The St. Louis Cardinals split a four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. In a season full of injuries and missed opportunities, the sweep was within reach against the struggling Pirates. Cardinals starters only surrendered six runs across the four games. The offense put 27 runs on the board. However, the Cardinals bullpen gave up 12 runs in 15 1/3 innings, costing them the first and fourth games of the series. And those were costly losses. The Cardinals could be 1 1/2 games back of the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card race, but instead, they sit 3 1/2 games back entering their series this week with the Reds.
Big Three in the Cardinals Bullpen
Early in the season, the bullpen was solid–in large part because of the performances of three pitchers: Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and closer Alex Reyes. Manager Mike Shildt could hand the ball off to any of the three with confidence that the lead was safe. The trio carried a combined 2.74 ERA into the All-Star Break, with Reyes named to the NL team. The second half has been a far different story. They have a 5.19 ERA since the break. While reliever wins are usually misleading, losses charged to a reliever can be telling. The three relievers combined for eight losses across 118 appearances in the first half. They already have nine in the second half with only 52 appearances.
Cabrera was on the hill to surrender the lead in the series opener. He faced six batters and allowed six runs without recording an out. Reyes, however, has been the more troubling reliever. Reyes started the year by going 22 of 22 in save opportunities. Combined with a save from last year and one from 2016, this set the record for consecutive converted saves to begin a career. He set the record on July 18th, and then blew his next save opportunity. On Sunday, he gave up a walk-off, three-run homer to blow his fourth save in his last 11 attempts. His ERA in the first half was under two, and his second-half ERA is over six.
Questions Regarding Usage
The problems in the Cardinals bullpen come as no surprise. The starting rotation has battled injuries all year. Twelve different pitchers have started for them, and only Adam Wainwright has been able to consistently pitch deep into games. With so many innings to absorb, pitchers were going to be overused and overexposed. Cabrera and Reyes have already reached career highs in innings pitched. Gallegos is under 10 innings away from surpassing his prior mark. Meanwhile, other arms are underutilized due, in part, to ineffectiveness.
Strikeout rates are down, and walk rates are up. On Friday, the Cardinals bullpen walked a runner with the bases loaded. It was the team’s 28th free pass with the bases loaded this year–tying the 1999 Seattle Mariners for the record. With the control issues in the bullpen, the Cardinals seem destined to set a new mark this year. Mike Shildt is going to have to find the right matchups and use the rested arms if the Cardinals are going to finish with a winning record. With the exception of six games remaining against the struggling Chicago Cubs, the schedule is unforgiving the rest of the way.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, Alex Reyes, Adam Wainwright,
