The St. Louis Cardinals (60-60) worked hard to get over .500 this season, but they are now on the verge of falling right back below it at the worst possible time. Their bats discouragingly went silent once again, as All-Star pitcher Hunter Greene dominated them in Tuesday night's 4-1 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Despite displaying some extra-base power, St. Louis finished with only four hits. It has scored a combined five runs in its last three games. Greene, who tossed seven innings of one-run ball to go with eight strikeouts and one walk, is a Cy Young contender who has an abundance of talent, so offensive struggles are to be expected. The team has to figure out ways to survive such a scenario, however.
“We just have to own it,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said postgame, per Bally Sports Midwest. “We have to own the fact that we haven't come through in certain situations. Today was a tough pitcher. You have to grind out at-bats. Moving forward we have to be better.”
Missed opportunities continue to define the Cards' second half and are a big reason why they are currently outside of playoff position. St. Louis has lost five of its last six and sits three games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third and final National League Wild Card slot.
The Cardinals were seemingly on the precipice of a true surge but have since seen the San Francisco Giants leap above them and the Reds and Chicago Cubs get uncomfortably close to them in the standings. The clock is ticking. Marmol needs to identify his best lineup and hope that it can launch the ballclub into October baseball. Complacency is not an option with only 42 games remaining in the regular season.
Cardinals are not realizing their full potential
Nolan Arenado is posting an impressive August (hit a solo home run versus the Reds) and Paul Goldschmidt is producing more consistently than he has been, but more is needed from the stars. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman have to step up as well because they have sorely disappointed in 2024.
The organization also has to decide what it wants to do with former top prospect Jordan Walker. He started in Monday's loss after being recalled to the MLB roster only to be moved to the bench on Tuesday. Players with his offensive ceiling must be given consistent at-bats, one way or another.
The names mentioned all have the ability to contribute to a prosperous playoff push. But they have to perform now. Fans do not want to hear Oliver Marmol make any more tough admissions about the Cardinals' play. They just want the problems fixed.
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