3 St. Louis Cardinals with disappointing second halves

This season, there have been very few positive moments for the St. Louis Cardinals. Even their most exciting wins of the season, back-to-back walk-off wins against Josh Hader and the San Diego Padres, were marred by their place in the standings. Since they took three of four from the Dodgers in late May, only one moment has served to generate any positivity in the fanbase.

That moment was the All-Star Break. The Cardinals entered the break playing solid ball. They seemed to be rebounding from an awful June, and though many still saw a playoff berth as an impossibility, it seemed that the Cardinals could at least finish with a winning record. The Cardinals absolutely had to play well just after the break. A strong stretch meant the difference between buying and selling at the deadline. Unfortunately, they sunk, prompting a fire sale of sorts, which ultimately doomed the 2023 Cardinals to an unceremonious finish. They've mostly played .500 ball since then, but still remain in 5th place in the NL Central. They also never seriously challenged for a playoff spot.

As previously mentioned, this stretch was critical. Obviously, winning just after the break and through August and September was dependent on a few key things. It required the healthy (and effective) return of Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals needed to be able to rely on their other established starters, including Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Jordan Montgomery. Perhaps most importantly, a return to form for some of the team's position players was necessary. Ultimately, these things didn't happen, and now the Cardinals are 66-83. Today, we'll discuss 3 players who experienced particularly disappointing second halves.

1. Tyler O'Neill

Since absolutely crushing it in 2021, Tyler O'Neill has struggled. A disappointing 2022 season was blamed on injuries, and the Cardinals assured fans that O'Neill would be ready to go for 2023. That simply wasn't the case. After a sluggish start, O'Neill went down in early May. He would miss the next ten weeks of action. He returned in late July with many speculating that he may be moved at the deadline. Instead, O'Neill remained with the team. Other teams likely aren't interested in trading for him, as he has shown a serious inability to stay on the field.

Now, please don't confuse this with me saying I don't like Tyler O'Neill. I've traditionally been a huge O'Neill fan, and part of me hopes he gets another shot in 2024. O'Neill may be that big bat the Cardinals always seem to be searching for. His 2021 season didn't and doesn't seem like a fluke. He broke out and proved to the world that he was a talented player, capable of contributing in a number of ways. As long as O'Neill remains in St. Louis, he remains a critical piece on the roster. To be at their best, the Cardinals will need O'Neill to be at his best.

Unfortunately, O'Neill is hurt yet again. This comes on the heels of a stretch in which he sat out a number of games due to lingering issues and discomforts. It's left a number of fans upset with the powerful outfielder, and his future with the Cardinals is in serious doubt. He'll also have no more opportunities to prove his worth to Cardinals executives and fans, leaving them with a sour taste in their mouths. Hopefully, if he remains on the roster through the winter, he'll be ready to play by spring. A healthy Tyler O'Neill would go a long way toward fixing this team.

2. Miles Mikolas

Coming into 2023, it was clear that Mikolas had to produce in order for the Cardinals to succeed. I, like most, assumed he would. Mikolas was coming off of a fantastic 2022 season, and it certainly seemed like he'd be able to continue his strong run. A strong spring only served to further inflate hopes. The Cardinals apparently liked what they saw, as they inked him to an extension late in the spring. He started 2023 pretty well, though he had definitely taken a step back.

Then, in the second half, the wheels came off. Since the break, Mikolas has been terrible. He's pitched in 11 games. In that span, he's covered just 60.2 innings or just about five inners per start. He's also allowed 42 earned runs in that span. That's good for an ERA of 6.23. This is simply unacceptable from a guy who's supposed to help anchor this rotation. Even if Mikolas isn't the ace, he's expected to pitch near the front of the rotation. The Cardinals are now locked into a two-year deal that pays Mikolas like a high-end starter. Hopefully, he can justify that investment. Unfortunately, right now, it seems that the move was misguided.

Mikolas has just a few starts left this season, but stringing together a couple of decent appearances would go a long way toward breeding optimism among fans. Mikolas' struggles have grabbed even more headlines because of the absence of Steven Matz, who was enjoying an excellent second half before an injury derailed his season. Hopefully, Mikolas can turn it around to salvage his season, though that seems fairly unlikely, especially this late in the campaign.