2 discouraging, 1 encouraging signs from Cardinals series loss to D-Backs

This has been a terrible start to the 2023 season for the Cardinals.

It seems an understatement, but the Cardinals' 8-11 start is awful. After an offseason with incredibly high expectations cut short by the lack of acquiring a top-tier starting pitcher, or any starting pitching for that matter, this start has been a real gut punch for fans.

Facing the Diamondbacks was not going to be an easy task, as they are the top team in the NL Wes so far this year. But the results from this series have been particularly frustrating, except for Wednesday afternoon's thumping. The Cardinals lost Monday 6-3, Tuesday 8-7, and won Wednesday 14-5. The team will head to Seattle to start a West Coast road trip that will keep them away from St. Louis through the end of the month. Maybe a long road trip filled with team bonding will be just what the team needs.

Right now, the Cardinals seem to want to put it together, but even after Wednesday's win, it's also apparent something is off.

After this series, let's look at some of the encouraging and discouraging signs from the Cardinals.

Discouraging - RISP woes

The Cardinals continue to have difficulties moving runners and leaving them on base.

In Monday's 6-3 loss, the Cardinals were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving three runners on base. Nolan Arenado was 0-for-4, while Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker were each 0-for-3. On Tuesday, the Cardinals were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine on base. The club did attempt a late-inning comeback, so that was nice.

The Cardinals were 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position Wednesday and left seven runners on base. The Cardinals had a huge win, but it could have been more!