St. Louis Cardinals: Don’t worry, the Cards will bounce back.

The St. Louis Cardinals being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates this past weekend was frustrating, but don’t be worried. The Cardinals will bounce back this week. Count on it.

That’s right, St. Louis Cardinals fans shouldn’t overreact to this weekend’s series with the Pirates. Yes, it was frustrating and a sweep could have been avoided. But the Cardinals had a day off before the series with the Chicago White Sox to make needed adjustments.

The Pittsburgh series revealed three areas of concern that need improvement-pitching, defense, and offense. No, I’m not trying to be funny. Nevertheless, these areas contributed to the series sweep and need to be addressed.

The good news for the Cardinals, the areas of concern can be easily and quickly addressed, because they have the tools in place to do it.

The bullpen

The St. Louis Cardinals’ loss on Friday night was the most painful of the series. However, the bullpen meltdown in the ninth inning should be the easiest to address.

The solution is that Bud Norris should be the closer until further notice.

Gregg Holland is not near ready to close out games, nor can he be depended on to play much of a role within the bullpen… not just yet anyway. (BTW, we now know why pitchers and catchers report earlier than position players).

Carrying under-performers in the bullpen has been costly for the St. Louis Cardinals, but they have the arms in Memphis to correct the problem. Matt Bowman, Tyler Lyons, and Luke Gregerson, along with Holland have under-performed this year as members of the bullpen. John Gant, John Brebbia, and Mike Mayers have been on the “Memphis Express” this season and have performed well when called upon.

I’m not advocating releasing or trading anyone at this point, but some time in the minor leagues for those who can be sent, would be helpful. Holland is a special case and per contract cannot be sent unless he agrees, and Lyons is out of options. However, Bowman was a rule 5 pick up for the Cardinals and could now be sent to Memphis to try to recover his effectiveness. As far as Gregerson is concerned, maybe a trip to the DL and then a rehab assignment would be helpful.

The defense

Errors on Friday night by Jose Martinez and Tommy Pham contributed to the Cardinals meltdown in the ninth inning. But replacing Martinez and Pham in the lineup is not an option the Cardinals will consider, especially since their offense is too important.

However, some late inning defensive “adjustments” could be done by Mike Matheny to prevent another scene like on Friday night. Jedd Gyorko or Matt Carpenter at first, and Harrison Bader in center, might have been enough to save Friday night’s game.

The offense

Starting rotation

The St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation doesn’t concern me. Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, and Miles Mikolas have performed either as expected (Martinez) or exceeded expectations (Mikolas). Luke Weaver has struggled in his last two starts, but that can be expected from a starter in his first full year.

The Cards have veteran Adam Wainwright, who is expected to come off the DL in the near future. They also have Jack Flaherty, who has filled in for the injured Wainwright, and Alex Reyes rehabbing in Memphis.

Conclusions

The St. Louis Cardinals upcoming schedule is ideal for a rebound. They play the White Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a day off on Thursday before taking on the Cubs this weekend. Then the Twins come to St. Louis for a two game series before another day off. A road trip to San Diego and Minnesota follows, before another home stand.

The combined record of these teams is 43-63.

I like what I’m seeing from this team and the upcoming schedule is conducive for a rebound. With the teams they are scheduled to play and days off to make needed adjustments, this St. Louis Cardinals team will be fine.

Next: Prospect updates

Do you think I’m being over optimistic or do you agree? Let us know your thoughts. Thanks for reading.