Cardinals Writer Expresses Concern Over Pitching Approach

The St. Louis Cardinals were dealt a drubbing at the hands of the Texas Rangers on Friday night, falling 11-1 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

However, they still are one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball, having won 18 of their last 24 games and surging above the .500 mark after a 14-19 start.

Their pitching staff has performed well for most of the season. They aren't a high-strikeout staff, but rather, they rely on their defense and pitch to contact.

This approach is working thus far, but Cliff Williams of Redbird Rants cautioned that it may not be sustainable.

"The St. Louis Cardinals' reliance on a low-strikeout, contact-management pitching staff in the current baseball landscape raises reasonable questions regarding the long-term sustainability of this approach. Power hitting and sophisticated hitting analytics increasingly dominate this era, making high strikeout rates a more stable pathway to consistent run prevention," Williams wrote.

"Pitchers who can consistently generate swings and misses or outright strikeouts are less vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of batted balls and the increasing emphasis on launch angle and exit velocity among hitters."

The last turn through the St. Louis rotation hasn't been great, as the starters have been hit hard, though the offense has picked them up.

But it is fair to wonder how long the Cardinals can sustain this approach. They typically are very successful with their pitch-to-contact staff because of their elite defense. But it will be interesting to see if the staff and defense can hold up.