3 concerning Cardinals stats to monitor, and 2 that should encourage fans

The St. Louis Cardinals have had their fair share of highs and lows this year, with their recent run of form being a colder one. While the Cardinals are nowhere near the depths of despair they were earlier this year, they need to get back to consistently winning series in order to keep pace in the NL Wild Card standings and find a way to overtake the teams ahead of them.

In order to do so, the Cardinals need some top-end performances from different players or units on this club, and they cannot afford for the team to regress in other areas. As I look at this current Cardinals team, there are actually three stats that I see that are very concerning for their playoff chances and need to be corrected if they are going to make a run.

On the bright side though, I do see two numbers that give me hope for this club as they push for a return to the playoffs. If these two things can be sustained, and the concerns can subside, the Cardinals may be in really good shape.

Here are three stats that concern me regarding the Cardinals and two stats that I find encouraging

Concerning: 4.85

That is the Cardinals' bullpen ERA since the All-Star Break. 4.85.

I knew the Cardinals' bullpen had been struggling since the break, but man, that number is a lot worse than it even felt. Now, to be fair, no reliever has thrown more than eight innings since the break, so it's some of that number could improve rather quickly with a few quality outings. Andrew Kittredge has yet to allow an earned run since the break, and JoJo Romero has looked like his old self.

Still, it is fair to be concerned about the club's bullpen right now. Their ability to hold leads was a major reason why St. Louis was able to claw its way back to postseason contention this summer, and if the bullpen can't be relied on like it was in the first half, it is unlikely that St. Louis can keep pace with the rest of the National League Wild Card picture.

If the offense could ever look like we expected it to going into the year, this would be far less concerning. But until that becomes a reality, the Cardinals need their bullpen to step it up and fast.