Apparently the Cardinals offense took a page out of the US Government shutdown procedure.
St. Louis won 97 ballgames in 2013. Their +187 run differential was second in all of baseball, and they finished top 5 in runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI, average, and on base percentage.
But for some unknown reason, the offense has become a spinning wheel on a MacBook. The Birds are hitting .134 as a team through first 3 NLCS games.
- Matt Carpenter: 2-for-11
- Matt Holliday: 0-for-12
- David Freese: 2-for-10
- Jon Jay: 1-for-10
The once comfy 2-0 series lead took a hit Monday night as Hyun-Jin Ryu stymied Cardinal hitters leading Los Angeles to a 3-0 shutout. The South Korean left-hander tossed seven scoreless innings in a language Redbird hitters have yet to figure out. In two starts against St. Louis, Ryu has thrown 14 IP and allowed 1 unearned run.
For some odd reason, the Cardinals can’t hit lefties. They hit just .238 against LHP in 2013 going 19-23 during the regular season.
Jon Jay needs to ride some pine. His defense, which some St. Louis fans think is comparable to Willie Mays, is overrated. Jay was a minus-10 in runs saved in 2013, which ranked 32nd among MLB center fielders. Jay failed to take charge of a fly ball which dropped between he and right fielder Carlos Beltran, and had two catchable balls fall after they hit his glove.
Jay is a career .179 (23-for-134) postseason hitter, in part why Tony La Russa started Skip Schumaker in Games 6 & 7 of the 2011 World Series.
You tell me St. Louis needs a shortstop; I tell you they need a center fielder.
Remember, this is virtually the same team that lost three straight to San Francisco in the NLCS last season scoring one run on 19 hits over the final three contests.
The Cardinals still carry a 2-1 series lead, and this game is an aberration of the team as a whole, but the Dodgers have Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw looming for another start each, and that should make any Cardinals fan worry.
Daily Grind Sports 