Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Pirates in 13 innings was the final blow. Bernie had planned to record after a quick "getaway day" game. Instead, he found himself lamenting a seemingly never-ending slog that was marred by poor base running, questionable coaching, and wasted pitching performances.
Bernie didn’t hold back on third base coach Pop Warner, whose head-scratching decision to send Michael Siani home in the 10th inning backfired badly. With Tommy Pham in shallow left field and Siani not even at third when the ball was fielded, Bernie called it one of the worst sends he’s ever seen. “Siani had no shot, man. He was DOA,” Bernie quipped.
And that wasn’t the only baserunning blunder. Rookie Thomas Saggese ran into a human pile-up at the plate after a botched pop-up by the Pirates, and Nolan Arenado inexplicably strayed off third base and was tagged out in extras. “An experienced veteran can’t make that mistake,” Bernie said.
The pitching? Actually good—especially Eric Fedde, who took a no-hitter into the seventh. But Bernie brushed off any outrage about pulling Fedde, noting that the starter had walked four and already burned through a high pitch count. “No chance—Zada, Nada, Zero,” Bernie said, coining a new word in the process.
Bernie also defended manager Oli Marmol’s decision not to extend closer Ryan Helsley into a second inning. Helsley’s history of injuries, combined with a well-managed one-inning workload in 2024 that kept him healthy and dominant, was reason enough to be cautious. “It’s a long season,” Bernie reminded listeners multiple times.
Despite the loss, Bernie was fair in his assessment. He praised Jordan Walker’s clutch pinch-hit RBI and the overall performance of the offense this season. But Wednesday wasn’t their day—just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
As the Cardinals return home to face the surging Phillies, Bernie urged the team to prove that their hot start wasn’t a fluke. “You still have a lot of proving to do,” he said, pointing to the need for synchronization between pitching, hitting, and smarter decision-making.
The road trip, Bernie concluded, was more than a blip—it was a warning sign. “It was a giant waste of time,” he said, lamenting how the Cardinals wasted stellar pitching in back-to-back games. With a 5-7 record and the Phillies rolling into town, the Redbirds have no choice but to regroup—and fast.
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