Cardinals remain optimistic about trajectory despite series loss to Tigers

New York Times

21-05-2025

ST. LOUIS — Before the season, not many would have labeled an interleague series between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals in mid-May as intriguing baseball. Yet when the first-place Tigers rolled into Busch Stadium for three games, it became a fascinating test for a Cardinals club on the rise.
Advertisement
Facing the top team in the American League, the Cardinals held their own but fell short in the series, dropping Wednesday's rubber match 5-1. They lost back-to-back games for the first time since May 1-2 against the New York Mets, and lost their first home series since March 31-April 2 against the Los Angeles Angels.
'Definitely not the result we wanted,' manager Oli Marmol said. 'But we matched up well against them. That's a good lineup, good roster overall, and it was good to size up against them and see where we're at. I think our guys handled themselves extremely well.'
Contreras goes up the middle to drive home Vic! pic.twitter.com/f3COVCCMty
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 21, 2025
While the Cardinals fell flat in the series finale, their performance in the series backs up their scrappy play over the month. Sonny Gray spun six innings of scoreless ball and struck out a season-high 10 en route to an 11-4 win in Game 1. The Cardinals erased a 4-0 deficit against reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal before falling 5-4 in the late innings of Game 2.
It's that style of play, categorized as 'relentless' throughout the clubhouse, that gives the Cardinals optimism that they are legit.
'When you look at the lineup, there are so many different ways we can beat someone,' Brendan Donovan said. 'We can run, we can make contact, we can take our walks and we got some thump in there. You have guys that aren't giving in.'
'Everybody is extremely confident in their abilities and what they bring to the table,' Victor Scott II added. 'Some days we don't put it all together — and that's OK — but most days we will. It's just a matter of everybody clicking on all cylinders and starting to string together more wins.'
Wednesday's game served as one of the team's flattest performances. The Tigers, who opted for a bullpen game, shut down a usually dynamic offense. Starting pitcher Andre Pallante walked four over 5 2/3 innings but limited the damage to three earned runs. The bullpen added three more walks, plus hit two batters, bringing the Cardinals' free pass total to nine. That won't bode well against a team like Detroit, which has the second-most runs in the American League (267) and the second-highest OPS with runners in scoring position (.774).
Advertisement
'Any time it's a bullpen day and you're going to match up as much as they did, it's going to be tough on the offense,' Marmol said. 'They outexecuted us and were able to take that third game. But I feel like we played good baseball over the last three days.'
More like the last three weeks. The Cardinals' series loss to Detroit was their first since they dropped two of three against the Atlanta Braves from April 21-23. They have turned around from being five games under .500 in late April to four games over .500 in mid-May and sit just two games out of first place in the NL Central. They will continue to face external skepticism regarding whether their play is sustainable, but internally, there is nothing but confidence.
'The work being put in, I think that's the key to all of this,' Marmol said. 'I really like where our guys are in this process of development and how they're approaching their day overall, their mindset, and the intentionality to their work. That's been the key to all of this. And that's why I believe it's sustainable — because of they way they're going about it.'
In a development-focused season, multiple young position players have already taken major steps forward. Even after missing a month of play with a bone bruise, Iván Herrera has emerged as a threat in the heart of the order. He's hitting .417 with a 1.253 OPS over 18 games, and the quality of his at-bats has been so strong that Marmol was comfortable moving him and Willson Contreras up in the order ahead of a slumping Nolan Arenado, who was dropped to the sixth spot. Masyn Winn continues to showcase his excellence at shortstop, but he's also produced well in the No. 2 spot in the order while reaching base at a .344 clip.
Scott II is making an early case for the National League Gold Glove in center field, ranking just behind the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong in Outs Above Average (six) and Defensive Runs Saved (six). Alec Burleson has excelled in a platoon role, hitting .291 with all four of his homers coming against right-handed pitching.
Advertisement
The acceleration in development from these players has allowed more time — and less scrutiny — for Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. Both young hitters have an OPS below .570. Both have struggled to find consistency offensively. Both will still be afforded more opportunity, in part because their teammates' performance has helped keep the Cardinals well above early-season projections.
'They're going to continue to grow,' Marmol said. 'They're going to continue to execute at a higher level. We're in a really good spot.'
There will be a time when Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak must decide between balancing runway and results, but for now, their blueprint is panning out, perhaps better than the organization itself would have thought. At the minimum, it's made for enjoyable baseball this month. How (and if) the team can build off that is where the real intrigue of the season lies.
(Top photo of Victor Scott II: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)