MLB Writer Shares Major Concern For Surging Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the best teams in baseball and it's come as a major surprise this season. In a year when the Cardinals were seemingly rebuilding, they find themselves in the middle of a National League Central race.

MLB.com's Will Leitch isn't completely sold on the Cardinals, though. Leitch highlighted the Cardinals' pitching staff as a reason to be a bit skeptical this season.

"The Cardinals have had the ninth best ERA in baseball in May, and the rotation has been a big reason why. Matthew Liberatore has established himself as their ace, but the keys to May have been Miles Mikolas (3-0 with a 3.08 ERA) and Erick Fedde (2-1 with a 3.03 ERA)," Leitch wrote. "Mikolas is a particular surprise; after a miserable start in Boston in April, you wondered if the Cardinals might just release him, but he has made enough adjustments not just to stay in the rotation, but to thrive.

"But neither Mikolas nor Fedde strike very many batters out, and neither does Andre Pallante, their fifth starter. (Only Liberatore and Sonny Gray have above-average strikeout rates.) They’ve relied on that defense to get outs, and that’s not a terrible strategy. But there is still crash potential for this rotation."

The pitching staff seems to rely heavily on the defense, which hasn't been a bad thing because the Cardinals defense has been the best in baseball. But at a certain point, the miraculous plays made by Masyn Winn and Nolan Arenado will begin falling in for hits.

With Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde headlining the rotation, it's hard to be too positive about it, even knowing how well both guys have pitched this season.