ST. LOUIS — It was supposed to be different, so why has Mike Shildt turned into Mike Matheny in less than a season?
I know what you're thinking. How much can a writer complain about a first-place team? In the case of the 2019 St. Louis Cardinals, it's easy.
Look, the Cardinals are a good team at 65-57, but they could be a lot better. Scratch that. They should be a lot better with their high payroll, franchise expectations and a stadium stuffed full of three-million-plus fans every season.
Promises were made before the 2019 season, ones telling the public that this team would be an improved product and a sure-fire division threat. 121 games in and they are tied for first place, but only due to lousy competition in the division.
Some perspective. The Cardinals would be 16.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and would be in third place in the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. They'd be fighting for third place with Boston in the AL East, sitting in third place in the AL Central, and third place in the AL West.
The summary is simple: the Cardinals aren't that good of a team, simply living well off a significant drop in overall performance in the NL Central.
Once again, it wasn't supposed to be this way. The Cardinals fired Matheny 13 months ago, putting Shildt in his place and promising a turnaround. They had a great August, and then September brought back them back to Earth. 2019 started out good and quickly became flat, but July sparked a comeback.
The front office did nothing to help a surging team, and now, the team is fumbling around instead of running far ahead of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, who come into town on Monday.
Shildt's brand of baseball was broadcast as the polar opposite of Matheny's philosophy, which apparently was constructed out of self-help baseball books and broken crayons. Shildt was a baseball man, working in the organization for more than a decade. This guy was a pit stop for several Cardinals and earned the trust that Matheny failed to in his six years in the manager's seat.
Let's talk recent history. During 2018's thrilling August, fans saw the Shildt way gain traction. He put together bold lineups, made daring moves, put egos aside and went for it. Everybody soaked it up. Dan McClaughlin never passed up an opportunity on Fox Sports Midwest to break down the difference in feel coming from the Cardinals with Shildt in charge. All the pundits and media saw it too. He was given a three-year extension, locked in for the next stretch and the immediate future.
All of this backstory leads me to a question: What happened to Shildt this year? Why did he become a company man so fast? His entire style of managing is scared, amateur and, at times, nauseating. It truly reminds me of Matheny's worst days.
Let's start with lineup construction. Shildt's strategy, reasoning, and all-around defense of the lineups over the past month don't make sense and sound like a company man. I don't care how well Tommy Edman is hitting. There's a reason he hadn't played outfield since middle school. The young man isn't good out there and hurts the ball club.
Yairo Munoz is a fine hitter, but he doesn't need to play the outfield. If you saw his throw from right field today, you'll know why. It was so off-line, the umpire backed Yadier Molina up on the throw.
With Randy Arozarena — who tore up Memphis opponents for months — and the ultra-talented Lane Thomas on the roster, Edman and Munoz should remain on the infield or bench as super-utility guys. Let them take turns spelling a slumping Matt Carpenter. Hold the phone on Munoz's three-hit game in Cincinnati. Before that game, he had three total hits since July 25. Neither Edman or Munoz resemble Tony Gwynn, so they don't have to be in the lineup.
If John Mozeliak made a big proclamation about how untouchable his outfield prospects were, let them play. I'd rather see Harrison Bader out there than Edman or Munoz, Mendoza line threat and all.
The company man drip comes during Shildt's postgame interviews, which border on dull, recycled-belief fiction. He sounds like a manager running scared, afraid to go out on his own. I don't even believe Shildt believes what he is saying. It's like a screenwriter took a convoluted plot and turned it into a short speech.
It makes me miss the days where Tony La Russa seemed to be the man in control. One man with a plan. Walt Jocketty would get a say, but it was one voice in that Cardinal clubhouse. He shaped the team, carved their mindset from scratch and led them into the long season. There were good times, bad times, and some ugly times-but one thing was clear: it was always La Russa time.
I don't get that at all with Shildt. Instead of a fresh voice, he's gone stale in one year. It's this reluctance to stand apart that made me interested in Terry Francona back in 2012 and Joe Girardi this past offseason. An outside voice who rules his way or no way. Will Shildt get there sometime soon? I don't know, but if these August lineups are any indication, the forecast isn't sunny for logic to prevail.
The Cardinals may be in first place, but there's little comfort in the standings. If you can find it, tell me how it works. They take a one-game lead, fall back tied, fall a game behind, and then get a game ahead. What was interesting a month ago is now tiring.
As 101.1 ESPN host Kevin Wheeler noted this past week, the Cardinals are a straight-A student somehow getting a C this season. When will this team stop being playoff hopefuls and full-time pennant chasers?
It starts with the players doing a better job of executing on the field, but Shildt has to get back to that ruthless style of managing that earned him the job last season. He needs to stop doing what turned Matheny into a robot and got him fired.
If the front office is influencing lineup construction, then something is truly wrong in Cardinal Nation. Something very, very wrong. Let's hope not. How much influence do you think Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland's front offices put on the lineup? Let's live in a world where that isn't the case in St. Louis, at least for the time being.
Shildt needs to put his foot down and do a few things better. Here are a few things.
He needs to pitch Ryan Helsley more often. He needs a quicker leash on Carlos Martinez if the closer struggles. Shildt needs to play Arozarena or Thomas every day, but find ways to get them both into the lineup. They save you runs in the field and give you a couple at the plate and on the bases. Keep Edman and Munoz breathing hard down Carpenter's neck. Keep Molina seventh or lower, and get Matt Wieters a few starts. Kolten Wong is only comfortable in the eighth spot because it's the only lineup spot he's been put in regularly.
Shake it up and be bold, but don't be the wrong kind of bold. The wrong kind of bold is starting Tommy Edman in right field. That really makes me miss the idea of Bryce Harper in Cardinal Red. Speaking of which, why didn't that happen?
Stop hoping to outrun the Cubs and just take over the division. I hate this back-and-forth tug of war.
One more thing. Please don't tell anyone that complacency is OK. When did being a Cardinals fan sync up with a good record? There's room to ask for more. You don't have to stop at, "the team is in first place so let's stand down." Forget that. Get greedy. This is a high-paid and talented roster. They can do better.
Once you become complacent in this game, you can forget about "flying."
A team with a payroll of $162 million should have a higher win projection than 88. The team should be competing for pennants, not wildcards. The standard of excellence is gone in St. Louis. Did it drift away or was it simply extinguished? Money was spent, a rebuild was denied, so where are the results?
What I see on the field is disappointing, regardless of division standing. Just look at the past week. The Cardinals managed two runs or fewer in three games this week against the likes of Cincinnati and Kansas City. They earned a split on Sunday in Cincinnati by edging out the Reds, 5-4.
It's Aug. 18, and instead of surging ahead, the Cardinals are merely treading water.
It's OK to want more. I want it. You should too.
Some things you can't control. Player performance is one of them. Managing is something that should carry a sense of control and confidence. Mike Shildt needs to stop the Mike Matheny tribute band show and get back to being bold, the smart way.
You never know, more games may be won in the process.
