2 reasons Cards fans should panic after the Reds sweep, 1 reason we shouldn't

Cardinal fans should panic because the team's top pitchers were roughed up badly.

John Mozeliak signed Sonny Gray to be the team's ace. He wasn't going to repeat last year's Cy Young-worthy performance, but the hope was that he would be even 90% of his 2023 self. That alone would be sufficient to lead the Cardinals' starting rotation to success this year.

By and large, Sonny Gray has been about as good as advertised. His strikeout rates are up from last year, his xERA is nearly identical, he's walking fewer batters, and his opposing BABIP is virtually the same as it was in 2023. The primary difference? Home runs. Gray had a 0.39 HR/9 rate last year, and it's up to 1.17 HR/9 this year. He allowed only eight home runs last year in 32 starts, and he's given up 17 this year in only 22 starts. He would cede three home runs on Tuesday night.

Erick Fedde, the team's newest starting pitcher via trade, was supposed to slot in right behind Sonny Gray as the team's number two pitcher. Fedde was having a career year with the Chicago White Sox prior to the trade deadline, but he hasn't been able to replicate that success with the Cardinals.

Fedde allowed four runs on six hits, and he walked two batters while striking out only two. He also allowed two home runs in his outing. The Cardinals' top two pitchers did not pitch as such this past series, and that hurt the team's chances to succeed on the road in Cincy. Had Gray and Fedde pitched closer to their expectations, this series could have gone much differently.

Cardinal fans shouldn't be worried about the relievers.

The bullpen has been the team's best unit all year. Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge have been reliable all year, and secondary pitchers like Matthew Liberatore, Ryan Fernandez, and John King have also been pitching well this year.

The relievers in this series pitched 8.1 innings across the three games. They allowed just two earned runs and seven hits. John King allowed an inherited runner to score, but that earned run was added to Kyle Gibson's total for the day since he allowed the runner to get on base. Cardinals relievers struck out eight batters and walked just one across the three-game series.

All of that success was had without any one of the team's "big three" throwing even one pitch. Ryan Helsley, Andrew Kittredge, and JoJo Romero didn't touch the field at any point during the series. The bullpen was able to have a ton of success without the three best relievers throwing.

All year long, Cardinal relievers have been a bright spot on the season. While you won't find the team on many relief leaderboards -- they do have the ninth-best ERA as a group in baseball -- the relief corps has been steady throughout the year. They've been placed in high-leverage situations often, and they've held the lead or kept the team in the game in these situations.

Cardinal fans don't have to worry much about the bullpen after the blowout series in Cincinnati. Reinforcements like Steven Matz and Riley O'Brien are on the horizon; the team just needs to give their relievers a chance to shine late in games.