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A turbulent start to Mike Mayers' career

The young career of Cardinals' reliever Mike Mayers has been nothing short of disappointing thus far.
ST. LOUIS, MO - JULY 24: Starter Mike Mayers #59 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 24, 2016 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)

A win's a win. It's a timeless phrase in sports.

Well, the Cardinals win on Friday night, in which they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-10, is a win you would probably prefer not to see again.

It took five relievers to hold off the Pirates’ massive comeback, even though St. Louis had an eight-run lead at one point in the game.

One of the relievers used was Mike Mayers. It was such a rough outing that, by Saturday morning, Mayers was heading on the next bus to the Memphis Redbirds (AAA). In his place, the Cardinals called up prospect Josh Lucas, yet another move made within the organization.

As for Mayers, it’s been a turbulent start to the 25-year old’s career. As of August 20, 2017, Mayers has a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 19.80 in just 10 innings pitched. He’s played in seven games(starting in one of them), but has struggled to find any positive consistency in his pitching.

This season alone, he has an 11.57 ERA with just three strikeouts. In 0.2 innings pitched against the Pirates, Mayers allowed four runs and five hits. Batters in 2017 have a .421 average against Mayers, one of the highest allowed by a Cardinals reliever.

He’s constantly been called up and down between the Cardinals and Memphis, and has shown he’s not yet ready to be a full-time big league reliever. There is a lot of potential, especially given his age.

Nevertheless, through his first year-and-a-half, it’s been a turbulent beginning.

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