The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most explosive offensive teams in all of baseball this year.
They’ve scored the third-most runs in the National League and have been carried by a lineup that features Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, Albert Pujols, and others.
But lately, the team has found itself in an offensive rut, one that started during their last homestand.
With a 1-0 loss last night to the San Diego Padres, the Cards have now been shut out in three straight games.
That’s something that hasn’t happened since the final weekend of the 2015 season, after they had already clinched the NL Central and the best record in all of baseball.
After yesterday's loss to the Padres, the Cardinals have now been shut out in 3 straight games for the first time since 2015. They have just 9 hits over this span.
They're the 1st team with 0 runs and 9 or fewer hits over a 3-game span since the 1995 Tigers. pic.twitter.com/mtZmbywmcu
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 22, 2022
Cards Offense In A Funk
This is a concerning trend for the Cardinals.
While manager Oliver Marmol has remained optimistic, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t cause for concern.
This offense has been one of the best in the game all season long.
Now, they find themselves in a bad rut at the worst possible time.
Both Goldschmidt and Arenado went hitless in last night’s game.
The only two hits came in the seventh inning with two outs, when Pujols and Juan Yepez had back-to-back singles.
Perhaps it could be time for Marmol to potentially shuffle the Cardinals lineup a little bit.
Things aren’t going to get any easier this afternoon when they take on Joe Musgrove.
A little late season shuffling last year helped the Cards find their offensive identity at just the right time before they went on their 17-game win streak.
The Cardinals will send Jack Flaherty to the hill today for the series finale, hoping to avoid a sweep.
We’ll see if the offense wakes up.
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