Cardinals approaching dubious MLB record for late-inning futility

The St. Louis Cardinals are having their worst season in over three decades, and the hits keep coming. On Monday, Giovanny Gallegos blew save No. 23 on the year, bringing the St. Louis Cardinals closer to a dubious MLB record.  

With 61 games remaining, the Cardinals are on pace to surpass the 2021 Washington Nationals (37) for the most blow save in MLB history. The Nationals only recently set the unflattering mark, topping the previous record of 34, shared by the Philadelphia Phillies (2021) and Colorado Rockies (2004).

The blown save didn't become an official stat until 1988, but the league has seen more in recent years than perhaps any other era. Since 2021, nine teams have blown 30 or more saves, with the Tampa Bay Rays (36), Miami Marlins (31), Milwaukee Brewers (31), Chicago Cubs (31) and Texas Rangers (30) all doing so last season alone.  

While blown saves might seem like one lousy stat out of many for the Cardinals, they go a long way toward explaining their lackluster season. At 45-56, the Cardinals are 11 games back of the Brewers (56-45) for first in the National League Central, but if St. Louis' bullpen had produced better, things could be very different. Only seven teams have more save opportunities than the Cardinals (47) in 2023, but sporting the fourth-highest ERA (4.45) in the Majors has led to more losses late than wins.

The bullpen's latest hiccup on Monday stunted Adam Wainwright's pursuit of 200 wins. Looking for win No. 199, Wainwright left after five innings up 4-2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, only to see the lead disappear completely two innings later. Luckily for the Cardinals, their bats bailed them out, posting five runs in the top of the ninth to pull off a 10-6 win.