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.

Encouraging: 23.8%

23.8% represents the Barrel% Jordan Walker has had in Triple-A since July 30th. For context, that would be the second-best barrel rate in all of baseball this year if done over the course of a season. If you're unfamiliar with what a barrel is, it is a battled ball event where the exit velocity and launch angle is comparable to other batted balls that share a common denominator of an .500 BA and 1.500 SLG.

Over the weekend, Walker hit two bombs for Memphis and added a triple to his stat line as well. He's posted a 1.090 OPS in his last 65 at-bats, and if you just watch him at the plate, you can tell he is confident and swinging with authority.

No, I'm not trying to act like Walker would put up that kind of production at the MLB level the rest of the year, but what I am saying is that Walker has been incredible since making real adjustments at the plate recently, and he's finally hitting the ball with authority and power like the Cardinals have dreamed he could.

When Jordan Walker was demoted to Memphis last year, he was able to quickly find his swing and return to St. Louis with a powerful swing for the final four months of the season. While Walker has taken quite a while to figure things out this time, you could argue that this is the best he has looked since the beginning of the 2023 season - and Walker was 20% above league average offensively for that stretch last year.

I'm not sure if we will see Walker called up soon or not, but I am of the belief now that we will see the young outfielder back in St. Louis before the season ends. While that may not seem all that crazy of a take, I honestly did not expect to see Walker back with the big league club until 2025, given how things have been going this summer. But seriously, Walker looks like he's figured it out.

Encouraging: 2.57

After a really tough stretch since late May, Sonny Gray has been back to his normal self in his last two starts against the Cubs and Rays, giving him a 2.57 ERA between those two starts.

While small sample sizes are not great measuring sticks, Gray is someone I have an easier time buying back into with just a few great performances because of the kind of pitcher he was earlier this year, the Cy Young candidate he was in 2023, and frankly, how good he's been his entire career.

On the season, Gray's FIP is just 3.01 compared to his 3.65 ERA, and outside of a few bad starts, I'd say he easily feels like a pitcher who should have a 3.01 ERA on the year. Gray is striking out over 10 batters per nine innings this year, and while he'll need a strong finish to the season to truly put up "ace" numbers, I feel confident with him going toe to toe with any pitcher in baseball right now.

The biggest improvement in his game seems to be the effectiveness his sweeper is having on opposing hitters. Gray's sweeper is his best pitch, and while it was good during his "bad stretch", it was not elite like it normally is. In June and July, Gray was getting a whiff on his sweeper 37.8% of the time, allowing a .212 xBA and .390 xSLG. From his first start in April through the end of May and now his most recent starts in August, Gray had a whiff percentage north of 40% and an xBA south of .135.

Gray has had a few blow-up starts this year, so I understand why there are some fans that have been left wanting more from the Cardinals' free-agent acquisition. He'll have a chance to prove he's "back" tonight if he puts up a third straight great start, this time against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals need some players to step up from here on out who consistently turn in top-end performances if they want to make the postseason, and Gray is someone I am betting will do that.

While Erick Fedde has had one good start and one not-so-good start with the Cardinals thus far, the club could receive a huge boost down the stretch if both Gray and Fedde consistently pitch at a high level. For the majority of the season, the Cardinals have had one starter pitching well while the others are average at best, and that's just not a great formula for victory when the offense has been so dissapointing. It all starts with Gray in the rotation, and I believe his last two starts are indicative of the guy we'll see down the stretch.

Concerning: .523%

Unfortunately, the Cardinals' remaining opponents' win% is .523%, giving them the fourth toughest strength of schedule remaining.

If the Cardinals are going to make up ground in the National League Wild Card race or even in the Central division, they are going to have to play winning baseball the rest of the season, and do so against a lot of tough opponents.

This week, the Cardinals go on the road to face the Reds for three games in Cincinnati, but then they play consecutive series against the Dodgers, Brewers, Twins, Padres, and Yankees to round out the month of August. Coming out of that gauntlet stretch, St. Louis then has to travel to Milwaukee for three games against the Brewers in what could be a season-defining series.

The strength of the schedule can sometimes be misleading during this time of year though. There always seem to be teams that are supposed to be bad that finish their seasons strong, as they call up young players looking to make their mark and play spoiler for teams in contention. The Cardinals just need to focus on taking care of their own business the rest of the way, as they cannot control how the Brewers, Mets, Padres, Braves, Pirates, Diamondbacks, or Giants will play down the stretch.

It is going to be a tough hill for the Cardinals to climb though. They dug themselves a major hole to begin the year, and after a hot stretch from May 12th through the All-Star Break, they have cooled off significantly. They don't necessarily need another crazy run in them to make the playoffs, but they have to find a way to win series after series down the stretch if they want a real shot at October baseball.

If not, then the next concerning stat we'll be talking about is "two" - two straight years the Cardinals have missed the playoffs. And if that's the case, you better believe major change would be coming in St. Louis.