If there was any hope that the St. Louis Cardinals could shake off that rocky start against the Boston Red Sox— it just was crushed. Boston didn’t just beat the Cardinals, they lit up Fenway like it was the Fourth of July. Sunday’s game was an 18-7 demolition of the Cardinals. To many, it resembled a batting practice session more than a competitive game. And Boston was at another level with Alex Bregman and even Rafael Devers, taking charge together. They went for eight hits and nine RBIs. And even rookie Hunter Dobbins is not here to just stay on the sidelines. He made a huge impact. Watching the Cardinals simply getting demolished by the Red Sox, Karl Ravech couldn’t help but tell the brutal truth.
Ravech in the podcast with Buster Onley said, “They seem to be not necessarily heading towards the right direction. They may not be heading in the wrong one, but they’re not going in the right one. It’s a flat season.” Ouch! The Cardinals seem to be stuck floating somewhere in between “could be worse” and “not good enough.”
Meanwhile, if you are a Cards fan hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel, Ravech also threw water on that. He called the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds better teams in the NL Central. As for the St.Louis Cardinals, he didn’t even mention them. Here’s the odd part—St. Louis can actually hit, and hit well.
They have now got 10+ hits in every single game of the season. That’s the second-longest streak since the pitching mound was set at 60 feet, 6 inches back in 1893. From Brendan Donovan to Wilson Contreras, they are performing great. So the bats are kind of alive and well. The only problem seems to be the pitching right now.
Right now, the Cardinals need to get their game in order. Unless the pitching staff finds its hold, they are heading for another postseason next month in Missouri. As far as the Boston Red Sox go, Ravech isn’t too thrilled with them either!
Boston Red Sox stars fire back at doubts but one big question still lingers
Boston Red Sox fans were not happy. The team, after ages, had shelled out big money for Alex Bregman. Why? They wanted to see him give the team the results. He had taken the place of Rafael Devers, who was also struggling in his new role as DH. “What’s the point of it all?” — that’s what fans were asking. But on Sunday night, both the players responded in the loudest way possible.
The Red Sox blew past the St. Louis Cardinals, and it was a Bregman-Devers show from the get-go. Devers went 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He was looking like the player that Boston loved and knew. Bregman, meanwhile, backed up the paycheck, going 4 for 5 with a home run and six RBIs. They proved what their worth as plates was.
But even then, there is still a big question looming over the Boston Red Sox. And it isn’t about their offense. Karl Ravech pointed it out in the podcast with Buster Olney, “I think the last piece of the puzzle is for them to get their starting rotation healthy.” Well, Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler have held it together till now. But if the team wants to blow past, they need more.
This is where Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford come in. Crawford, for example, started 33 games last season with a 4.36 ERA and 175 strikeouts. Bellow went 14-8 with a 4.49 ERA and 153 strikeouts. They’re key players, and without them, the rotation is clearly thin.
But yes, the bats did deliver. Right now, the momentum is crucial and can decide a lot. Do you think they can keep up with it? Let us know your thoughts.
The post “Not in the Right Direction” –Cardinals Dealt Major Snub as Insider Tips Two Rivals to Dominate NL Central Race appeared first on EssentiallySports.
