Aug 17, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Stat Exposes Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante Problem

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't in the best position right now.

St. Louis has a 65-69 record right now and is in fourth place in the National League Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers are in first place with an 83-51 record. The Cubs are in second place at 76-57. The Reds have a 68-66 record at this point. The Cardinals are 18 games out of first place and now are 7 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot as well, entering play on Thursday.

The Reds, San Francisco Giants, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in front of the Cardinals in the Wild Card standings on the outside looking in.

Obviously, it hasn't been the Cardinals' year. They appear poised to miss out on the playoffs for the third straight season. Last year, the Cardinals finished above .500, but missed out on a spot. The year before, the Cardinals had a last-place finish in 2023.

They are on pace to miss the postseason again, but one thing that should give fans hope is that when you look under the hood, this team has been better than expected.

The Cardinals have shown surprising room for growth

David Kohl-Imagn Images

In fact, Cardinals analyst Bernie Miklasz shared on social media on Wednesday that the Cardinals actually are among the best teams in baseball when Miles Mikolas, Andre Pallante, and Erick Fedde haven't started a game. Miklasz shared that the Cardinals are 39-23 when other pitchers start games but were 26-45 in games started by Mikolas, Pallante, and Fedde.

"This season the Cardinals have a record of 26-45 (.366) in games started by Fedde, Mikolas and Pallante. In all other games, the team's record is 39-23 for a .629 winning percentage," Miklasz said.

This was before the game on Wednesday in which Sonny Gray got the start and the Cardinals lost, 2-1.

All in all, the Cardinals have had some positive moments this season. They have shown room for growth and now the rotation needs to be addressed.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: