The Cardinals tailspin continues after being swept in Detroit by the last place Tigers. They dropped to 36-38 on the year and fell to 5 ½ games behind first place Milwaukee.
The question now is where do they go from here? How can they get better and reclaim the top spot in the Central? What needs to be done?
It’s fair to say that all Cardinal fans can agree on one thing; the time is now to shake things up. They can’t wait until the July 31 trade deadline to get better. If they do, they could be well out of contention by then.
They could start by firing hitting coach Jeff Albert. Albert was hired due to his analytical approach to hitting. But since his hiring prior to the 2019 season, the Cardinals have gotten nowhere offensively. Below is a tweet from Torts Illustrated, showing where the Cardinals have ranked in runs per game before and after Albert was hired.
What’s even more frustrating for Cards fans is that President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has stated that they are still confident in their coaching staff. It’s dangerous to take this approach, and if they want to improve offensively, firing Albert would be a good start.
They could also make some trades or signings. Their bullpen got a boost with the signing of veteran lefty Wade LeBlanc, who has not allowed a run yet in a Cardinals uniform. There was also a rumor regarding a potential reunion with Shelby Miller. They’ve even been linked to Kyle Gibson.
They could also look at a potential trade for Jose Berrios. It is likely that the Twins will sell at the deadline. It may just depend on what they would ask for in return.
They could really use a bat too. As we’ve discussed before, a reunion with Brad Miller isn’t completely out of the question, especially seeing as how the Phillies are slipping in the NL East. They have at least attempted to address this need by promoting Lars Nootbaar, who picked up his first Major League hit in yesterday’s loss.
If they don’t make a move, they could at the very least pull Carlos Martinez and John Gant out of the rotation and plug in LeBlanc, who has been a starter in the past, or Jake Woodford. Martinez is 3-8 with a 6.62 ERA, and Gant has pitched to a 7.94 ERA in the month of June. Johan Oviedo has also been a disappointment, allowing six runs in the fourth inning of his most recent start.
There have been several games where Woodford has been called upon to clean up the mess left by one of the three starters mentioned above. He’s pitched to a 3.86 ERA to this point, so he at least deserves a chance.
The Cardinals are a broken team with little time to fill the many gaping holes in their roster. If they don’t do something soon, they may find themselves selling at the trade deadline.
For more MLB coverage, click here.
