Will Pujols hit No. 700?

Albert Pujols is the hottest person on the planet. Pujols has a 1.28 batting average in his last 10 games. That is the second-highest mark of his career over any 10-game stretch, beaten only by his batting average between August 6 and August 21. At 42 years of age. The machine is having the best stretch of his career. Pujols has led all big leaguers with at least 40 plate appearances in the last month. He leads MLB in on- base percentage, batting average, weighted runs created-plus, isolated power, and he is tied for the league lead in home runs. The most crucial number is the last one. In order to become the fourth member of the 700 club, Pujols needs seven more home runs. What are the chances of that happening?

It is not realistic for him to get there before the end of September. To determine where Pujols will end the season on the all-time home run list, we need to take a couple factors into account.

1. The likelihood that the Cardinals will face left-handed pitching down the stretch. This year, against right-handed pitchers, Pujols is slugging just .600. That’s awful. Against southpaws, Pujols is slugging 1.242, which is 232 points higher than Aaron Judge is slugging against lefties. So, if Pujols is going to reach 700 dongs, a hefty amount of lefties on the starting docket should be the first thing we look at. Sure, Pujols can still pinch-hit against lefties late in games, but those at-bats would be too far and few between.
2. Pujols has only played in about 60% of Cardinals’ games this season. I’ll try to look at every possibility of his prominence in the lineup in these final 41 games, but the main points of emphasis will be how soon the Cardinals secure a playoff spot and division title. If they have nothing to play for other than playoff seeding, I’d imagine the Cardinals would give Pujols every chance they could offer for him to reach his milestone. If they don’t secure a playoff spot soon, they’d likely push Pujols’ home run chase aside in favor of playing the people that will help them win.
3. Home run regression. Sure, at his current pace, Pujols would reach 700 even if he only got one plate appearance per game. The more likely scenario is that Pujols starts falling back to Earth more in line to where he was earlier in the season. That said, if Pujols gets a bunch of lefties lined up and is given a hefty amount of opportunities at the plate, he could still reach 700 even if his at-bats per home run mark regresses.

The Cubs and theCardinals played a double-game today. Three of the Cubs probable pitchers are right-handed. The starter for tomorrow is not yet known, but it seems like right-handed hurlerluke Farrell will be the one to start. Unless the team starts winning, the Cards won't worry about Pujols' splits. Pujols got the start at designated hitter in the first game of the twin bill. I don't think he'll start all the games. I don't think we can assume Pujols will hit any home runs this series because he may get more opportunities late in games. Most of the time.

He hasn't hit a home run off a right-handed pitcher in August. Brandon Hughes has worked as the team's closer in the past, and the Cubs have three left-handed pitchers in their relief team. It is not likely that Pujols will face a lefty in any of the games.

The Braves will be the next team. Three righties will be used in the upcoming series, including Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Jake Odorizzi. Pujols has just eight hits in 33 at-bats against Morton. I don't think anything will come out of that game. He's had 11 plate appearances against him. Pujols is 0 for 10. Can't imagine anything happening there. He hasn't faced Spencer.

We are already a sixth of the way through the rest of the season for St. Louis. Nine games remain against the Pirates, eight against the Reds, and seven against the Cubs for the Cardinal's. When facing the Cubs, Pujols won't have many chances against left-handed pitchers.

He will likely face Mike Minor and Nick lodolo many times. That would be the best chance for Pujols to move forward. Minor is giving up more home runs than any other pitcher on the season and lodolo is more prone to the walk. In those games, if some Cards can get on base in front of Pujols, he'd have to challenge him. You don't want to do that

There is no lefty on the starting rotation for the Pirates. At the deadline, the team traded away their only consistent left-handed starter, José Quintana, and now only have righties in the lineup. The Pirates have three left-handed relief pitchers, but they have only pitched a combined 21.2innings. The Pirates aren't in a position to make a run for the playoffs so it's likely they wouldn't put Peters out on the mound a lot. There is a chance that a few home runs could happen if Pujols gets an at-bat against someone like cam vieaux.

The NL Central is a tight race. The NL East and AL Central are not easy to beat. The Cards had won eight in a row and nine of their last 10, while the Brewers had lost five in a row. The team that I think is the better one should win the division. TheCardinals have an easy schedule down the stretch with 13 games against teams over.500 and only four games against Milwaukee. The earlier the better.

In the middle of their series with the San Diego Padres, the Cards will win their division. There are two against the Padres, three against the Dodgers, two against the Brewers, and six against the Pirates. Pujols has fourteen home runs this year, six of which have come against those teams. Pujols has three homers this year, two against the Brewers and one against the Pirates, but I don't think he'll pitch again.

The last ten games of the season would be the best time to get to 700. The Brewers and Dodgers have a lot of southpaws on their staff. Pujols hit two home runs in his last game against the Brewers, but it is not known when he will start again. Pujols has been very good against a lot of guys in his career, including Milwaukee's Taylor Rogers, Los Angeles' David Price, Tyler Anderson, and even Los Angeles'Clayton Kershaw. It may not be enough for Pujols at that point.

Pujols is unlikely to reach 700 home runs. If Pujols had better numbers against right-handed pitchers this season, I would be more confident in saying the opposite, but as it is, there is a line of righties waiting for the Cards. If the Cards want to win their first division title in five years, they will have to realize that Pujols is not the best choice to be the designated hitter. If the opposition brings in a leftyReliever, keep Pujols on the bench, but only for a couple of at-bats. At 42 years old, I don't think Pujols will last much longer.

Pujols has a chance of reaching 700 by the end of the season according to BaseballReference.