Offseason questions already troubling Cardinals

A starter going deep into games, controlling media/clubhouse border, etc.

Here’s the good news, St. Louis Cardinals fans. It’s very early. 2023 isn’t even stretching its legs yet; more like walking from the locker room to the field. The local baseball team got off to a nice start, taking two of three games versus Toronto to start the season. But things have gone downhill since then, with the Birds losing four straight games.

The bad news is the problems that looked quite visible in the offseason loom ugly already. Starting pitching is a big one. After not even looking at Max Scherzer years ago and coming up short on David Price bidding (good move long term), the Cardinals haven’t stepped into the top of the rotation free agent market lately. They’ve lost more aces than they’ve found since Adam Wainwright switched into late (still valuable) career mode. Sandy Alcantara stands as the biggest.

What they have are questions and slumps. Miles Mikolas will give you good performance over the course of an entire season, but a good lineup can thump him. Jack Flaherty has been the ace apprentice for what seems like an eternity, but 5-6 free passes per start is a recipe for disaster--and the farthest thing from ace work.

Jordan Montgomery is a fine southpaw, but expecting top rotation work out of him just yet would be over-casting. Steven Matz is good on certain days against certain teams. Jake Woodford is a good band-aid. Sure bets for six quality innings are very hard to come by so far in 2023.

This only applies extra pressure to the bullpen. Think about it. They already come into a game that’s most likely hemorrhaging, so the spotlight is on them with a lot smaller leeway on mistakes than the guy he replaced. Add to it the fact they’re entering in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

I bet Jordan Hicks dreams about 1-2-3 innings, because it sure seems like a long time since he gave the Cardinals one of those. Giovanny Gallegos is solid, but far from bulletproof. You can say the same for Ryan Helsley. Zack Thompson has been electric, but he isn’t someone you’d call upon for more an inning most appearances.

The offense, overall, is performing very well. Atlanta (and Milwaukee) have proven they can be shut down, but the batting averages across the starting nine show the opportunities are there. Friday against Milwaukee required the same thing that the wildcard series versus Philadelphia requested: a big hit. It wasn’t found.

Cardinal Nation can sweep the uncomfortable yet bypassed Tyler O’Neill/Oliver Marmol public pissing contest… as long as the outfielder starts hitting. Opening day home runs lose luster after a few days. It’s a big year for him. Perform, or forever hang a hat on that one MVP-type season. Real hitters do it more than once.

The Brewers aren’t pushovers. Don’t forget they acquired the other (solid) Contreras brother. The division isn’t a cake walk, just like the regular season schedule doesn’t offer a lot of soft spots.

The one week report is simple: Steady your rotation out, or hope for more innings. Take advantage of the Pittsburgh Pirates and other weak teams, because the tough ones so far have gotten the best of St. Louis. Don’t dig a big hole in the standings, but keep in mind we’re only getting started with this team.

YES, using “we” with a local sports team is completely fine in the right contest. Out of all the sports, baseball is the most demanding. It asks for the most time, and doesn’t take it easy on our patience. Fans or scribes, reporters or bloggers, it’s not an easy trek watching over a baseball team.

Strap in, and keep more bourbon nearby.