Against the class of the National League – the Cubs, the Pirates, and Nats – the Cardinals are 1-8 and they have been outscored, 42-19. In 13 games against teams either openly advertising their rebuilding or clearly doing so without the advertising, the Cardinals are 9-4 after their 1-0 loss Tuesday. The Cardinals have outscored lesser opponents in those 13 games, 108 to 40.

Before Tuesday's game, they led the majors in homers (40) and runs scored (153), but they’ve built those stats mostly against inferior teams (35 homers, 134 runs). They have fattened their record on rebuilding teams, of which there are plenty in the NL to feed them.

Is that enough to contend?

Can the Cardinals prop their season on lesser teams?

Put more specifically: Can the Cardinals continue feasting on the have-nots in the NL, hold serve against their midrange peers, and continue to struggle against the haves and still reach October? If ever there was a time when it would be possible to pound on meek teams enough to reach the playoffs, this appears to be the year as the middle class gets squeezed.