This was one game I think all of Cardinal Nation would like to forget. Like Friday’s game, it was pretty much over before it started. The Cubs struck early against Erick Fedde and chased him in the second inning. From there, it only got worse, John King and Matt Svanson were touched for a total of eight runs combined.
The home run ball kept flying for the Cubs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals reverted back to their old ways from the Pirates series, not scoring a single run. Fedde was done after an inning and a third, and it kept snowballing.
Matthew Boyd, who was named an All-Star earlier in the day along with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker, shut the Cardinals down for five innings, striking out nine batters. Nico Hoerner had three hits, while Reese McGuire, Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki each had two. Tucker had a three-RBI night.
Mercifully, what is arguably the worst loss of the year for the Cardinals is finally over. They return home 48-43 and 6.5 games back of first in the NL Central. Let’s get into some takeaways from today.
Fedde struggles
I already mentioned how Erick Fedde struggled tonight, so much so that Oli Marmol pulled him in just the second inning. But this is third straight clunker for Fedde. He allowed seven runs against the Cubs in late June and did the same against the Pirates.
Tonight, he allowed just three, but Marmol made the smart choice to pull him, even though things continued to go sideways.
This is a big concern. Fedde and Miles Mikolas have both struggled. The only thing they can prove at this point is that it’s time for Michael McGreevy to get a spot in the rotation. Fedde and Mikolas are just dead weight on the roster and add no value. The Cardinals missed their chance to trade Fedde in the offseason, and now he has no value left.
Fedde hasn’t been quite as bad as Mikolas, as his ERA is lower. But having both of those guys in the rotation isn’t going to cut it. Yes, depth is thin in the minors, but it’s time for somebody who will produce better results to get a shot.
Fedde only allowed two hits, but three runs were charged to him and he walked four batters. He also did not record a single strikeout. He’s now 3-9 with a 4.79 ERA on the year.
If the Cardinals really want to win, or even give runway to younger players, it’s time to pull the plug on both struggling veteran starters and put McGreevy in the rotation.
Donnie named NL All-Star, Maton snubbed
Prior to the game, some good news came the Cardinals way. Brendan Donovan was named an All-Star. Rosters were finalized today.
This is great news. Donnie has really earned this. He’s been one of the best hitters in the lineup all season long, and he is truly the heartbeat of this team. While I can’t say anybody impressed me tonight, Donovan did at least get a hit to start the game against Boyd, and started what looked like a potential rally in the first.
On the flipside, Phil Maton was snubbed. He didn’t pitch tonight, and it was smart of Oli not to waste him in a game that was already a lost cause. But his stats warrant an All-Star appearance. He’s 1-3, but has a 1.91 ERA in 34 appearances. He’s got 17 holds too, and he’s generating swings and misses.
There’s still time for him to be added to the roster, but if he’s not, that’s an egregious omission.
The Nationals come to town for a three-game series as the Cardinals kick off their final homestand of the first half.