Giants, Cardinals Clash With Wild-Card Hopes on Line

Chicago, 7:00 p.m. CT — Two teams clinging to their postseason hopes will collide Monday night when the St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants. Both clubs remain mathematically alive in the National League wild-card race, though their margin for error is nearly gone.

The Cardinals (76-80) and Giants (77-79) each managed wins on Sunday to stay afloat. San Francisco begins the week three games behind the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets, who are tied for the third and final wild-card position. St. Louis trails by one additional game as it starts a six-game road trip that ends with a visit to the Chicago Cubs.

Pitching Matchup

Monday’s opener at Oracle Park features right-hander Michael McGreevy (7-3, 4.08 ERA) for St. Louis against veteran Justin Verlander (3-10, 3.75) for San Francisco. With both the Reds and Mets idle on Monday, neither the Giants nor the Cardinals face elimination regardless of the outcome.

Arenado’s Uncertain Future

The Cardinals’ lineup also carries a storyline around Nolan Arenado. The eight-time All-Star took the field Sunday only for a ceremonial moment, receiving a standing ovation before being removed from the game.

“Listen, I feel like this organization needs to go a different route with how they go about their business,” Arenado, 34, told reporters. “They’ve got to let some of these young guys grow and see what they have, and there’s no doubt that I’m in the way of that.

“So, I don’t know what is going to happen. But I do believe that change is coming — as it should.”

Arenado, under contract for two more years, has limited history against Verlander but has homered once in 13 career plate appearances.

Giants Seek Momentum

Despite dropping seven of eight before Sunday, the Giants salvaged a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers to maintain their chase. Manager Bob Melvin emphasized the importance of the victory.

“All the way around, that was a huge game,” he said. “We lose the first three (in LA), we’re losing ground every day. To be able to come back and win a game against them here in this ballpark, their last game at home, a lot was riding on it for us.”

Verlander enters Monday’s start with a 3-1 record and 4.00 ERA in six career starts against St. Louis. McGreevy, meanwhile, struggled in his only appearance against the Giants earlier this month, allowing six runs in four innings of an 8-2 loss.

With just one week left in the regular season, both the Giants and Cardinals will need near-perfect play to extend their campaigns into October.