Despite fighting back from two deficits to take the lead against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals once again found a way to lose, as closer Jordan Hicks made a throwing error to first base, which allowed two runners to score.
It was yet another brutal loss in what has been a disastrous season for St. Louis.
Often times, when a team that was expected to win performs poorly, personnel changes are made.
However, the Cardinals have yet to change anything.
Back in 2018, the Cardinals fired manager Mike Matheny while they were still a game over the .500 mark, and owner Bill DeWitt Jr. made a definitive statement, saying that .500 baseball was not acceptable in St. Louis.
On Twitter, Cardinals writer Bernie Miklasz recalled this moment and wondered if and when the team will make a change.
#STLCards Bill DeWitt Jr. after firing Matheny b4 the 2018 All-Star break:
“In some places a winning record, or even .500, is even acceptable. Not with this city, not with this franchise, not with its history, and not with the fans."
What about now Bill? Who gets sacked?
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) July 6, 2023
In that interview, DeWitt talked about the expectations and standards in St. Louis, clearly understanding that even having just a winning record is not acceptable, especially with the tradition and history of the organization.
Matheny was fired one day before the All-Star break.
Five years later, the Cards are 16 games below the .500 mark, which matches a season high.
They also are 12.5 games back of first place in the NL Central and 11.5 back in the Wild Card race.
St. Louis is essentially buried at this point.
However, DeWitt’s lack of action is a sign of his own hypocrisy.
The team is in a worse spot than they were when Matheny was fired, yet nothing has been done to shake things up.
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