I found myself trying to be like Dexter Fowler last night watching the Cardinals take on the Brewers…
Aaron Mullins on Twitter
Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic. Stay optimistic #STLCards
I’ve made it a point thus far to keep a positive attitude towards the Cardinals early struggles. It’s early in the season and this team does have the talent to make a splash in the NL Central. Only right now the only splash seems to be via a belly-flop.
After 10 games the Cardinals sit at 4-6 and are now 4th in the NL Central ahead of only Cincinnati. They have had their share of tough defeats, but they seem to be beating themselves.
Now I didn’t manage to watch last night’s ball game until the 4th inning, having to listen to the beginning on my way home. And I wish I hadn’t. It seemed from the get-go I was gonna have a long ride home. Not once, but twice, a Cardinals player was thrown out trying to get an extra base. I’m glad they are trying to be aggressive, but it just seems to be wasteful when not executed. Again, I didn’t actually see the plays in question, all I heard were outs.
The Cardinals thus far have been victims of untimely bullpen collapses (last night included), strikeouts galore, and all around offensive droughts. The starting rotation besides Weaver, have experienced some struggles of their own.
But regardless of this rough start, I’m going to do my best to point out the good along with the bad.
The Good
Miles Mikolas has shown to be efficient, and despite what some fans would say, he has been a good addition to the Cardinals. In two starts, both coming against Milwaukee, Mikolas has surrendered 8 ER over 12 innings. Against the Brewers last night, he did seemed to get robbed of a Quality Start having 2 errors behind him, going 6.1 innings and being charged with 4 ER, although it could have easily been 2-3. Mikolas also has a 2-Run HR to his credit on the season. Another positive note is that Mikolas has yet to walk a batter.
Luke Weaver has been the best starter so far this season. Over 11.1 innings he has given up only 2 ER, while having 10 strikeouts to just 4 walks. Weaver’s command seems to be a little off compared to his previous work, but that could be chalked up to the weather being less than ideal. I’d like to see how he does with a few more starts.
Jose Martínez has been raking, but did we really expect anything less? He has hit ever since he got into the big leagues and won a batting title in AAA. Yeah. He’s pretty good.
It’s funny to me that people still want us to DFA Bud Norris even though he has been on of the Cardinals top relievers. He earned the Cardinals first save of the season April 7th against the Diamondbacks. So far this season Norris has 7 punchouts without walking a batter in 4 innings. Looking like a good signing with every outing.
Last but not least… This Jordan Hicks kid is pitching pretty great isn’t he? Soon they will need to remove the “Chapman Filter” from Statcast, seeing as though Hicks owns the 8 fastest pitches thrown this seaso What makes it more ridiculous is that he throws a 2-seamer and a sinker that fast. Todd Frazier said it best.
Joe Trezza on Twitter
That’s unfair,” Todd Frazier said after seeing Jordan Hicks’ stuff. “What the hell is that?” https://t.co/iuyqLTVqsF
The Bad
STRIKEOUTS are going to be the death of me. Now, in their defense they have had to face some stellar competition mainly from Syndergaard, DeGrom, and Ray who are routinely among the league leaders in K/9. But you’re not gonna win many ballgames if you can’t get on base.
On the other side of the fence is WALKS. Cardinal pitchers have been giving up baserunners to excess. In his first appearance for the Cards, newly signed Greg Holland walked four batters including the game winning run. In the Cardinals first game against the Mets, I made a point to show why the Cardinals deserved to take home the L.
Aaron Mullins on Twitter
Cardinals pitchers – 9 walks, 8 strikeouts Mets pitchers – 1 walk, 15 strikeouts That’s the stat of the game #STLCards
Now, I understand that it is still early. I can’t truly call out too many players for poor performance until it becomes more frequent. There is still a lot of talent on this team. Their 4-6 start is not how I would have drawn up the Cardinala first 10 games, but the season has only just begun. I am human and I can say it has been frustrating. I’ve defended different players, moves, or decisions only to eat my words shortly after. But I’m sticking by this team until our last game. I don’t want to become a bitter fan complaining about every choice that is made. Not every game is going to go our way, but there is always good that can come from it. Let’s look forward to tomorrow and see what it has in store for our St. Louis Cardinals. Go Cards!
Thanks for Reading!
Aaron M.
Want to talk some baseball without a million other opinions being thrown around? Feel free to email me at [email protected]! I love interacting with the fans and sometimes social media can be a little overwhelming!
