The St. Louis Cardinals have learned to hit — finally — but now the pitching is terrible
It’s amazing how different baseball is once the playoffs start than it is during the regular season, even in the year of COVID-19. The things the St. Louis Cardinals relied on to get them to the playoffs aren’t necessarily the things they can count on to win in the postseason. Funny things happen when the stakes are raised and, instead of running a marathon against some people who are better than you — but also a lot of people who aren’t — you’re only facing the best of the best.
On paper, the only chance the St. Louis Cardinals had against the explosive San Diego Padres was to out-pitch them and try to win games 2-1 or maybe 3-2. But here we are, two games into the postseason, and the Cardinals are putting up an average of eight runs a game and they’re tied 1-1. The once bulletproof Cardinals bullpen struggled mightily to try to hold on to big leads.
While the highlights in Game Two of the National League Wild Card Series go to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado who hit home runs to erase the big St. Louis lead, the truth is a lot of the damage the Cardinals sustained was self-inflicted. Two of the team’s best relievers, Genesis Cabrera and Giovanny Gallegos, played a major role with the former walking the first two batters he faced in the sixth inning and the latter pitching behind to set himself up for the back-to-back homers.
The Cardinals just don’t match up with the Padres talent. They have to play smarter, cleaner baseball if they want to succeed in the post-season. That means when you have a four-run lead, don’t walk people and give them a chance to score a bunch of runs with one swing of the bat. Make them earn them one at a time. It’s simple, little league baseball. And there has never been a truer statement than “there is no defense for a walk.”
Another way the Cardinals hurt themselves was by the starting pitchers coming up short. In games one and two, St. Louis was forced to get into the bullpen early and it’s put them in a tough position.
The Padres were one of the best teams in baseball during the regular season, but it seemed as if they were dead in the water before the Cardinals pitching let them back into the series. If St. Louis is going to win and advance to the next round, they’re going to have to get back to what they do best: Getting strong starting pitching and holding down one of the most potent offenses in the National League. I wouldn’t count on scoring six or eight runs again.
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Scott Wuerz is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. The Cheap Seats blog is written from his perspective as a fan and is designed to spark discussion among fans of the Cardinals and other MLB teams. Sources supporting his views and opinions are linked. If you’re looking for Cardinals news and features, check out the BND’s Cardinals section.
