Could Turnaround Be Coming? This Wild Stat Should Give Cardinals Fans Plenty Of Hope

St. Louis' starting rotation should give fans hope right now

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly have been disappointing so far this season. 

There's no way to argue against the fact that the Cardinals haven't been what anyone expected them to be. St. Louis won 93 games in 2022 and seemed poised to potentially top that total this season but instead find itself 12 games under .500 just about midway through June. In not stretch of the imagination was this expected.

The Cardinals have dealt with a plethora of injuries and inconsistent play, but the National League as a whole has had a down year so far and with the addition of a third Wild Card spot, St. Louis still could nab a postseason spot. The Cardinals are just eight games behind the National League Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, as well, so maybe they could even make up some ground in the division. 

St. Louis' biggest point of struggle early on this season was the club's starting pitching. The Cardinals' starting rotation has been no where near what fans expected, but things may be finally changing. St. Louis' rotation finally has shown signs of life and since May 25 actually is tied for the best wins above replacement in all of baseball at 2.3. The Cardinals' rotation has compiled the second-best ERA in all of baseball over that stretch at 3.03. One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround has been the lack of home runs allowed and the rotation has allowed just 0.31 per nine innings to lead baseball over the stretch. 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows over in St. Louis and the club somehow is 3-6 over the last nine games despite the rotation turnaround, but it is progress. The Cardinals' offense has been impressive at times and it has plenty of firepower so it should get back on track shortly. The club's bullpen has been rocky at points, so an addition or two could make perfect sense. St. Louis' biggest issues this season has stemmed from its pitching and that finally is starting to sort itself out. 

If the rotation can maintain this recent level of play, the wins will sort themselves out and maybe we could even see a major turnaround in the not-so-distant future.

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