ST. LOUIS — You aren't a sports fan unless you show ample concern after a poor stretch of games. I am sure it's written down somewhere.
After a brilliant April, the St. Louis Cardinals have hit rock bottom, or close to it, in May. Coming into Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves, they are 6-15 this month and have fallen down in the division and in MLB stat rankings.
It looks like a dumpster fire. The starters can't go deep into games, forcing the bullpen to hemorrhage. The lineup has too many leaks to assemble a solid attack. Paul Goldschmidt isn't himself, duplicating his 2018 start. Matt Carpenter is gaining traction, but not there yet. Paul DeJong can't be cloned, Dexter Fowler is improved, and Marcell Ozuna is streaky. Kolten Wong and Harrison Bader may just be .255 hitters, but they give gold glove defense. Yadier Molina is beating Father Time on points, but not knocking it out at the plate.
RELATED: Opinion | The Curious Case of Michael Wacha: Why the Cardinals haven't extended the former phenom
Carlos Martinez had designs on being the ace this year but never made it out of camp as a starter. Heck, he didn't even make it into spring games as a starter.
Alex Reyes flamed out quick, going back to Memphis and punching lockers. Miles Mikolas is much more hittable, and Michael Wacha left his polish in 2018. Adam Wainwright can be great one start and bad the next. Dakota Hudson is improving, but still raw. Jack Flaherty has amazing stuff but needs time to grow before someone even hints at placing the ACE label on his chest.
The bullpen looked stacked in April. Jordan Hicks had nine saves, John Brebbia was lights out, and Giovanny Gallegos was blossoming into something. Andrew Miller was inconsistent but showing small hints at being his 2017 self. Overall, it was efficient, even if it was overused.
Here's the painful reality. The Cardinals look like burnt rubber right now. They are getting blown out by average pitching, beaten by less than stellar teams, and haven't won two games in a row since the beginning of the month. That's right, the last time the Cards won two games in a row came at the expense of hometown phenom, Max Scherzer. It looks bad out there, and the ten-day forecast isn't shiny either.
Just remember this. It's still early. May is wrapping up, but there are 112 games left. If you need a guide for your patience, look up the street at those St. Louis Blues. They were assembled in the offseason to be a true playoff contender after missing the postseason the previous season. Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Bozak, and Pat Maroon were brought in. Hopes were high, and before Thanksgiving, they were firing a coach and walking on thin ice.
By New Year's Day, they were the worst in the league. Their offseason signings either weren't jelling or proving to be solid additions. And then they went on an eleven game winning streak. Their new coach's message got downloaded and stored in the cloud. Maroon and Bozak teamed up with young Robert Thomas and became a third line that could serve as most team's second line. Jordan Binnington took over in net and gave the team a much-needed backbone.
I know what you're thinking. The Cardinals have missed the playoffs three years in a row, so it's different. Also, who is their Binnington?
Honest statement, and here's what I can offer. Bill DeWitt Jr. and John Mozeliak made good moves in the offseason to push this team from 86 wins to 90-92 wins. They added one of the best players in baseball in Goldschmidt, and signed Miller with hopes he could shake off a rusty 2018 campaign. They simply instilled too much faith in Wacha's 8-2 season last year, and also leaned on Martinez having a good offseason and Reyes being ready.
They didn't do enough for the starting pitching, but also didn't think so many key hitters would be off to a slow start. Looking at his career, Goldschmidt turns it around and finishes in a big way. Carpenter does too. I am not worried about their bats, but more worried about them getting big pitching performances from this rotation this season. They need more starting depth. PROVEN arms like Madison Bumgarner, Dallas Keuchel, or even Scherzer is the unthinkable happens. Without that, better hitting won't matter.
Who will be their Binnington? Hard to tell. Reyes won't return strong enough or early enough this year to make that much of an impact. A Binnington type impact must come from an everyday player. I am placing my chips on Bader. He's heating up at the plate, hitting .324 with a .529 slugging percentage over his last 15 games.
He's a Gold Glove-caliber defender, and someone who kills you on the base-paths. He's also got the swagger that Binnington has: the knowledge that he is something else. Look at his partial season last year, and you can see someone becoming a lethal weapon. Bader takes away runs in the field and can add them at the plate and on the bases. He's only 24 years old.
I am not telling you the Cardinals will go on a run starting in July, plowing through the National League en route to a World Series appearance. I am simply reminding you it is still early and there is time. Time for a few players to kick it into gear, for some new blood is infuse the roster, and for Mike Shildt (who has only been here 115 games managing) to truly settle in and work with what he has.
Mozeliak must find Shildt a true innings eating and dominant starter because I don't see Mikolas replicating his 2018 season. Will Wainwright last the entire season? Will Flaherty be able to go deep into games? What about Hudson? Trust me when I tell you the pitching will need a boost this season, and not the bats.
The St. Louis Blues were written off in December, rose out of the water in January, and will play for the Stanley Cup on Monday. Like the Blues, the Cardinals re-aligned their coaching staff and roster for this season. They brought in difference makers, players who could bolster the performance. Some things just take time. Lots of it. I mean, June can't be as bad as May, right?
For decades, the Cardinals dictated the pace here in St. Louis. Now, for the first time in so long, the Blues are setting the trend and providing confidence to the other fan base that things will get better.
Sports are funny that way.
