{"id":83008,"date":"2024-08-13T22:04:25","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T02:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=83008"},"modified":"2024-08-13T22:04:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T02:04:25","slug":"cardinals-pitching-struggles-path-postseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/13\/cardinals-pitching-struggles-path-postseason\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardinals Pitching Struggles Leave Uncertain Path to Postseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

The struggles of the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff in a tentative August for the club have left them on the edge of the Wild Card race. In 2024, they’ve posted the 12th-worst ERA in the majors. For a team with an, at best, highly inconsistent offense<\/a>, serious and continued pitching struggles might signify doomed hopes for the postseason.<\/p>\n

Cardinals Pitching Struggles Hurting Postseason Hopes<\/h2>\n

Ace or Joker?<\/h3>\n

Sonny Gray<\/a>, the presumptive Cardinals ace entering the season, has struggled mightily<\/a> since the weeks before the All-Star Break.<\/p>\n

Following a 2023 campaign in which Gray finished runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award, he has not returned to the same form in 2024. Through Tuesday, he has pitched for a 3.93 ERA and a 1.079 WHIP in 130 2\/3 innings. He has posted an even higher ERA in August, reaching 4.74 through three starts. While his K% remains high (92nd percentile in the majors), he has struggled to keep the ball in the ballpark. His fastball run value, additionally, has dropped 80 percentile points in comparison to 2023.<\/p>\n

In recent years, the Cardinals have struggled to cement a solid top end of their pitching rotation. Gray’s addition<\/a> on a 3-year, $75 million contract initially appeared to be a step in the right direction, but he has failed to live up to these expectations.<\/p>\n

Struggles Extend Down the Rotation<\/h3>\n

Cardinals trade deadline acquisition<\/a>\u00a0Erick Fedde<\/a> has also struggled in his first starts with the team. In three starts, he has posted a 5.62 ERA, including a rough 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. While Fedde looked to be a solution to the Cardinals’ lack of a bonafide second starter, he has yet to find his form in St. Louis.<\/p>\n

This is a pattern that continues to plague the Cardinals front office and their on-field product. Through the past few offseasons, they have failed to make needle-moving deals to improve their pitching staff. The signings of Lance Lynn<\/a> and Kyle Gibson<\/a> provided veteran presences following the retirement<\/a> of Adam Wainwright<\/a>, neither have performed particularly well this season, and Lynn is now hurt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.@Cardinals<\/a> pitcher Lance Lynn says he is throwing a bullpen today and hopes to be back on the mound as soon as possible. \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/vyg10Hb3HS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n