Cardinals fans are working up a good fret as they wait for general manager John Mozeliak to make a bold move, which will surely happen any decade now.
Go ahead, keep hoping that your ship will come in, and that it will be carrying Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa or any of the approximately 118 trade candidates nominated by the general public.
Since May 1, the Cardinals are batting .234, have an onbase percentage of .296 and are last in the majors with an average of 3.4 runs a game. During this extended period of offensive malaise, the Cardinals are 1-17 when their pitchers allow at least three runs. No surprise, then, to see the pitchers cracking under the strain of having little offense to sustain them.
But the misery runs deeper than that, in my opinion.
This team's morale is sinking, and fast.
On the field and in the dugout, the Cardinals are waiting expectantly for help to arrive. Within the walls of the clubhouse, there's skepticism over the front office pledge to deliver the necessary emergency assistance.
To some, it seems like a replay of 2008. Last season the overachieving Cardinals hung on to stay in
contention, only to slip in September after failing to receive significant backup from management.
The experience of being abandoned hasn't been forgotten. Will it happen for a second consecutive summer? Players are wondering whether they'll be left to rot again ? while the front office and ownership procrastinates.
The current series against the visiting Colorado Rockies is an embarrassment. In losing the first three games, the home team has been outscored 28-7 and has mustered few responses.
Surrender has come quietly.
Manager Tony La Russa insists his players are trying hard, but some customers would surely disagree. Appearances can often be misleading. When a lineup shuts down, it just looks bad. A dead offense makes any team look lifeless. And nothing can really make it look better except more walks, hits, runners, RBIs.
"It's a tough time," La Russa said. "Just don't throw your hands up. Whatever you do, don't get depressed, don't get discouraged. That is so energy-sapping. If you want to do anything, get upset. Because that's adrenaline."
La Russa isn't going to make excuses for his players. Though he referred to it as a "distraction," TLR doesn't buy in on the theory that front-office neglect is causing morale to spiral. Then again, what would we expect him to say? La Russa always seeks to convey a message of strength.
"Either you do or you don't in this league," La Russa said. "We can set it straight tomorrow and start producing better."
And surely the Cardinals have a few individuals capable of doing more. The outfield, as a group, is down from the numbers it cranked out in 2008.
Last season the Cardinals' outfield had the No. 1 combined onbase-plus-slugging percentage in the majors, .838. That figure has plummeted nearly 100 points, to .739, this season. And since an outfielder is frequently used in the No. 4 slot in the lineup, the decline has had an impact in the middle of the order. Cardinals cleanup hitters have a slugging percentage of .383 this season, or 26th among 30 MLB teams. The OBP in the No. 4 spot (.298) is 28th.
Since May 1 the four primary outfielders ? Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus ? are batting a combined .212. Duncan is batting .213 since the end of April. Since their respective returns from the DL, Ankiel is six for 36 (.167) and Ludwick is four for 31 (.129). Not much can be done about that besides La Russa starting Rasmus more often.
Given the downturn of the outfield, I can't blame this swoon entirely on Mozeliak and ownership. A few guys who should be swinging potent bats aren't doing so. And that's a factor in the 14-19 record since May 2.
The unexpected absence of third baseman Troy Glaus triggered this freefall. His shoulder surgery and subsequent mysterious, Mark Mulder-like rehab have removed a vital piece from the middle of the lineup. Glaus isn't coming back any time soon, if at all. And his bat must be replaced.
Maybe the others, the outfielders, are trying too hard to make up for what Glaus contributed in 2008. Or maybe the others, the outfielders, have been exposed. It's hard to say. But this much is obvious: The Cardinals can't solve this problem internally.
Mozeliak needs to make a move, or he risks losing the clubhouse.
Go ahead, keep hoping that your ship will come in, and that it will be carrying Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa or any of the approximately 118 trade candidates nominated by the general public.
Since May 1, the Cardinals are batting .234, have an onbase percentage of .296 and are last in the majors with an average of 3.4 runs a game. During this extended period of offensive malaise, the Cardinals are 1-17 when their pitchers allow at least three runs. No surprise, then, to see the pitchers cracking under the strain of having little offense to sustain them.
But the misery runs deeper than that, in my opinion.
This team's morale is sinking, and fast.
On the field and in the dugout, the Cardinals are waiting expectantly for help to arrive. Within the walls of the clubhouse, there's skepticism over the front office pledge to deliver the necessary emergency assistance.
To some, it seems like a replay of 2008. Last season the overachieving Cardinals hung on to stay in
contention, only to slip in September after failing to receive significant backup from management.
The experience of being abandoned hasn't been forgotten. Will it happen for a second consecutive summer? Players are wondering whether they'll be left to rot again ? while the front office and ownership procrastinates.
The current series against the visiting Colorado Rockies is an embarrassment. In losing the first three games, the home team has been outscored 28-7 and has mustered few responses.
Surrender has come quietly.
Manager Tony La Russa insists his players are trying hard, but some customers would surely disagree. Appearances can often be misleading. When a lineup shuts down, it just looks bad. A dead offense makes any team look lifeless. And nothing can really make it look better except more walks, hits, runners, RBIs.
"It's a tough time," La Russa said. "Just don't throw your hands up. Whatever you do, don't get depressed, don't get discouraged. That is so energy-sapping. If you want to do anything, get upset. Because that's adrenaline."
La Russa isn't going to make excuses for his players. Though he referred to it as a "distraction," TLR doesn't buy in on the theory that front-office neglect is causing morale to spiral. Then again, what would we expect him to say? La Russa always seeks to convey a message of strength.
"Either you do or you don't in this league," La Russa said. "We can set it straight tomorrow and start producing better."
And surely the Cardinals have a few individuals capable of doing more. The outfield, as a group, is down from the numbers it cranked out in 2008.
Last season the Cardinals' outfield had the No. 1 combined onbase-plus-slugging percentage in the majors, .838. That figure has plummeted nearly 100 points, to .739, this season. And since an outfielder is frequently used in the No. 4 slot in the lineup, the decline has had an impact in the middle of the order. Cardinals cleanup hitters have a slugging percentage of .383 this season, or 26th among 30 MLB teams. The OBP in the No. 4 spot (.298) is 28th.
Since May 1 the four primary outfielders ? Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus ? are batting a combined .212. Duncan is batting .213 since the end of April. Since their respective returns from the DL, Ankiel is six for 36 (.167) and Ludwick is four for 31 (.129). Not much can be done about that besides La Russa starting Rasmus more often.
Given the downturn of the outfield, I can't blame this swoon entirely on Mozeliak and ownership. A few guys who should be swinging potent bats aren't doing so. And that's a factor in the 14-19 record since May 2.
The unexpected absence of third baseman Troy Glaus triggered this freefall. His shoulder surgery and subsequent mysterious, Mark Mulder-like rehab have removed a vital piece from the middle of the lineup. Glaus isn't coming back any time soon, if at all. And his bat must be replaced.
Maybe the others, the outfielders, are trying too hard to make up for what Glaus contributed in 2008. Or maybe the others, the outfielders, have been exposed. It's hard to say. But this much is obvious: The Cardinals can't solve this problem internally.
Mozeliak needs to make a move, or he risks losing the clubhouse.
