincher didn’t show much suspense, as St. Louis scored its first six runs to the delight of many Cardinals fans at American Family Field.
Mikolas (12-13) struck out nine and allowed just four hits and one walk. The Brewers’ only run came in the sixth inning Rowdy Tellez He hit his 34th homer.
Milwaukee was 2-0 at the start. Adrian House (6-10) One out of the fourth due to a strained right groin. Brewers manager Craig Council said House could be on the injured list.
The Cardinals took sole possession of first place on August 6th and since then Pujols has hit his 700th homer, Goldschmidt and Pujols have been part of an impressive season. Nolan Arenado Making MVP arguments and Adam Wainwright. And Yadier Molina Being the most effective batter in MLB history.
“It’s pretty magical when you think about it,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “Most importantly, you have MVP candidates on our corners, Yadi and Wayno chasing 325. [starts together], you got 700 from Albert, and they never did about themselves. They are always aiming to win and take a step towards the championship. This tells you a lot about the character and culture of a club.
Molina and Pujols have already announced that this is their last season. Now that the Cardinals have secured the division title, those veterans will want to keep winning to make sure they go out in style.
“We definitely want them to leave baseball with one more ring,” Mikolas said.