St. Louis Cardinals head to London as roundabout season reaches key point

WASHINGTON ― They will wake up Thursday morning more than 4,000 miles from home, body clocks hopefully adjusting, all in service of promoting the game and perhaps snagging a pair of wins from their divisional rivals.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, four days in London will certainly shatter the rigmarole of a major league season and were it not for the disruptive schedule − three days off sandwiched around two games against the Chicago Cubs − and the five time zones traversed simply to return home, the shakeup would be welcomed.

At 31-44, the Cardinals are suffering through their worst start since 1990, their most recent season that finished in last place. They lost 11 of their first 13 games in June, before a roster that includes superstar power and an electric rookie won five games in a row, fostering tentative hope.

Like many travelers, the Cardinals hope to have a jolly time in London. They also hope to locate their real ID.

"Eventually," says Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, "at some point, we gotta figure out who we are."

Is it the club that combined both poor play and misfortune in staggering out to a 10-24 start, and an 8-16 record in one-run games?

Or one that features the combined 14 All-Star appearances and 14 Gold Glove trophies first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the former off to a start near his career norm, the latter only slightly off pace?

The one in which starting pitchers Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz have combined for a 1.62 WHIP, with Matz losing his rotation spot after the Cardinals lost eight of his 10 starts?

Or the one that leans on reliable innings eaters Jordan Montgomery and Miles Mikolas, a formula typically good enough for success in the National League Central?

Regardless, there’s little doubt in the Cardinals' clubhouse that they’ve for now gotten exactly what they’ve deserved.

"We’ve got to play better," says Goldschmidt, who at 35 still sports an .882 OPS with 13 home runs. "I’ve said that over and over: We haven’t played good enough. We’re not just getting a lot of bad luck. We’re making mistakes.

"I’m sure there’s some luck involved, but the focus has been on correcting mistakes that we’ve made and playing better."

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!

It’s certainly befuddling to club decision-makers, who added slugging catcher Willson Contreras to a five-year, $87.5 million deal, only to see Contreras get defrocked of his catching duties 32 games into the season, then embark on an 8-for-78 (.103/.205/.218) journey from May 19 to June 19.

Contreras returned to catching after an 11-day absence, and on Tuesday hit a pair of doubles, his first two-baggers since May 16. Prized rookie Jordan Walker has looked even more impressive in his second big league stint, barreling the ball and exhibiting greater plate discipline since getting sent down three weeks into his major league career.

Outfielder Lars Nootbar returned this week from a three-week absence with a back injury. Continuity may be coming. But they’ve yet to prove it.

"I do feel like there’s still a lot of talent on this club," says Mozeliak. "The injuries in the outfield certainly play a part, the inconsistency in the rotation certainly plays a part in this, the inconsistency in our bullpen has played a part in this.

"The reality is, there’s a lot of reasons we are where we are. There’s also a lot of reasons why we can get better. The real good news is we still have two-thirds of the season remaining.

"There is time to start getting this right."

They’re certainly in the right spot to do so.

Centrally located

Competing in the NL Central means never having to say you’re sorry.

The Cardinals have captured half the Central titles this century − 11 of 22. With deft drafting and development, and a proclivity to lock up imported stars like Goldschmidt and Arenado, they’ve often easily outclassed lower-revenue clubs in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, along with whatever mood strikes the Cubs.

Yet geography might end up saving the Cardinals this season.

For all their struggles, the Cardinals are still just nine games out of first place. Three teams have occupied the top spot in the past week, most recently the Reds on the strength of their 11-game winning streak, best since 1957.

Track record − and the Cardinals have reached the playoffs in nine of the past 12 years − won’t do the Cardinals any good. They’re just 10-13 in divisional games, losing five of seven to the Pirates and four of seven to the Reds. Heck, maybe the fewer intra-division games in this season’s more balanced schedule will do St. Louis a favor.

"The other teams in our division are really good teams," says Goldschmidt. "We’ve played them all and they’ve beaten us. We’ve beaten them a little bit but they’ve beaten us more than we’ve beat them.

"The focus is more on playing better than looking too far ahead. Trying to own the mistakes we’ve made individually and as a team."

And perhaps the club is still figuring out how to battle, and who to follow, in those uncertain moments. The 2022 season was the last for catcher Yadier Molina, a Cardinal for 19 seasons, and Albert Pujols, who finished his 22-year career with a victory lap in St. Louis.

"Compared to past years," says Goldschmidt, "we’re a very young team. Forty years of MLB experience retired last year, just from two guys."

‘A really good version of Jordan’

The youth infusion begins with Walker, who debuted as a 20-year-old in March with a 12-game hitting streak. Yet Walker, whose 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame suggests 30- or 40-homer seasons to come, soon fell into bad habits.

He was optioned to Class AAA Memphis on April 23, after just 20 games. The reasons were obvious: A 3.9% walk rate – just three in 78 plate appearances – and a 25.6% strikeout rate.

Yet Walker proved a quick study in Memphis and was back in St. Louis on June 2. Since then, he’s nearly tripled his walk rate (10.5%) and sheared a chunk off his K rate (18%) in 67 plate appearances.

Oh, and he’ll carry a 13-game hit streak into London.

"Sometimes people don’t give enough credit to the big difference between here and Triple-A,” says manager Oliver Marmol. “It takes guys a little bit of time to settle in and slow the game down. Speaking to Jordan, he’s been able to articulate, ‘Man, it’s starting to get a little slower.’ Which lets you know that it was fast − and real fast. But it’s starting to slow down for him.

"His first time, under 4% walk rate? You start to look at him now and it’s a big difference. Over time, he’s going to have to walk. He’s going to have to hit the ball the way he’s hitting it now. He’s going to have to strike out at a rate that we’re kind of seeing.

"This is a really good version of Jordan at the moment."

Mozeliak has pondered whether the Molina-Pujols retirements affected the club, but also points to the 18 Cardinals involved in the World Baseball Classic, which might have hindered a regeneration of chemistry.

"Overall, we still have a lot of the same players, but obviously they’re two big, very impactful people in the clubhouse," says center fielder Tommy Edman. "In that way, you do notice their absence from time to time.

"At the same time, you have a lot of guys who have had a lot of success in past years."

First class

As the Cardinals packed up from a 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, they donned matching sweatsuits for optimal comfort on the flight to London; Mozeliak and other club personnel donned business casual garb.

Starting pitcher Miles Mikolas, known for his sartorial choices, will have to save his wildest garb for London. Perhaps jokingly, he planned on watching "Braveheart" on the plane to “get all fired up” for his Irish Scottish ancestors.

Marmol likely won’t have any scores to settle, other than racking up a win or two against the Cubs and keeping one eye on the Astros and Yankees, ready to meet them in St. Louis upon returning across the pond.

There’s no telling what’s around the corner. Marmol believes it can’t be worse than what they just navigated.

"I’m not sitting here going man, I wish I could hit the restart (button). I feel like our guys are actually in a really good spot. Even a couple weeks ago, when things weren’t going well, mentally, they were in a good spot.

"Sometimes, you have to just have confidence before things start to go your way. This group has been trying that for a while now and they haven't given in at all."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: St. Louis Cardinals in London, hope for jolly time vs. Chicago Cubs