Cardinals, Kyle Leahy Should Be Nearing Breaking Point

Kyle Leahy's Struggles Continued

Overall, the Cardinals were able to muster up just four base hits on the day against Janson Junk and the Marlins' bullpen. The offense didn't help St. Louis much on Wednesday but they aren't the only ones. Kyle Leahy got the ball for his fifth start of the season and struggled as he allowed four earned runs and walked three batters while striking out just two across five innings of work. With the loss, Leahy's season ERA is now at 5.63.

The bullpen, which has struggled so far this season actually was awesome on Wednesday. Arguably, it was the Cardinals' biggest bright spot in the loss. Gordon Graceffo, Matt Svanson and Ryan Fernandez combined to throw three shutout innings without a walk. The trio struck out three total batters as well.

Leahy entered the day with some question marks and the performance didn't remove any of them. Leahy has not made five starts so far this season and has allowed four runs, two runs, two runs, three runs, and four runs. The Cardinals have another starter just about ready to go down in Triple-A in Hunter Dobbins. The 26-year-old began a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis on March 31 and has four starts under his belt and a 3.86 ERA in 18 2/3 innings pitched.

The clock is ticking on Dobbins' rehab assignment. The maximum amount of time for his rehab assignment is 30 days. That's coming up quickly. As of right now, Dobbins may be a better option to give the Cardinals a chance to win games. The bullpen has struggled overall. Leahy was great in the bullpen last year. The success just hasn't been there this season for him in the rotation. Arguably, the best way forward for the Cardinals would be shifting Leahy to a long man role with occasional spot starts with Dobbins filling in as the new No. 5 starter in the rotation.

The Cardinals acquired Dobbins from the Boston Red Sox for a reason. He had a 4.13 ERA in 13 total appearances in the majors last season as a rookie for Boston, including 11 starts. Dobbins would put the Cardinals in a better position to win than Leahy at this moment.