3 reasons to remain positive about the St. Louis Cardinals

The pitching has been unlucky

Everyone knew coming into the season that the starting rotation was going to be a weak spot. Miles Mikolas’ ERA is a bloated 10.05, and Steven Matz’s isn’t much better, at 8.18. There’s reason for hope, however, as these two pitchers have significantly lower Fielding Independent Pitching stats, with Mikolas at 5.78 and Matz at 4.59. 

Jordan Montgomery showed in his last start that he can be a steady and consistent rotation presence, leaving Jack Flaherty and Jake Woodford as the weakest links as of now. The latter will likely be replaced by Adam Wainwright when he returns from the injured list. Meanwhile, Flaherty’s 1.80 ERA is all smoke and mirrors, as he leads the major leagues with 13 walks in 10 innings. Still, while the pitching is not a strength, it should improve with time.