Cardinals' Inability to Score Runs This Season is Beyond Baffling
By Scott Rogust
The St. Louis Cardinals made the splash of all splashes this offseason, as they acquired slugging sensation Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks, in order to help them regain the NL Central crown for the first time since 2015.
Goldschmidt paired alongside Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter, and Marcell Ozuna makes the Cardinals a run scoring machine on paper. So far, that's all it's been; a star-studded lineup without the production to match.
In terms of runs scored, the Cardinals have tallied 358 this season, which currently ranks 19th in the entire league. The team has just 95 home runs combined on the year, as well as a .720 OPS, both of which are good for 23rd in the pro circuit.
The @Cardinals offense is so horrible that it’s mind numbing. Most miserable Cardinals team I have ever watched and they are only 2.5 games out of 1st place. Which makes it worse honestly. #STLCards
— Jevin Redman (@Jevin_13) June 27, 2019
How is that even possible with the amount of talented hitters on the roster?
Shortstop Paul DeJong leads the team in batting average (.266), which is far from ideal. Ozuna owns a team-best 20 home runs and 62 RBI, meaning he's contributed more than 20% of the team's long balls. Apart from Ozuna, DeJong's 36 RBI are the best on the team.
Cardinals currently have only 1 regular hitting over .265 right now... guys that is NOT good!
— Eddy Wynn (@Mizzou_Cards_NO) June 27, 2019
Goldschmidt was brought in to put runs on the board and help the Cardinals hold off the likes of the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Instead, Goldschmidt is batting .253 with 14 homers and 31 RBI. On top of that, he's struck out 83 times, the most by any player on the team.
Even Carpenter, last year's hit machine, is struggling in 2019, as he's hitting a lowly .217 with 10 home runs, 28 RBI, and 80 strikeouts (second behind Goldschmidt).
The Cardinals’ main problem:
— Dan Buffa (@buffa82) June 26, 2019
Matt Carpenter’s .217/.327/.384 slash line.
Paul Goldschmidt’s .253/.342/.420 slash line.
They need a lot more from these two catalysts, especially Goldschmidt.
It’s June 26. Wake up, dudes. If they do, so does the #STLCards offense. Simple.
It's baffling that a team with this much talent can't produce adequate amount of runs. Luckily for the St. Louis Cardinals, they only find themselves a handful of games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs for the NL Central lead.
All the team needs is a spark, whether it be a minor-league call up or a couple of player's to get hot at the plate. The talent is there, but this Cardinals team has yet to put it all together in 2019.