Question for
#STLCards
fans who follow me, and thanks for doing that: do you trust the Cardinals to keep winning?
Who are the “real” Cardinals. The 15-24 team that had a minus 52 run differential on May 11 - or the 31-18 team that has a +19 run diff since May 12?
Andre Pallante joined the Cardinals' rotation on May 29. Here are the team's starting-pitching ERAs since then:
Lynn, 5.77
Gibson, 4.57
Gray, 4.45
Mikolas, 4.40
Pallante, 3.42
The combined ERA for Lynn, Gibson, Mikolas and Gray since May 29 is 4.72.
#STLCards
Update: it's been 2 months since my first account was hacked and taken over. Despite many emails and pleadings and supplying requested proof of identity,
@X
still hasn't solved this. For now, please tell your friends who followed to join me
@b_miklasz
... Thanks.
#STLCards
Impressive series win by the Cardinals. Losing the opener in Atlanta tge way they did, then rallying for two straight wins and outscoring the Braves 15-7. Cards win the season series 4-2 and are 2.5 games behind Atlanta for No. 1 wild-card.
#STLCards
Don’t hate me too much but I think Marmol is doing a good job. Had had a lot of things working against him early but he kept this team together. And strong with the bullpen.
@b_miklasz
I am whatever gets marmol out of town. I don’t think they are good just been playing bad teams. Oli couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag no idea how he has kept his job. We will finish sub 500 two years in a row something needs to change
I'll have a 2nd "Redbird Review" coming later A favor: I'm trying to rebuild my 'follower' base after my original account was hacked and taken over. Please let friends and other
#STLCards
fans know that
@b_miklasz
is where they can find me here. Thanks!
A Bernie YouTube Channel is in the works. Haven't ruled out a return to conventional radio, but my streaming and number of Bernie Show downloads at KFNS were huge, and this is a way to serve that audience.
Two issues that have shown up in a big way in this series for the
#STLCards
:
1) Need for an upgrade in the 6th/7th inning relief options
2) Urgent need for right-handed production against LHP
Thank you. I'm taking some time to ponder what's next. I won't retire, even though I could. I enjoy my work too much and there's an audience for what I do. I'll continue writing on Scoops and have a few potential projects to consider. Plus
@seeingredpod
should return next week.
@MiklaszMiklasz3
I’m sorry you won’t be on KFNS anymore. I moved from the St. Louis area to the DFW area a couple of years ago when I retired. I’ve been streaming your show to keep tabs on St. Louis sports and to be an informed fan. I hope you’ll be back on the airwaves soon.
Sincere thanks to those of you that are following. I know this is a confusing situation. I was hacked on June 9, and the hacker was able to take complete control of the
@miklasz
account I've had since 2009. I've been trying in vain to get "X" to intervene and make it right.
A from my Redbird Review. These 3 guys have battled Paul Skenes for the largest number of pitches he's thrown to a single batter in a game this season:
Pete Alonso 20, Matt Olson 19, Michael Siani 19.
Since June 12, Siani is slashing .293/.318/.402.
#STLCards
A sample from my Redbird Review: JoJo Romero's monthly strikeout rate for the Cardinals in 2024.
M/April, 30.8%
May, 19.2%
June, 17.1%
July, 5.9%
#STLCards
In his last 5 starts -- including the first 4 innings today -- Pirate Martin Perez has allowed 1 earned run in 11.1 innings (0.79 ERA) vs. St. Louis -- but was walloped for 17 earned runs in 12.1 IP (12.40 ERA) by the Braves, Brewers and Phillies.
#STLCards
Based on wRC+, Cardinals were a tad (3%) below average vs. lefties last season, had the No. 1 offense v. LHP in 2022, the 4th best offense v. LHP in 2021, and were 13th in 2019. This season: 22% below league average vs. LHP, ranking 29th.
#STLCards
@b_miklasz
It never seems to get better? They have had the same issues with lefty's for a while now. They need another right handed bat but that's not the whole story. How do other teams deal with this and why do the Cardinals not copy or learn from the others that are having success?
My thoughts on this are quite similar to yours. The bullpen has been phenomenal but this team is overly dependent on it. They play an extreme amount of close games, and if the bullpen flattens out gets beat up for a while, it could be disastrous.
#STLCards
We are BACK.
@MiklaszMiklasz3
and
@williamfleitch
are here for you. Currently having some trouble with the Spotify feed, but Apple Podcasts is working, as is right here. We missed you.
Michael Siani is quietly making solid contributions to the
#STLCards
offense. This exceptional defensive center fielder is improving as a hitter. His value is growing.
Sorry for the confusion. I was using
@miklaszmiklasz3
as a temporary, but with
@X
doing nothing to salvage my hacked account I may be in this jam for a while and wanted a shorter user name. I changed it to
@b_miklasz
but the
@miklaszmiklasz3
automatically brings you here.
Alec Burleson is tied for the MLB lead (1st in NL) with 39 RBIs since June 2. Burly had 39 RBIs in 123 games in his first two seasons with STL. Look at him now: Burleson has the same number of RBIs (39) since June 2 of this year, a span of 42 games.
#STLCards
Typo: 23 MLB teams have losing records vs. opponents that are .500 or better. I wrote 22 by mistake. But only seven teams have winning marks against .500+ opponents. The Cardinals aren't alone in this. And the
#STLCards
are hardly alone in having lousy series vs. bad teams.
#STLCards
have a losing record vs. teams that are .500 or better. But we can say that about 22 other clubs including Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Mariners, Astros, and 2023 league champs Rangers/D-backs. Only 7 of 30 teams have a winning mark vs opponents .500 or higher.
I apologize if this was referenced elsewhere. But what an unusual start by Sonny Gray on Saturday. Unless StatHead searh engine was fibbing to me, Gray became the 1st starting pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 and allow four HRs in the same game.
#STLCards
The Cardinals are having a terrible time against left-handed pitching in 2024. It's historically bad. Can Albert Pujols make another comeback? No. So I guess it's just about time to make a trade.
#STLCards
Since May 31, Brandon Crawford is 6 for 15 (.400) with four walks and three RBIs. After an understandably slow start, he’s doing a good job in the role he was signed for.
#STLCards
It's very frustrating and a real blow. I don't know what I have to do to convince the help-center folks at X that the account belongs to me, it was stolen, and it should be returned to my control. Anyway, just venting. Thanks again for supporting me.
New show!
@b_miklasz
and
@williamfleitch
discuss an excellent weekend in Smyrna, Alec Burleson's hot streak, Goldy batting seventh and whether Sonny Gray is an ace.
IOS:
Spotify:
Still writing like a mad man. More from the content farm. Next: up a younger generation of Cardinals position players is taking over, and that's a positive development.
#STLCards
@zkelley33
Oli has a lingering problem that isn't his fault. He didn't fire Mike Shildt. He was as surprised as anyone. But he was given the job, which to some makes him "Mo's boy" or "Mo's puppet." The animus for Mozeliak carries over to Marmol. And it shouldn't.
Will the Cardinals make the playoffs? Not sure. There's a lot of work to be done, and improvements to be made. A look at some of the factors that will determine their fate.
#STLCards
I wrote this Wednesday afternoon, and it's still fresh. I even updated by adding a few small things. John Mozeliak has to deliver by Tuesday's trade deadline, and he's done it in the past, probably more times than we remember.
#STLCards
Even with clunker at Miami and a four-game split with Colorado,
#STLCards
are 8-3-1 in their last 12 series. And they have NL’s best record (24-13) since May 12. I didn’t envision this when team was drifting 9 games under .500 on May 11.
@zkelley33
And Marmol ain't a puppet. He and Mozeliak have plenty of disagreements, and Marmol pushes behind the scenes. But Marmol doesn't run the team. He can't abduct "Mo" and force him to make a trade that everybody wants.
#STLCards
With a single at Rickwood Field, Paul Goldschmidt has at least one hit in 35 venues used for MLB regular-season ball. This includes a ballpark in Mexico, one in Australia, 2 different parks used by the Braves, 2 different parks used by the TX Rangers and Rickwood.
#STLCards
I’m keeping the columns coming. No All-Star break for me! Here’s my latest.
Bernie's Redbird Review: 6 Surprising Performances That Saved The Sinking Cardinals From An Early Demise.
#STLCards
Hello! Here's my latest "Cardinals at the All-Star break" column. The team faces some tough questions going into the second phase of their 2024 schedule.
#STLCards
Update: Cardinals are 21-11 since May 12 for the best record in the NL over that time. And their .656 winning pct since May 12 is No. 3 overall behind the Yankees (.727) and Guardians (.690.) On May 11 STL's .385 win% was 25th overall and 13th in the NL.
#STLCards
(more)
Through Saturday: among MLB hitters with 350 PA when batting 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the lineup this season, Goldschmidt ranks last in batting average, last in OBP, has the third-worst SLG and the second-worst strikeout rate.
#STLCards
A note from Tuesday's pitching matchup between Lance Lynn and Paul Skenes: when the rookie Lynn pitched in the 2011 World Series for the Cardinals, Skenes was a lad of 9 years old.
#STLCards
#STLCards
have a losing record vs. teams that are .500 or better. But we can say that about 22 other clubs including Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Mariners, Astros, and 2023 league champs Rangers/D-backs. Only 7 of 30 teams have a winning mark vs opponents .500 or higher.
It was actually handed back to us (as promised) by 590 The Fan, KFNS. Thanks to our friend Jim Heuer for doing that. Back with a new
@seeingredpod
next week.
Happy Fourth, all. Fun win today, if not necessarily totally deserved. But one will take it! Anyway, we can now officially confirm we have the Seeing Red feed back from KTRS--who graciously handed it over--so we will be back in full effect weekly moving forward.
See you Monday.
Bernie's Redbird Review: The Cardinals May Be Cooling Down. The Cubs Are Heating Up. It Should Be An Intriguing Weekend For Baseball In St. Louis.
#STLCards
I'm looking forward to seeing what the Cardinals will show us over their final 66 regular-season games. Is this a postseason-bound team or a house of Cards?
#STLCards
@AugieNash
Marmol has done well to cultivate some of the newer relievers to expand the depth. Fernandez, Roycroft, King, Liberatore. Oli has developed a 2nd bullpen platoon. But unless the offense can score more runs consistently, these close, low-scoring games are hard on the ‘pen.
Kittredge is a particular concern. His strikeout rate is cratering. Swing-miss way down: lots of contact. Romero not as sharp, but I think he’ll be OK. Helsley not as overpowering, but more of a phase than a fatigue-related issue. Front office won’t be proactive.
#STLCards
@MiklaszMiklasz3
In addition to Kittredge, Romero has fallen off and Helsley’s walk rate has skyrocketed. Major red flags especially when all of it has basically happened over same period. There may be a looming cliff if FO doesn’t act. (🤣🤣🤣)
Through Saturday, Paul Goldschmidt had 378 plate appearances this season when batting 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the lineup. His slash line in those spots: .214/.278/.353 ... he's also batted .160 with runners in scoring position as a 2-3-4 hitter.
#STLCards
In the two straight losses at Miami, Cardinal hitters were pretty much worthless vs. the Marlins bullpen: 10 IP of at-bats 4 hits (all singles), a walk and two HBP, and a 29.7% strikeout rate. Cards scored one run, via the ghost runner on Tuesday.
#STLCards
The
#STLCards
have the NL's best record (20-11) since May 12. Their overall ERA (3.43) ranks 7th overall and 3rd in the NL over that time. Their starting pitchers' ERA (3.64) is third best in NL since May 12.
STL's 36-35 record and .507 win% ranks 5th in the NL and 12th in the majors. I'm not saying that's great -- it is not -- but it just shows the progress that's been made.
#STLCards
Miles Mikolas leads NL with six Quality Starts since May 12. In last seven starts hasn't allowed more than 3 earned runs and has a 2.67 ERA. He was so bad early this season, so the turnaround is a pleasant surprise for the
#STLCards
Another nugget from my latest Redbird Review, which you can access in the link I provided earlier. Through May 25,
#STLCards
reliever Andrew Kittredge had a 2.14 ERA and 27.7 percent strikeout rate. Since May 26, a 4.85 ERA and 16% strikeout rate.
@AugieNash
I was there at RFK Stadium for that incredible moment, Augie. Writing about it for the late-great Baltimore News American. Unforgettable. The press box was jumping when Appling went deep.
Bernie's Bird Bytes: Pitching Is Carrying The Cardinals. Preventing Runs Is Still The Best Way To Win. (3rd column of the day. Was in the mood to write.)
#STLCards
Improved pitching, big difference. In first 39 games
#STLCards
were 15-24 and team ERA (4.33) was 23rd overall, 12th in NL. During current 20-11 stretch, team ERA (3.43) is 7th overall and 3rd in NL. After 4.49 starting-pitching ERA in first 39 games, it's 3.64 in last 31.
@AugieNash
No, my friend. It's good ol' me. The "help" center at X has provided no help whatsoever after the hacking of my account. And I try and try and try. Even though the hackers are damaging others by setting traps to get them to take the bait for an attack, X lets this go on.
@Phonybologna30
I think Oli learned a lot from the awful adversity last season. Bullpen management is excellent. And he’s moved guys around the lineup get a spark. I really don’t know what he could do better given the roster and age-related power shortage of Goldy-Nado.
#STLCards
@TheHACarpenter
I appreciate that. And I'm planning to do just that. I have so many great stories. Some of them really crazy. Some of them just about witnessing great moments and having some unusual experiences. Like bar-hopping with Charles Barkley (and others) during the Barcelona Olympics
@BluesPackersMiz
The No. 1 reason for sure, though Goldy has a 118 wRC+ vs. lefties. Arenado is really bad against them. Willson Contreras is the only hitter that's punished lefties.
#STLCards