For most of the first half, the St. Louis Cardinals had the look of a club that was going to hang around the playoff race all the way through the summer. They were 51-45 entering the All-Star break on July 17, six games over .500 and very much in the conversation.
That picture has changed fast. Since the break, St. Louis has gone 24-35, sliding to 75-80 and officially out of playoff contention.
The biggest reason is the bullpen, and the numbers tell the story plainly. The Cardinals rank 24th in bullpen ERA at 4.54, and they’re tied for third in the league with 30 blown saves. Riley O'Brien and George Soriano are each tied for third in blown saves individually with eight.
The problems haven’t stopped there. St.
Louis’ bullpen is seventh in walks with 278, tied for fifth in runs allowed with 338, and ninth in losses with 32. Too many innings have slipped away, especially in the second half, and too many close games have turned into losses.
That’s the part that stings for a team that had enough elsewhere to stay in the hunt. The offense has been solid, with Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson leading the way. The rotation has also held up overall, with Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Quinn Mathews and Michael McGreevy among the arms mentioned as part of that group.
The Cardinals have had the talent to stay relevant, but the blown saves have buried them. At 75-80, they’re sitting in the spot a handful of tight losses can create. For perspective, the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for 15th in the league with 22 blown saves.
That gap matters. If St.
Louis had matched that level, the club would be in the playoff mix. Even flipping eight blown saves would change the picture dramatically, pushing the Cardinals to 83-72.
The Philadelphia Phillies currently hold the No. 3 Wild Card spot at 85-70, which would leave St.
Louis just two games back and still alive with a week left.
Instead, the Cardinals are done. And if the bullpen looks better in 2027, the story around this team could be very different.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Cleared The Way For A Third Base Battle
The Cardinals trimmed their infield picture by releasing Ramon Urias after he had been designated for assignment, a move that further reshapes the clubs options at third base heading into the offseason. Urias was limited to 43 games this season because of elbow injuries, and his time in St. Louis never really got on track offensively, as he hit .151 with four home runs in 100 plate appearances.
His departure leaves the Cardinals with a clearer runway to sort out the hot corner from within, and it adds another layer to a position that already figures to draw plenty of attention in camp. St. Louis has several internal candidates to consider, so the release does not settle the spot so much as it opens the door wider for a competition that will be worth watching when the roster starts taking shape for next season. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Lose Joshua Baez As Another Roster Shift Begins
Joshua Baezs season ended before it ever really got going in St. Louis, with the young outfielder landing on the 10-day injured list because of a left oblique strain. The Cardinals have been juggling their roster as the year winds down, and this move fits into a larger stretch of housekeeping that also included the release of infielder Ramon Urias and the activation of JJ Wetherholt from the injured list.
Cesar Prieto has been brought up as part of the reshuffle, and the Cardinals now have two open spots on their 40-man roster as the offseason picture starts to take shape. With more changes expected to come, the Baez injury is only one piece of a broader roster reset that could continue to unfold in the coming weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Just Got A New Reason To Trust The Plan
Oliver Marmols upbeat view of the Cardinals direction adds another layer to a fan base that has spent the last stretch waiting for the club to get back to its standard. Even with the recent playoff absences hanging over the conversation, the message out of the dugout is that the organization believes it has a workable system and a clearer path forward than it did a year or two ago.
For Cardinals followers, the appeal is less about a quick fix than the sense that the front office is trying to assemble something sustainable. The longer view points toward a roster that could be in the postseason mix by 2027, which is still more projection than promise, but it is enough to keep the conversation centered on progress instead of frustration. [Read more 🡒]