5 thoughts after Cardinals drop the series at home to the Reds

The Cardinals have lost six series in a row and don't seem close to finding their way to win one anytime soon.

That may be dramatic, but having watched the Cardinals this weekend, it's an easy assumption.

The Cardinals did win Friday 7-4 but did lose on Saturday 8-4 and 4-3 on Sunday. The Cardinals played how fans typically expect them to on Friday by manufacturing runs, crafty pitching, and stellar defense. The gear seemingly shifted away from that script the rest of the weekend. It was disastrous.

They are not the team fans expected to see this summer. This club has fans dating back generations, and they haven't seen this terrible brand of baseball from the Birds on the bat ... ever. Remember the early 1990s? They are seemingly worse than those clubs.

The Cardinals will host the Giants for a three-game set. In April, the Cardinals took one in a four-game set from them in San Fransisco. Given their return to playing poorly, it will be curious to see if they play better in this series.

Before the Cardinals take on the Giants, let's discuss what happened against the Reds and their team of talented youngsters, including top prospect Elly De La Cruz.

Jordan Montgomery finally got a win

Montgomery is now 3-7 on the season with a 3.88 ERA. He pitched six innings, giving up three hits and one walk. He did strike out six batters and induced 14 swings and misses. He was able to keep batters off balance with a mix of his fastball, change-up, curveball, and a pretty active sinker.

He was impressively able to contain De La Cruz in his first game in St. Louis.

After the game, Montgomery told the media he was happy to win. "As long as I'm throwing well and giving us a chance to win, that's all I can do." Well said. And hopefully, this game is something he can build on down the stretch.

Tommy Edman can play anywhere

Edman is a Gold Glove second baseman. He plays a spectacular shortstop. But he plays center field so well that you would think he's been playing there his whole career.

And this play was pretty great too,

It speaks much about what Edman is doing, even with Carlson's return from the injured list. The team still had him in center field. It would not surprise anyone to see Edman take over the position at center on a long-term basis. Edman is impressive, no matter where he plays.

Cardinals are actually finding ways to lose

On Saturday, Miles Mikolas pitched six innings, giving up seven hits, two walks, and five earned runs. He did strike out two batters.

De La Crus singled to Tommy Edman in the third inningLuke Maile doubled on a line drive to Walker, allowing Tyler Stephenson, Will Benson, and Stuart Fairchild to score in the second inning. In the third inning, De La Crus singled to Tommy Edman, allowing Matt McLain to score. Spencer Steer knocked a sacrifice fly to Edman, allowing Jonathan India to score.

Drew VerHagen pitched two innings, giving up two hits, one walk, and two earned runs. He did strike out one batter. Steer doubled to center field in the seventh inning, scoring India and De LA Cruz.

Genesis Cabrera pitched an inning, giving up a hit, a walk, and a run while striking out one batter. Stephenson singled to right field, allowing India to score.

Meanwhile the offense was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on the base path.

It's painful to watch Adam Wainwright struggle through his starts. There are glimpses of the crafty pitcher fans have enjoyed watching over the years, but he's slowed considerably. Wainwright pitched 5.2 innings Sunday, giving up eight hits, one walk, and three runs, including a home run to India.

Wainwright could not complete his sixth inning of working, allowing Chris Stratton to close out the sixth. He gave up a hit but struck out one in his 1.1 innings.

Jordan Hicks earned his fourth season loss of the season, struggling through his one inning of work. With De La Cruz at third, Tyler Stephenson reached on a fielder's choice, fielded by shortstop Paul DeJong. He threw the ball to home to get De La Cruz at the plate but pitched to the wrong side of the plate to make the play. De La Cruz is fast and was able to slide in with no problems, sealing the victory for the Reds after the Cardinals couldn't muster any more offense.

The offense was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.

With the same excuses coming, a change needs to happen.

The Cardinals are playing like a team with post-traumatic stress disorder. It's understandable after a season in which manager Oli Marmol has attacked players for various reasons.

Marmol attacked Tyler O'Neill for a perceived lack of hustle, leading to an extended trip to the injured list. O'Neill had purposefully worked during the offseason to remain healthy and not extend himself to injury. O'Neill said at the time the issue should have been handled individually and not made so publicly. That's the truth.

The team wouldn't send Jordan Hicks on a minor league assignment to work on every issue resulting in him pitching ineffectively. While he has moments of pitching well, Marmol insists on leaving him in to work it out when he is struggling. This is leading to him hurting the team. Hicks has been in the league long enough to refuse a demotion. OK, stop putting him in high-leverage situations and leaving him in the game when he's struggling.

The Willson Contreras ordeal is still astounding. Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said the pitching staff was complaining that Contreras was not legendary catcher Yadier Molina. Because of the complaints, Marmol and Mozeliak decided to remove him from his catching duties publicly and have him be the team's designated hitter. The pair said he would do this until his preparation with the pitchers improved. It turns out Contreras and the pitchers just needed to communicate with one another and figure out what would work best for them. A week after being told this could take some time, Contreras returned as the team's primary catcher. There was no need to make Contreras the situation so dramatic. The pitchers and Contreras just needed to communicate.

And thankfully, Contreras and the pitchers handled the situation professionally and outside the public eye.

After Sunday's game, Marmol told the media the Cardinals have to play perfect to win. "We don't have the luxury of giving up extra outs, making a mistake, or walking a guy. That's where we're at now. ... We've got to execute better."

No kidding.

This is the same excuse he's been giving. It's getting old. If the Cardinals hope to get on the winning track, a change needs to happen. A jolt. The same excuses and actions can no longer continue. A change to management will not likely happen. But something needs to happen to create a sense of urgency.

The team is a solid group with All-Star talent, a mix of experienced players, and some amazing prospects making their splash in the majors. The team is talented. They do not seem to be meshing or playing like a team though. And that comes down to leadership. They do have leaders in the clubhouse. The overall leadership of the group is lacking, though. This must change, and there must be a jolt in that area.

Does the team have the proper leadership in place for their pitching? Dusty Blake was a pitching analyst for the Cardinals before taking over as pitching coach. The issues with the pitching staff and Contreras, the starting pitching struggles, and the problems with Hicks and the bullpen could all be traced back to Blake. Having an experienced may be in pitching coach with leadership experience would be a great start to serve as a jolt for the team. Blake seems like a good person who may be in over his head as a pitching coach.

The club needs to make a change and soon. This team needs some urgency. Now.