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ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JUNE 27: JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals catches a pop up from Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium on June 27, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Le/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another quick one because yay this is my worst work day in probably six years or so. Anyway…
There are lots of reasons to believe in Cardinals devil magic, if one wants to. There are also probably lots of reasons not to believe in it.
Personally, I am fascinated by the Cardinals on a bigger-picture, team history and arc level. From 2000-2022, they missed the playoffs just seven times, and finished below .500 just once. They did this without egregious spending or really anything other than the well-documented attempt to have a generically decent roster, year after year.
Then, in about 2023, things kind of blew up — they had 83 wins in 2024 but were below .500 the other two years. Moreover, the team ended up with a bunch of non-continuity in players (fire sale-y) and Front Office. It seemed like the real devil magic was being able to hold on to an “old guard” way of running a franchise well past its expiration date, but the clock struck midnight on that eventually.
The 2026 Cardinals had a good start (18-13) but have played .500 ball since. They’re 3-7 in their last 10, which is June 2026 Braves-esque, though they actually had a six-game winning streak earlier in the month. You may be surprised to learn that the Cardinals actually have the league’s third-best xwOBA — they’re sorta like a less extreme Nationals team, where their struggle has been with pitching.
Anyway, devil magic, yay or nay?
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