Four mistakes the Cardinals have made this season that stand out above the rest

The Use Of Taylor Motter

In this wild and wacky season, one thing has stuck out to me the most: the use of Taylor Motter.

The leeway the organization has shown Motter has been nothing short of baffling. There have been times when Motter has hit in favor of somebody else and not come through.

For example, on April 9, the Cardinals put him in to replace Brendan Donovan with the bases loaded against a left-hander, despite Donovan's prior success against lefties. Motter struck out.

He also was at the plate in the ninth inning with the tying run at the plate on August 3, despite Nolan Arenado being available on the bench. Again, Motter struck out, this time to end the game and send the Cardinals to another loss.

I'm in no way saying that Motter is the reason the Cardinals have been so bad this year, but using him over established players is certainly questionable, and he was shown far more leeway than Walker was early in the season, despite Walker actually producing quite well before being sent down. I've felt the same way about the use of Alec Burleson, though he has at least had a few moments of brilliance.

Motter has since been designated for assignment and sent back to Memphis. But that doesn't mean that the organization won't find another reason to bring him back towards the end of the season.