5 significant changes the Cardinals must make to get back to their winning ways

The St. Louis Cardinals do not need to panic about their recent hiccups as a ball club, but that doesn't mean significant changes aren't necessary.

Winners of just four out of their last twelve games, the Cardinals have been scuffling as of late in the wins and losses columns, but the regression in club performance has been going on longer than that. The Cardinals ranked top 10 in many different categories just a few short weeks ago, but now find themselves middle of the pack or worse in some of those same metrics. They've seen regression in all areas of the game, and shifts may be needed to change that.

Every team has difficult stretches of baseball where they are not performing like they want to. The Phillies, for example, snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, a poor run of form that included losses in nine of their last ten games prior to the series against Chicago.

The Cardinals are likely in one of those ruts right now. But those ruts can quickly turn into prolonged stretches if they are not careful, and with how competitive the National League is this year, the Cardinals need to be quick to act when things aren't going right.

It's one thing when it's a matter of development that struggles are occuring, but when you look at this Cardinals team right now, there are actually a lot of issues that they could potentially fix without getting in the way of the development of young players. In fact, some of the shifts I think they need to consider actually would open up even more opportunities for youngsters who need runway.

The Cardinals are at a difficult inflection point as a team right now, needing to continue to balance the development of young talent while also trying to win every single time they are out on the field to keep pace with other teams in the Wild Card race and have a shot at the National League Central crown. In all honesty though, both of these things can be accomplished with how the team has contructed itself, and introducing even more competition into the mix wouldn't be a bad thing for anyone involved.

With a four-game series in Milwaukee set to start this evening, the Cardinals need to put their best foot forward against their division rival this weekend, or risk falling back close to .500 on the season.

Here are five significant changes the Cardinals need to make to get back to their winning ways