Mike Matheny looked exhausted.
The St. Louis Cardinals manager stared out of the dugout at the Milwaukee Brewers basking in the glow of another huge win over his team, like a scratch-off card specialist looking at a winning lottery ticket holder. The Brewers had fought back against a sensational Jack Flaherty and overcome Bud Norris in the bottom of the ninth for a walkoff home run. It was deflating in every measure of the word, and it was written all over the Cardinals manager's face.
The 47-year-old manager is in the middle of his seventh season as manager of the Cardinals, and he's never looked more helpless, or clueless. There's no easy manual or process on how to get this 2018 team in order. There are underachievers, injuries, and sloppy baseball being played. Jose Oquendo returned and brought Willie McGee with him, but they can only help so much. You can recruit the entire 1982 team and the record wouldn't improve.
With the Cardinals on pace for the worse record during Matheny's tenure, there's noticeable heat on his seat, and there should be. After all, this the Major Leagues, where the good die young and the old struggle to maintain productivity in a game that is equal parts relentless and brutally honest.
It's not all Matheny's fault, but he shouldn't escape the blame. It isn't like the Cardinals lack any real talent and are getting slaughtered. They fail so miserably at the basic fundamentals of the game: baserunning, defense, and executing late plays that decide baseball games. Whether it's Carlos Martinez losing his touch. Marcell Ozuna looking over the left field wall for a baseball that would land in front of it, or Jose Martinez needing goaltending equipment to scoop a ball at first base, the Cardinals are consistently a mess.
The inadequate play is costing them baseball games and worsening. After sweeping the Chicago Cubs in dramatic fashion on May 6, the Cardinals were 20-12 and atop the National League Central Division. Since then, they are 18-24 and 2-8 in their last ten games. Teams such as the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres have pushed them around far too often during the past two weeks.
If Matheny ever had a message, the players are no longer receiving it. A change is going to be needed sooner or later. He has a contract that runs through 2020, but I doubt he makes it there. If he does with the Cardinals unable to break out of the 83-86 win mark, Bill DeWitt Jr. and John Mozeliak should be fired as well for irresponsible negligence. They created this unique monster, and it is their job to know when to say when.
If Mozeliak hates to use the word "rebuild", then he needs to make a change and start reloading this team. If DeWitt Jr. doesn't like to weigh his future bets on past accomplishments, he needs to cut his losses and start fresh. Each man knew what they were getting into when handing the managerial position to a guy with zero coaching experience-so it's best to bite the bullet before it rips through your team's heart.
Everything that could be done around Matheny has commenced and settled. Coaches were fired, and others (Oquendo) left for different missions. The only coach to not lose his job or leave the dugout is Matheny's friend, John Mabry. Did you notice how bad the lineup is hitting? Mabry should have been fired years ago, but has acquired alligator blood due to his history with Matheny-and NOT his ability to conjure up results from the players. This Ponzi scheme needs to end.
Bernie Miklasz said it best in his Friday column. I'm paraphrasing the great St. Louis scribe, but the biggest problem here isn't Matheny; it is the suits that refuse to recognize that the experiment has gotten out of hand. This isn't Jacob's Ladder or Flatliners off the reservation; it's a breach of trust between fans and a baseball team. St. Louis Cardinals fans deserve better than the product being dished out on the field.
Please don't tell me about the talent on the field. The Cardinals' active payroll is $121 million, but their adjusted salary cap figure (when you factor in retained and injured player salaries) is north of $170 million according to Spotrac. There is talent out there, but Matheny and company don't know what to do with it or how to find the most talent inside of it.
Seven years into the job and Matheny still can't properly manage a bullpen. Matt Bowman could have been missing a few fingers and the skipper would have sent him to the mound to close down a probable comeback win for the Cardinals on Monday. Bowman would hit the disabled list for a reoccurrence of the blisters on his pitching hand, but not before he blew the game and the series. That happened with Jordan Hicks and Austin Gomber sitting in the bullpen. He's still making the wrong decisions, costing his team wins. The WAM (wins above Matheny) isn't too high this season.
The Cardinals need a new voice down there. It was said years ago by wiser men than me, and I echoed the sentiments last summer and this past offseason. Whatever Matheny had or wanted to learn by now wasn't going to be achieved. The Tony La Russa parts of the team were slowly stripped away, and by the time 2016 hit, this was Matheny's club to lead. The result has been a record of 207-190, which isn't terrible, but when looked at as the declining performance that it represents, starts to feel much worse.
Matheny is reaching that point with media where he's reading from mental cue cards. He's the politician that doesn't know how to pivot away from controversy and is tired of creating excuses. "They are as unhappy with it as I am," was Matheny's ramble on Thursday night after an 11-3 whopping from Milwaukee. Things are getting worse and may reach ugly level here soon.
If fans are going to pack Busch Stadium full on Monday for a game with the Cleveland Indians, the best product should be put on the field. At this moment, you need a visceral mind fueling those players in the dugout. Someone with force and passion, but also carrying experience and proven value. Yes, I am talking about Joe Girardi, who I think will be the next manager of the Cardinals.
Don't get me wrong, folks. Matheny won't be fired during the season. Mozeliak and DeWitt Jr. won't lay down that easy on their faults, but they have to know the end is near. One player won't rescue this team, so you can count the Cardinals out of the Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson sweepstakes. Tell me how the Cardinals will suddenly resuscitate their season, and please don't basically blurt out Paul DeJong's name. They need more than him. It may be best to start selling off some pieces before the coaching shuffle begins.
The Cardinals lead the league in errors committed and their fielding percentage ranks second to last in all of baseball. They lose baserunners too often and lack plate discipline, striking out way more than they walk. Doubles and triples are obsolete, and the team batting average is starting to slip towards the lower portion of the league. Their starting pitching is their saving grace, and even that is leaking and problematic. Worst of all, their fundamentals are terrible and that links back to coaching and management.
It would be one thing if these were new problems, but they are depressingly old and familiar.
Mike Matheny's run is nearing its finishing point. He's not improving in key parts of the game, and the Cardinals aren't going to wait around for him to take the class again. Time is up, and now it's a matter of time before DeWitt Jr. and Mozeliak can power down their pride and reach for reality in order to start fixing this team.
It's not all Matheny's fault, but he's definitely not helping the comeback.
I wish I had better takeaways or nicer opinions, but this Cardinals team is a sad bunch.
Thanks for reading and please tip your bartender.