3 STL Cardinals most to blame for historically terrible April
By Josh Wilson
The St. Louis Cardinals have had a historically bad start to the season. Blame is due virtually everywhere, but on these three the most.
The St. Louis Cardinals have to hate where they’re at as they head into a new month and desperately hope that this page of the calendar contains more sunshine than the last. The start to the season, and pretty much all of April, have been disastrous, especially compared to the bountiful expectations St. Louis had for itself this season.
The Cardinals want to be a player deep in the season among the National League contenders, but right now they can’t even prove they’re a competitor in their own division.
It’s the first time the Cardinals find themselves in last place in the NL Central at the start of May since the division’s inception in 1994. Put simply: A historically bad start.
There is definitely reason to panic. While virtually everyone in the organization needs to shoulder at least some blame right now, these four stand out as some of the biggest reasons why St. Louis is struggling so much.
Cardinals to blame for April slump: No. 4, Jordan Hicks
Oh boy, where to begin here? Jordan Hicks has been so bad this year that the Cardinals have had no option with him but to use him in the most low-leverage situations possible. Had it been feasible, they would have certainly sent him down to the minor leagues to work out his demons.
Hicks has the highest WHIP (2.206) on a team struggling badly with that stat. You never want to be last in that metric on your team, and you definitely don’t want to be last on this team.
Right now, Hicks is a complete liability. The good news, at least, is that four of his last six appearances have come without an earned run. The bar is on the floor here.