5 most egregious called strikes against Cardinal batters since 2016

#5: LHP Brent Suter vs Harrison Bader 06/21/2018
Umpire: Mike Muchlinski
Count: 0-0
Pitch: 80.4 MPH Changeup
Distance from zone: 1.26 feet

Typically, umpires will miss same-handedness pitches that go away from hitters because the pitch will cross the zone at some point. Mike Muchlinski is set up in the middle of the plate, and you can see his head track the ball all the way through. Catcher Manny Pina receives the ball well and frames it back in quickly.

While it is atypical for left-handed pitchers to get outside calls go their way against right-handed batters, this isn't the case with Suter's changeup to Bader. It was a straight pitch that was never in the zone, and it was an estimated 1.26 feet out of the zone. At this point in the game, however, the Brewers had a 7-1 lead in the fifth inning; it's possible that Muchlinski just wanted to end the game a little quicker.

The at bat ended with Bader popping out to first base. The Cardinals ended up losing the game.

#4: RHP Anthony Swarzak vs Tommy Pham 08/01/2017
Umpire: Chad Whitson
Count: 0-0
Pitch: 85.3 MPH slider
Distance from zone: 1.27 feet

Tommy Pham appears twice on this list, and I didn't exactly peg him as an unlucky hitter. This 85 MPH slider came from a right-handed pitcher, so umpire Chad Whitson's missed call makes a little more sense than the previous blown call. However, this strike being called in this particular count really put Pham behind, and you can see it in his disgust after the call. On average, batting average goes from .344 on a 1-0 count to .324 on an 0-1 count.

There are two things that are interesting to me about this call: first, Whitson is set up on the inside of the plate, so of course he won't be able to accurately see an outside pitch, particularly one that sweeps away from the hitter. Also, Swarzak is set up on the glove side of the mound, thus placing him on the outside of the plate already.

Pham ended up striking out swinging later in the at-bat. This call came in the 8th inning with one man on in a 3-2 game where the Cardinals were trailing. It's just one called strike, but Pham's eventual strikeout could have changed the outcome of the game.