Stock Down: St. Louis Cardinals continue to slide
There have been some disappointments this season. The New York Mets have not met expectations and neither have the San Diego Padres. Despite all of those two teams’ struggles, nothing comes close to the disappointment the St. Louis Cardinals have been.
They are 27-42 and buried in last place in the National League Central, a division that along with the American League Central, is one of the worst divisions in the league. St. Louis lost two out of three at home over the weekend to the Cincinnati Reds, then were swept by the San Francisco Giants. In the series final against San Francisco, Tommy Edman gave them an early lead with a grand slam, but as has been the case most of the season, the pitching let them down.
It feels like if they can’t turn things around in the short term that there are going to be some moves made by the trade deadline. The frustrating part for Cardinals fans is that they are doing this in a weak division. The front office is going to have some decisions to make this summer.
Struggling against good teams over a stretch this time of year is one thing for a team trying to claw their way into the playoff picture, but losing two of three to the Reds and then getting swept by the Giants is not a way to get back into the postseason picture. It feels like the Cardinals’ upcoming road trip against the New York Mets and Washington Nationals is their last chance to turn things around before a trip to the United Kingdom to play a series with the Chicago Cubs.