The St. Louis Cardinals finished April at the bottom of the NL Central standings, which is a spot they’ve literally never found themselves.
Maybe the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t in a slump. Maybe they’re just bad?
What else can fans conclude after a miserable April ended with them sitting at the bottom of the NL Central with the second-largest divisional deficit in baseball?
St. Louis is 10-19 and 10 games behind the first place Pirates after one month of baseball action.
This is the first time the team has finished the first month of the season in last place in the NL Central since the division was formed in 1994. This is their lowest win total in April since then.
Until now, the Cardinals had never been in last place in the NL Central at the end of April (NL Central started In 1994).
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) May 1, 2023
The last time they ended April in last place in their division was in 1988 when they were in the NL East.
Wins by @Cardinals, first 29 games:
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 1, 2023
1994-15
1995-12
1996-13
1997-13
1998-16
1999-16
2000-18
2001-14
2002-13
2003-17
2004-15
2005-18
2006-17
2007-12
2008-18
2009-19
2010-18
2011-16
2012-18
2013-18
2014-15
2015-22
2016-15
2017-15
2018-17
2019-19
2020-14
2021-17
2022-16
2023-10 pic.twitter.com/b5AnCZFJFd
The last time the Cardinals came out of April in last place in their division was in 1988 when they were one of six teams in the NL East.
The good news? They didn’t finish that season in last place. The bad news? They finished in fifth place, 25 games behind the division-winning Mets.
Cardinals rough start has fans in their feelings
Fans in St. Louis processed this information in varying ways.
Cardinals stink.
— Benjamin Hochman (@hochman) April 30, 2023
Yes, it’s just one month.
Yes, they have a LOT of hard-hit balls that go for outs.
Yes, Waino joins rotation soon.
Yes, Arenado will start slugging better.
Still, 2-8 for the road trip?
10-19 overall?
Cardinals stink.
— Jacob (@CardinalsReek) May 1, 2023
When the Cardinals look at the NL Central standings: pic.twitter.com/wET9NScRmg
— Nick Cammuso (@npc210) May 1, 2023
Me: Sweeps aren't that hard, just play the Cardinals
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) April 30, 2023
You reading it: pic.twitter.com/3AEoEgFiMv
And like yeah, the Cardinals suck right now. Everyone knows that. But can u imagine the absolute culture shift from last year to this year?
— Dani (@ddaaannnniiii) May 1, 2023
The chemistry isn’t nearly as strong. It’s noticeable. There’s so much talent on this damn team, they just have to figure it out.
For the Cardinals to get to 90 wins, they have to go 80-53 the rest of the season.
— Cards Convo ™ (@CardinalsConvo) May 1, 2023
Not a fun fact…. #STLCards
I know this is probably a lost season but I still can't help myself from watching every single Cardinals game lol. #STLCards
— #FireMo (@Rinedog1) May 1, 2023
Me telling my kids about how bad the 2023 cardinals were pic.twitter.com/Mke8VZjr6n
— BroNeill_SZN (@BroNeill_SZN) April 30, 2023
I guess there’s always a chance the cardinals can go on another 17 game win streak………. right????? 😅😅😅
— morgan (@STLmorgan) April 30, 2023
Rivals have enjoyed this turn of events.
St Louis Cardinals have lost 18 of their last 26 games pic.twitter.com/IW8NOKAzYZ
— Jake Reetz (@jajareetz) May 1, 2023
Any day the Cardinals are in last place is a good day for me.
— Ray ⚾️ (@_WhoDeyRay) April 30, 2023
I don’t care if the Reds lose 110 games as long as the Cardinals lose 111
— Philip R Superstar (@PSR1973) April 30, 2023
The Pirates end the month of April on pace to finish 56 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals
— Rum Bunter (@rumbunter) April 30, 2023
Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Dodgers completed the sweep in Los Angeles’ favor. It was the second sweep the team has suffered this season after the Braves notched one in the second series of the year.
The bigger issue is that St. Louis has outright won just two series, going 2-1 against the Blue Jays and Rockies. They’ve lost or split every other series.
Oli Marmol has to figure some way to jolt his team out of this funk they’re in, whether it’s calling up prospects to shake things up or some other tactic.. Last year, they won the NL Central with a 93-69 record. This year, it looks like the battle will be at the bottom of the division, hoping to avoid finishing fourth for the first time since 2008.