When they most needed a push during a crucial 10-game road trip against playoff-caliber competition, the St. Louis Cardinals have stumbled badly. That has been especially evident over their most recent four-game nosedive, which began with the final two losses in Pittsburgh and continued in Washington on Thursday and Friday nights.
In all 36 innings of those four decisive defeats, the Cardinals trailed their opposition. In every game, the Cardinals began in an early hole as their starter allowed at least one run in the first inning. The starting pitching has gone nine games without a quality start and six games without completing six innings.
But the current woes are centered on the slumbering offense. The hitters, a feast-or-famine bunch all year long, have combined for only 16 singles and three doubles in those 36 innings. The only run scored by the Cardinals in the four games was the result of a throwing error.
In this stretch, the Cardinals have not only lost; they have been steamrolled. Their 32-1 scoring deficit is the team’s worst streak of futility since 1958 and tied for third-worst in team history.
Largest deficit over four games, St. Louis Cardinals team history (since 1900)
| StartDate | EndDate | Game # | W-L | Runs scored | Runs allowed | Run differential |
| 8/24/1936 | 8/26/1936 | 119-122 | 0-4 | 16 | 52 | -36 |
| 7/16/1953 | 7/18/1953 | 84-87 | 0-4 | 12 | 44 | -32 |
| 7/12/1953 | 7/17/1953 | 82-85 | 0-4 | 6 | 37 | -31 |
| 8/28/2012 | 8/31/2012 | 129-132 | 0-4 | 1 | 32 | -31 |
Just to make sure we don’t let the pitchers off the hook, the following is one way to indicate their role in this. This is the fifth time in team history that the offense scored just one run in four games. In the same stretches, the only time the pitchers allowed more than 18 runs was back in 1892. Still, those 20 runs are considerably less than the current 32 yielded by Cardinals pitching.
Largest deficit when scoring one run over four games, St. Louis Cardinals team history
| StartDate | EndDate | Game # | W-L | Runs scored | Runs allowed | Run differential |
| 07/19/1892 | 07/21/1892 | 78-81 | 0-4 | 1 | 20 | -19 |
| 6/15/1907 | 6/18/1907 | 52-55 | 0-4 | 1 | 9 | -8 |
| 8/1/1958 | 8/3/1958 | 98-101 | 0-4 | 1 | 7 | -6 |
| 10/8/1904 | 10/9/1904 | 152-155 | 0-4 | 1 | 18 | -17 |
| 8/28/2012 | 8/31/2012 | 129-132 | 0-4 | 1 | 32 | -31 |
Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for the tables above.
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Well, I imagine that the road trip doesn’t help. Given that they are struggling to maintain their grip on their wild card spot despite only two teams in the league (Cincy and Texas) having a better home record, it’s clear that they don’t like traveling.
The offense has a .740 road OPS versus a .790 home OPS. The top four players in home OPS are pretty terrible on the road:
Craig (1.009 vs .838)
Carpenter (.984 vs .758)
Jay (.941 vs .640)
Beltran (.939 vs .743)
As I recall, many Cardinals struggled on the road last season as well. I wonder why. In this case, it’s a bunch of young guys and Beltran. Maybe the young guys aren’t comfortable or focused while traveling?
Also, the Cardinals don’t seem to like the NL East in general, going 9-17 against them (home and away). They dropped two of three in Atlanta, three of four in New York, two of three in Philly, and now the first two in Washington. (They did embarrass hapless Miami.)
Maybe they don’t like traveling far? A five game trip out to SF and LA saw them go 1-4. Makes me feel even less comfortable with a seven game road trip out to San Diego and LA in mid-September.
A win.A win.Jeez can`t anybody pitch anymore?Nice comeback though.
They had to claw their way towards it, but it counts just the same. Hopefully, they can build on that.
A positive one-run differential every day would be something.
Not surprising to lose a few. Its harder to win on the road. The Pirates and Nats are good teams.
Gonzalez has won 17 games, he is a good pitcher. Edwin Jackson helped us win the WS last year, he has a good arm.
What is surprising is to fight back to win one in DC.
Good to get Sam Freeman back. We need a second lefty in the pen and Freeman has pitched well for Memphis. He can audition for the 2013 squad during September.
2012 is a year when some of Mo’s gambles on older players did not succeed.
We gave $10MM to Chris Carpenter and he has not been able to toss an inning. We gave $12MM to Lance Berkman who has played little. After being ineffective at the plate during June-August, Furcal has now hurt his elbow.
Rolling the dice on costly older players seems like something for the DeWitts to think about this off season.
The main reason Berkman was brought back was because of the Pujols uncertainty. Furcal got two years once Albert left. Not saying I like it, but I believe that is the cause and effect. The Cards had to work around the big decision with short-term bandaids.
If Westbrook can’t keep the ball down, the Nats are going to tee off on him.
Does anyone think Molina will be in the lineup?
The Cardinals are going to need to knuckle down and feed off the Mets and the Brewers this week.
Molina is not starting Sunday.
Jay
Beltran
Holliday
Craig
Freese
Anderson
Kozma
Descalso
Westbrook
Yep, no Molina. There are three automatic outs in that lineup.
The pitcher makes four.
Yeah, but that one is almost always a given. (Except for Waino and Garcia).
Yikes. Bryan Anderson hitting sixth? Oh man…
I guess that half of a lineup still has a chance to score. Uh, can Matt Carpenter be tried out at 2B again or something? Strasburg is going to kill these chumps. Tony Cruz, even? Skip?
Seems like someone is giving games away to make a point. Trying to revive Anderson and Kozma?
Because they didn’t get a veteran shortstop? Well, it’s too late now to get one on the playoff roster as September is here. I don’t see what purpose tanking would serve.
The thing is, I don’t know who is calling the shots, Matheny or Mo?
Whoever is doing it, Anderson and Kozma were a terrible idea.
No need for the westy conspiracy type wondering…………………last most heard was that the manager made out the lineup card.Anything else is pure speculation .
The GM sets the roster and the manager puts names on the lineup card. Is someone suggesting otherwise?
I think BW is suggesting that I was saying Mo put Anderson and Kozma in the lineup. I wasn’t suggesting that, I was suggesting that Mo decided to bring up Anderson and Kozma and therefore Matheny has no choice but to play them. So, in my view (right or wrong) Mo is forcing Matheny’s hand with the lineup choices.
I would have preferred Hill and Jackson instead of Anderson and Kozma, but let’s hope the season does not have such a narrow gap between success and failure.
I don’t think the season has that narrow of a gap, but this game does. Playing Anderson and Kozma against a Cy Young candidate is not a smart idea. Save the weaker lineup for the Cubs and the Astros.
Carpenter hurt his ankle last week while working on pivots at 2B.
Descalso showed who the chumps are.
Blind Squirrel
Bryan Anderson had the highest OPS on our team, when Matheny was making up the lineup card. Lets play ball!
Strauss is reporting the Cardinals are going to call up Shelby Miller
Not sure how I feel about this move.
As you were wondering, I was writing.
Wow.That is a surprise.Figured Miller would get a good look in ST in 2013.
Lance Lynn does not seem much help. If Mo wants to reach the playoffs, it makes sense to promote Miller.
Am I wrong to disagree with Matheny bringing Lance Lynn to pitch in a tie game when he is struggling? He admits that Lynn is not pitching his best yet he brings him in with the game on the line knowing this? What am I missing?
It’s a fine line between showing confidence in a struggling player and putting him in spots he is most likely to succeed. This move certainly didn’t work.