Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB: Three Teams Already Flirting With the Panic Button

By Travis Koch

Apr 7, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) reacts as he strikes out and walks back to the bench during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) reacts as he strikes out and walks back to the bench during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Jul 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) is removed fro the game by manager Mike Matheny (22) during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. The Marlins won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports. MLB.
Jul 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) is removed fro the game by manager Mike Matheny (22) during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium. The Marlins won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports. MLB. /

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals rank last in the NL Central to begin the season. Their powerless offense and a weak bullpen has resulted in a 3-8 record.

After leading the NL in home runs in 2016, the power bats of the Cardinals have not yet woken up this April. Aledmys Diaz leads the team with three home runs and three other players have two. The team’s total is ten. Last year’s power exposition leads you to believe St. Louis will get their power back; however, there are additional areas of greater concern.

The Cardinals loved their many infield options entering the season. They knew they had depth, and in the case of one player struggling, they could simply plug-in another one. Well, that plan is nice until every player involved can’t hit. Below you’ll see the stat line for the Cardinals’ infield mix:

  •  Johnny Peralta–.130/.167/.130
  •  Jed Gyorko–.227/.292/.409
  • Matt Adams–.167/.286/.167
  • Kolten Wong–.148/.258/.222

St. Louis will need at least one of these players to take command to help deepen the lineup.

As for the everyday players, the Cardinals need them to step up as well. Aledmys Diaz is off to a great start, however, Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty, and Dexter Fowler are struggling out of the gates. Those three will be crucial to any playoff pursuit the Cards make this season.

Above all, the area in need of a troubleshoot is the bullpen. St. Louis currently owns the worst bullpen ERA in the National League. Aside from Miguel Socolovish and Matt Bowman, every Cardinals reliever has inflated numbers. Closer Seung Hwan Oh is 0-for-1 in save opportunities with a 9.64 ERA. Opponents have a batting average of .333 against him. Trevor Rosenthal has an ERA of 6.75, Jonathan Broxton’s ERA is 16.88, and Kevin Siegrist’s is 13.50. This is a bullpen that repeatedly ranks in the top half of the NL and is known for their clutch performances. That is not the case so far this year.

St. Louis should be in a moderate panic. Thankfully the rival Chicago Cubs are also starting relatively slowly. At the end of the day, the Cardinals always seem to find their way. But, this season is off to a strange start. The team is struggling in ways they are not accustomed to struggling. We’ll see how they handle this early and out of the ordinary adversity.

Home/MLB News