The St. Louis Cardinals barely missed a chance to win a series against the Houston Astros with Wednesday night’s heartbreaking loss.
On Thursday, things got even worse when they fell by a final score of 14-0 against the defending champions.
The 2023 season hasn’t gone to plan for the reigning NL Central champions as they now sit at 33-47 and 9.5 games behind the division’s top spot.
There have been some strong stretches that briefly rekindled hope for the banks of the Mississippi River.
They were 11-3 from May 7-21 and had a 6-2 record from June 17-27.
In all other contests, St. Louis is 16-42.
On Twitter, Brandon Kiley pointed out a harsh reality, that this is likely what the Cardinals will be like in 2023.
He #CardsSTLCards they were 11-3 from May 7-21.
He #CardsSTLCards they were 6-2 from June 17-27.He #CardsSTLCards they are a combined 16-42 (.276 win%) the rest of the season.
This is what they are. The record is not a mirage. The winning stages were the mirage, the defeat has been the norm.
—Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) June 30, 2023
The fans may not want to hear it, but the chances of a trade in St. Louis are slim.
They were four games out of first place on May 27, but have since fallen and lost a lot of ground.
Kiley noted that their 33-47 record this season can no longer be considered a mirage, and that that is the team’s identity.
It turns out that brief winning periods seem to be a mirage for this team.
While the NL Central isn’t the strongest division in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers may be starting to pull away from the rest of the pack as they sit tied for the top of the division. while the Cardinals remain at the bottom.
To make matters worse, St. Louis will now have to face the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins.
NEXT:
Cardinals have a worrying record when they lead this year