Masyn Winn's absence showed just how important he is to Cardinals success

He's not the Cardinals' best player, but Masyn Winn's absence from the lineup on Tuesday certainly reminded fans how important he is to their ability to win ballgames.

Winn was held out of the lineup as the Cardinals awaited news regarding imaging on his knee. There was fear that he could have sustained a significant injury, but fortunately, the results came back clean, and Winn was back in the lineup on Wednesday.

Thomas Saggese started at shortstop in Winn's place, and while he's certainly not a bad defender, he doesn't come anywhere near what Winn provides at shortstop, and that's a big problem with how the Cardinals are constructed.

The Cardinals' pitching has been performing a lot better as of late, but relies heavily on a strong defense behind them that helps keep runs off the board. The Cardinals' team defense ranks top 10 in baseball in outs above average, defensive runs saved, and fielding run value, and Winn is a huge part of that.

Winn's value was on full display as Matthew Liberatore's start began to unravel on him against the Pirates. He breezed through the first four innings with eight strikeouts and no runs given up, but the ball began to be knocked around once the fifth inning began.

Brandon Lowe started things off with a sharp ground ball up the middle, a bit out of reach for Saggese. Would Winn have gotten to that ball? Maybe not, but he certainly would have had a shot. The very next batter, Jared Triolo, hit a hard ground ball just to the left of Saggese, though, a play that Winn certainly would have made, but Saggese just missed. That put runners on first and third for the Pirates, and nobody out.

Liberatore gave up four runs and was pulled in that inning, and while he was the culprit of the bad inning, Winn could have helped him stop the bleeding, or maybe even prevent it.

While the Cardinals were able to pull out an epic victory in spite of that big inning, it did reveal why the Cardinals value defense, and especially Winn, so much.

The Cardinals need Masyn Winn's defense to keep competing at a high level

With how the Cardinals are currently constructed, they need plus defense all over the field to pick up their pitching when the batted ball luck hangs in the balance. Again, Saggese isn't a poor defender, but he lacks the Gold Glove caliber skills that Winn has at the position, and the Cardinals need that in order to contend.

Between Liberatore and the rest of their staff, most of the arms rely on their defense heavily to get outs. They've done a much better job as of late limiting hard contact, but they still need their defenders to make the 50/50 plays and even turn some "should be hits" into outs if they want to keep limiting runs.

The Cardinals' offense has been quieter as of late, and while I trust the top four in their order to be able to carry their offense most of the year, when the bottom of the order is cold, it's going to be hard to get into high-scoring affairs.

Winns defense at shortstop is a major asset for this pitching staff, as is the plus defense we have seen from the rest of the infield. JJ Wetherholt is one of the best defensive second basemen in the sport, Nolan Gorman has looked great at third base this year, and Alec Burleson continuously picks up the infield when needed.

The same goes for the outfield, where Victor Scott II and Nathan Church help make it a "no-fly zone". Jordan Walker has his moments, and his arm is a true weapon as well. And while there is a ton of debate about how the Cardinals should handle the catcher position, the duo of Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages is doing a nice job together.

Defense will always be important, but until the Cardinals have more swing-and-miss in their staff, they will especially rely on the performance of their defense to win games. Their staff likely sees the most dramatic help or hurt from a defense because they just so often give them opportunities to impact the game. When it's someone like Winn, that is often for the better, but when it's someone just average or worse out there, it can spell bad news.

The Cardinals need Winn's defense at shortstop. We all kind of knew that already, but his rare absence from the lineup reiterated that.

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