Cincinnati Reds: Last gasp for the postseason starts vs the Cardinals

Cardinals pitching staff has been one of the NL’s best, but…

Thus far, St. Louis manager Mike Shildt has a luxury that any skipper in the game craves before every contest. He knows from the outset, with the staff he and pitching coach Mike Maddux have at their disposal, they’re going to be in the game every single night. An argument can be made that the Cardinals hurlers are the best the National League has to offer.

Entering play Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals (19-18) trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers in the senior circuit with a 3.65 team ERA. Additionally, the Redbird staff leads the NL surrendering just 6.8 hits per nine innings. Despite the lofty numbers, there’s reason to believe Shildt and Maddux may not want to get too comfortable.

The Cardinals pitching staff has compiled a 4.72 FIP which is well above the 4.56 league average and the -1.04 difference between their ERA and FIP is the second largest in the National League. One area the Reds will not have to worry about is St. Louis pitchers blowing away Cincinnati hitters.

Currently, the Cardinals are tied for 13th in the NL striking out only 8.1 hitters per nine frames. Next, the pitching staff’s BAbip is completely outside the norm. When opponents put the ball in against Cardinals pitching, they are hitting only .232 which is easily the lowest in the senior circuit. The NL average is .292 for balls put in play. Regression from the Cards staff seems likely.

Calling the Cardinals the best hitting club in the NL Central is not much of a compliment. As a team, they are slashing .243/.337/.384 with a 96 OPS+. In other words, they’re a below-average offensive unit. One thing the Cardinals don’t do is hit for power. Their 31 homers are the fewest in the league and their .384 slugging rate is 13th among all NL clubs.

What the Birds on the Bat do well is playing sparkling defense. Featuring a lineup with three Gold Glove winners in Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong, the Redbirds 26 defensive runs saved above average is second in the league. At age 37, Molina is still gunning down would-be base stealers with relative ease. His 38% caught stealing rate in 2020 is well above the 23% MLB average.