The Cardinals are an untrustworthy roller coaster

Strap in for another wild ride, but with more wins included.

Positive Note: At this time last year, the Cardinals were 44-40.

The 2025 Cardinals are an improved squad at 47-41, but it’s initially surprising to find out that the teams are only three wins apart. This is a cocktail of a drink with too much mixer and not enough liquor. They’re an overpriced bar drink, which can be viewed as a quality effort for a team many picked to be forgettable.

They started out rough and uneven, and rebounded with 10-1 streak in May. While they flew high two months ago, they were shot down in June or at least brought back to size with a 14-14 record. They have gotten as close as 3.5 games behind the divisional-leading Cubs, and their split four-game series against Chicago seemed to exploit how close the teams were in performance.

The past week shows how much of a roller coaster the Cardinals are this year. After a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians where St. Louis outscored the opponent by a 15-run margin, they were shut out this week by Pittsburgh. The Pirates pitching didn’t allow the Cardinals to cross home plate once. That’s cruel and unusual embarrassment, even for a misguided St. Louis team that’s stuck between a guy leaving and another guy arriving.

The fans would love to see John Mozeliak throw some money on the table and toss the dice in less than a month, but I don’t see him making a lot of moves, if any at all. He’s the opposite of Blues GM, Doug Armstrong, another local executive leaving a post soon. More than likely, the biggest moves won’t happen until the new guy, Chaim Bloom, steps into office next spring.

The product on the field isn’t too bad. Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson are having great seasons. Sonny Gray may not be an atypical ace, but he’s an above average pitcher most starts. Matthew Liberatore has been a nice surprise. Nolan Arenado is right on par with last year’s performance. The bullpen is a half baked pizza.

Predicting the next 10 games would be difficult. A team that can average seven runs in a series and then score zero in the next set can’t be trusted, but they’re hard to stop watching at the same time. 74 games are left.

Per usual, the Cardinals are a confusing bunch of baseball players. It’s the same song for the last decade or so of baseball. At times, the pinnacle was touched. Most of the time, though, it’s been middle ground or worse. The playoffs are a dream instead of a certainty. This team can look lethal for a couple weeks and then fall apart.

Good luck, Mr. Bloom. Fans, buy more IPAs.