2016 has featured baseball that hasn't been easy to watch in St. Louis. The Cardinals are 29-27 and 11 games out of first place in the National League Central Division. They can't decide if they want to stink, prosper, or marinate in the warm temperatures. Every two game surge is followed by a two funk and their last ten game stretch often reads 5-5. In other words, refusing to fall or climb higher. One of the most entertaining parts of the young season has been the explosive power. It was on full display Saturday night against a first place team.
Slowly but surely, the Cards are improving against the better teams and pitchers. They split a four game set in Washington last weekend and that included jumping all over 200 million dollar hometown arm Max Scherzer as well as Gio Gonzalez. Earlier that week, the Cards got to the Cubs' Jake Arrieta for four runs(the second consecutive start they reached him four runs following last October's playoff series). Jeff Samardzija isn't in that upper echelon of starters but he came into Saturday's game with a 7-3 record and 2.84 ERA. For four innings, he was cruising along with a 4-0 lead over the Birds. Then, trouble came to the plate.
Let me set the mood for you. The beer was getting warm around the warm confines of Busch Stadium and for the past 13 innings of this fresh homestand, the Cards had scored just a single run. Brandon Moss, the punching bag for all the loyal Rob Kaminsky faithful out there, slugged a solo home run. Two more men reached base and Aledmys Diaz walked to the plate.
The count got deep and then Diaz slugged a baseball down the left field line. He got all of it and the only question was if it would stay fair. It did, banging off the fair pole. Diaz roared around the bases before taking an El Gallo shower in the dugout and a curtain call from 45,000 fans. With one swing, the frown was turned upside down. It’s amazing what a huge home run can do for a crowd in this game. If baseball needed a reason why the Cardinals were shifting returning shortstop Jhonny Peralta to third base in his rehab assignment, Diaz gave them 426 feet worth of answers. The kid has the goods to stick around in this league.
Stephen Piscotty and Matt Adams slugged back to back home runs and the Cards would win 7-4 with Trevor Rosenthal firing a blistering 100 mile per hour fastball past the last Giant hope. Friday night, all I heard was calls for the Birds to sell off parts and call 2016 a lost cause. Forget the fact that they haven't been eliminated from playoff contention or stand far from a wildcard run. If the Cards win Sunday, they take the series against a first place team and the season doesn't look lost. One win doesn't catapult a team into new territory. Solid play in three straight series does.
June isn't going to be easy. After leaving Cincinnati Wednesday, the Cards face a firing squad of good teams including, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Seattle, Houston, Texas, and Kansas City. 14 of those games will be on the road, a place the Cards don't mind playing in 2016. By the time July 1st rolls around, this team will be either in the hunt or way out of it.
Here are the facts. This is a slightly above average team. After the series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 15th, the Cards have refused to excel while winning or splitting the majority of their series play. They took 2 of 3 from the hot Colorado Rockies, split with the Diamondbacks, and lost 2 of 3 to the Cubs. They split with Washington and beat Milwaukee in two of three. They are 10-9 in that stretch and have lost ground. June has to improve and fans can only hope the small improvements against good teams and pitching staffs continues.
While a 13-5 blowout is fun to watch, the Cards need stability. Something resembling a pulse. They can't afford to be an okay team in this division or league. A walk-off win over the Cubs won't pole vault this team forward nor will a come from behind win over the Giants. The Cardinals need to string together some victories. Get past 3-5 wins over the .500 mark. Reach for breathing room instead of mere oxygen. As Red said in Shawshank Redemption, get busy living or get busy dying because the fans can't take this back and forth routine.
The Cards sure can hit. Their 195 extra base hits outrun the competition by 48 crooked baggers. They have hit 72 home runs in 2016 and it's early June. For relevance, they hit 137 and 105 in the last two years, respectively. 2016 has been an unreal campaign, for some better and mostly worse.
The question now becomes. Can these Birds become something more or merely endure? General John Mozeliak doesn't build rosters to put forth good efforts or become midseason sellers. He assembles serious playoff contenders. Thus far, this 2016 team doesn't look like one. Unless the Milwaukee Brewers make a mad run to the playoffs.
The Cardinals are improving against the good teams but this month will reveal just how good of a team they really are. The last time I wrote a team report, I mentioned the Birds would have an identity after the Washington series. They went 3-4 in that stretch, delaying the inevitable reveal. When July 1st rolls around, that answer may be far clearer.
Until then, enjoy the slow pitch softball show.
