5 changes the Cardinals need to make in the second half

Run Differential

A team's run differential isn't an all-encompassing statistic. It is a part of the larger puzzle that is a team's output. However, it is somewhat predictive of a team's success in games. After all, the name of the game is to score more than your opponent. A positive run differential would logically lead to a good record.

Prior to games on June 29th, the Cardinals had a -37 run differential, 23rd in the league. Teams such as the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates, all teams behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race, have better-run differentials. As a team, they've scored 322 runs and allowed 358 runs.

A team's Pythagorean Record takes into account run differential, so it is sometimes more representative of the team's actual abilities and output for the year. The Cardinals' actual record sits at 42-39, but their Pythagorean Record is a measly 36-45. That expected record is tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the worst in the division. The Cardinals wouldn't be sniffing the playoffs based on their run differential.

For as obvious as this statement may be, the Cardinals need to score more runs and limit their opponents more often. The Cardinals are averaging only 3.98 runs per game, and they're giving up nearly 4.43 runs per game. That discrepancy isn't a recipe for success. Both of those figures put the team in the bottom third of the league; not one side of the team is necessarily to blame. However, both the pitchers and hitters must step it up if the team hopes to build a gap in the Wild Card race.