Luke Weaver was tired and clearly didn't have it, but that didn't seem to faze his manager, Mike Matheny.
The Atlanta Braves were already up 3-0 and it was the fifth inning. The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen should have been ready to roar out of the gate, but they were alarmingly quiet. It wasn't too big of a deal, right? The bases were loaded and Nick Markakis was at the plate. What could go wrong? Everything.
Markakis figured he could wake the bullpen up for Matheny by launching a baseball into it, scoring four and seemingly ending the game before it was halfway finished. The Cardinals were beaten and the inability of their manager knowing when to say when crippled their chances again. The final score was 11-4 Atlanta, but the Cardinals hung their heads a couple hours before they recorded their 27th out.
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Sure, it's not just Matheny's fault that the Cardinals have been rolling down a hill since the end of the 2015 season, sliding from true contenders to complete pretenders, hitting every branch on the way down. Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak are watching it all take place like a couple customers would witness a medieval mud wrestling match commence at a restaurant. It's all too clear what needs to be done, but they can't push the poker chips into the middle of the table.
The Cardinals have reached the midway point of the 2018 season with a 42-39 record, which sets them up for a microwavable cheeseburger of a record at 84-78. Don't expect them to make the playoffs with that record, unless you drank too much on the holiday weekend. The way things are going, the Cardinals are going nowhere.
But wait? They looked so good a week ago against the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians. Yes, sometimes a dying patient can spring to life, opening their eyes before closing them for good. This isn't Grey's Anatomy though, and if it was, the Cardinals are as dead as Denny. The Cardinals followed those four wins up with three losses.
The Cardinals ended June with a thud, scoring just six runs in those three losses, basically a sparkler that eventually flames out in less than a minute. If you think this club can turn it around, please show me how it will be done, because I am a loss for answers.
Paul DeJong will be back soon, but he can't tell Matheny how to manage or become Mike Trout overnight. Sure, he will make the lineup deeper and more powerful, but he isn't a baseball hero coming to save the day. The man is a core player and not a stud.
The problems with the Cardinals are deeper and more complex. They can't hit, field, and their starting pitching is only so good and can't go deep into games or stay healthy. Let's go the numbers.
The Cardinals play some of the worst defense in the Major Leagues. Their 68 errors lead both leagues and only the Chicago White Sox have a worse fielding percentage. Their first baseman can't move his feet right at the bag, the third basemen make a lot of errors, and their center fielder can't see. It's bad.
The team batting average of .241 ranks 18th in the Majors, but their overall OBP, SLUG, and OPS sit at 20th. They don't hit enough doubles, walk enough, and prefer their home runs to be single. One man won't change that, and I am not sure two guys would. But wait, Kolten Wong should get some better luck soon enough and Dexter Fowler is bound to drive in a run. Don't forget about Tommy Pham and Jedd Gyorko, because they will forget about terrible Junes at the plate.
The Cardinals' baserunning is pathetic still, with runners being lost on the bases or unable to advance when necessary. You watch them run and hope for the best, like promising little leaguers that snack packs are waiting for them at homeplate. It doesn't work. They aren't good at it.
The pitching is the only thing keeping this team in contention's waiting room. Their team ERA of 3.72 places them seventh in the National League and their quality starts sit in the ninth spot. The group isn't bad, but not great either. Injuries and innings have been a problem, and the help on the horizon comes in the shape and form of minor leagues with zero MLB starting experience. At least the bullpen looks alright, but wait, Matt Bowman and Luke Gregerson are on their way back.
The Cardinals have two guys with a shot at a 4.0 WAR season, and they are Matt Carpenter and Miles Mikolas. Everyone else is looking at three wins above replacement or lower. That isn't going to be enough to stop the club from missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
Mozeliak and DeWitt Jr. have a couple choices: prep to sell or act boldly and buy parts. They could surprise everyone and trade for Cole Hamels to double-down on pitching, and then go blow Baltimore away with an offer for Manny Machado. Perhaps they pry Jose Abreu from the White Sox to solidify first base. Before you get excited, ask yourself when was the last time Mozeliak made an impactful move at the deadline. Then ask yourself when he made TWO of them. I doubt it happens. He won't trade the kids for mere rentals.
The other choice is finding a new home for Jose Martinez, Wong, Pham, Gyorko, and perhaps Carpenter if a team blows you away with an offer. Other than Yadier Molina (who won't be traded under any circumstances), no one on the team is off-limits-and they shouldn't be. Make everyone available and don't be afraid to cause a cosmic shift in the team's feel, culture, and makeup.
The Cardinals aren't a bad enough team for the management to just kick the feet out from under the table, but they need a change. The boat needs to be rocked. If not, what changes next year? Or will the Cardinals actually win a bidding war for a superstar? Before you defend them, ask yourself how great of a chance they have of landing Machado or Bryce Harper in free agency. Yep, let's move on.
Their manager isn't good enough to pry whatever talent is left to find in the group, and they aren't good enough to make a true run. Bad defense, cold bats, or an overworked bullpen always prohibit a winning streak longer than five games. The Cardinals currently sit 5.5 games out of first place.
What fans continuously get from this team is false hope, deviously packaged in a short winning streak or thrilling come-from-behind win. It creates a fever pitch that temporarily convinces the fanbase that hope is on the way and the Birds will spring forward. It never happens.
Need a relief? Last year at this time, the Cardinals were 39-41 and wouldn't get better than .500 until August 8. For some reason, this year feels worse.
How do you fix a problematic ship? You blow up a portion of it and closely observe the fallout.
I'll assure you this: the Cardinals will be pretenders with Matheny at the helm. A manager doesn't have a true WAR, but how many games have been ruptured moves that shouldn't have been made or unfortunately weren't made? This team won't win with Matheny, so perhaps he is the first peg to drop. Either that or the hitting coach with a shield of armor can go first. Something has to change.
There are no more excuses. Matheny used to have a very good record. The Cardinals used to play great defense. They used to hit well and didn't rely on home runs. Every team experiences injuries, so stuff that excuse in a box.
Good news is the Cardinals play the Reds, Giants, and Rockies this month.
Bad news is they also play the Diamondbacks and Cubs and they can play down to competition far too often.
I wish I had really uplifting news to tell you about these Cardinals, but the news is the exact same as it has been for two years: expect competitive yet hopeless mediocrity.
Thanks for reading.
