Will the Cardinals fly high right into October?

You can only hate your rival if they are good.

Case in point: The NFL's best and most historic rivalry, the Packers and Bears, took a hiatus for most Chicago fans during the 1980's when Green Bay was irrelevant. Likewise, for Packers fans, the 1990's were not dominated with memories of heated games with Chicago because the Bears were putrid.

For an entire generation of Packers fans, the Minnesota Vikings supplanted the Bears as Green Bay's top rival because they simply were better. Randy Moss was a personality Packers fans loved to hate and a rivalry brewed so much to the point that most believed that it was better than that of Packers-Bears, history be damned.

It wasn't until last season's NFC Championship Game that the NFL's true best rivalry was appreciated again.

Likewise, this season the Brewers' most traditional National League rival, the Chicago Cubs have been completely irrelevant. However, as was the case with the Vikings in the 1990's, the St. Louis Cardinals have supplanted the Cubs as the team that has drawn the most Milwaukee ire; in no small measure because right now they are refusing to lose. Certainly several incidents between the two clubs this season have helped fuel the fire:

• Tony La Russa filing a baseless and laughable claim the Brewers were at an advantage because they were manipulating the ribbon boards at Miller Park.
• The beanball incidents of Aug. 2 where Albert Pujols was hit on accident so the Cardinals exacted a pound of flesh by intentionally hitting Ryan Braun.Allegedly.
• La Russa's postgame shouting match with WTMJ Radio's Greg Matzek.
• La Russa calling Brewers fans "idiots."
• The bases clearing incident of Sept. 7 where Nyjer Morgan and Chris Carpenter shouted obscenities at each other.

So yes, there is some bad blood. But if you will recall, the Brewers and Pirates had a prolonged set of incidents a few years ago, but Pittsburgh was (and still is) hapless, so Brewers fans didn't really pay that close of attention to it.

But there is something that Brewers fans cannot ignore right now that should have them concerned. Not that that they won't make it to October, but where and how far they will go once the calendar turns.

The issue is the Cardinals have suddenly forgotten how to lose and could very well wind up themselves playing into October after having been left for dead a month ago. This month, as the Brewers have played mostly middling baseball in the last two weeks after building a comfortable 10 ½ game division lead, the Cardinals have caught fire.

When September began, Brewers fans began looking into accommodations for the NLDS Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta. The path was clear; the seeds were set. The Phillies would host the Diamondbacks and the Brewers would host the Braves. And while that still could happen, it is hardly what you would call a certainty.

One month ago, the Brewers led the Cardinals by 8 ½ games in the division and the Braves led the Cardinals by 9 ½ in the Wild Card chase. With just six games left to play the Brewers 4 ½ game lead seems safe. The same can not be said of the lead the Braves have been frittering away in the Wild Card race.

After play ended on Wednesday, Atlanta's lead has shrunk to just 1 ½ games.

Just as the Brewers went on a 25-5 run, the Cardinals have made their late-season move as well, winning 19 of their last 25 games. Atlanta, however, has gone just 7-13 in September, and has zero momentum entering the final week of play.

The Brewers doomsday scenario is not missing the playoffs; but rather missing out on having home field advantage in the first round. Baseball rules state that teams from the same division may not play each other in the first round, so if the Cardinals win the Wild Card, they only could play the Diamondbacks or Phillies. After play ended on Wednesday, Arizona trailed Milwaukee by only one game in the race for the No. 2 seed behind Philadelphia.

The prevailing thought has been that if the Brewers can host the first two games of the NLDS, they could start Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke in the first two games at home and Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf on the road. This is especially important because of the splits the Brewers top three pitchers have this year:

• Gallardo at home: 10-2, 3.13 ERA
• Gallardo on the road: 7-8, 4.05 ERA

• Greinke at home: 10-0, 2.89 ERA
• Greinke on the road 5-6, 4.70 ERA

Conversely:

• Marcum at home: 5-4, 4.39 ERA
• Marcum on the road: 8-3, 2.21 ERA

Where the Brewers wanted to be able to go into cruise control in the final week of the season and head into the postseason with everyone rested and ready, they now have to not go all out. Ron Roenicke's crew must not only now take care of their own business against the Marlins and Pirates, they are now scoreboard watching and looking for some help to stay the No. 2 seed.

Taking inventory of what is left:

St. Louis' remaining schedule: One home game against the Mets, a three-game series hosting the Cubs, and a three-game series at Houston. Considering those three teams are a combined 76 games below .500, if I were a Cardinals fan, I would feel fairly confident.

Atlanta's remaining schedule: Three games at Washington, and three games at home vs. Philadelphia. The Braves best hope is the Phillies treat these games like spring training contests; knowing they are meaningless as October approaches.

Arizona's remaining schedule: Three games hosting the Giants and three games hosting the Dodgers. The Giants are playing for their postseason lives, as their Wild Card hopes are on life support.

The Brewers ideal scenario is obviously to host the reeling Braves in the first round. Should the Diamondbacks somehow upset the Phillies, the Brewers would then host Arizona in the NLCS.

I'm not a betting man, but if I were, there would be no way in the world I would bet against the Cardinals. They have smarts, they have experience, and they have momentum.

And they're also the last team I want to run into in October.