The Cardinals’ 16+ cases of COVID-19 spread out over a week continue to wreak havoc on the schedule.
Realistically, I don’t know what the hope was that the Cardinals and Pirates could play this week, given that the games would take place within the one-week exposure window for those new positive tests. I suppose the hope was that they could get a few days’ worth of additional negatives, and feel good enough about the contact tracing? I don’t know. Never felt like more than a dream.
Thus:
The entire series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates this week has been postponed, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 9, 2020
Note the continued use of the word “postponed.” The Cardinals now still have 55 games left to play … and just 46 days in which to play them. Without an extension of the season, I do not think think that is feasible. My guess is that the Cubs series and/or the Pirates series will ultimately just be cancelled, and the standings will be determined by winning percentage among the teams that get in at least 50 games (or something like that – I’m legit just guessing).
No word of additional positives (yet) this weekend, so that’s at least good news. The Cardinals are next scheduled to play a doubleheader in Detroit against the Tigers on Thursday, August 13, before a weekend set in Chicago against the White Sox. Then they come to Wrigley Field for three (August 17-19), which might wind up being four+ games, depending on how this all shakes out.
UPDATE: MLB better hope this positive was someone who was directly in contact with the SOURCE of the new positives from Friday, otherwise this is a disaster:
Hear at least one more positive test is expected for cardinals in latest round
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 9, 2020
UPDATE 2: Here’s the positive test:
#stlcads confirm that Lane Thomas has tested postiive COVID-19. Contact tracing revealed him leading up to positive test. That positive test was reported earlier: https://t.co/Qhj1bv3jKx
— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) August 10, 2020