Hello, and welcome to my new feature here at STL Sports Central: Breakfast with Bernie, which I’ll write early in the morning on most weekdays. And if I’m a little late it’ll be “Brunch with Bernie.” I’ll serve up observations, opinions, notes, facts, stats, praise, cheap shots, randomness, analysis and some weirdness as I have my first cuppa or two or three of the day. At times we’ll go “buffet” style for morning grazing, and later in the day I’ll author a new column. On most days, I’ll lead off with a Cards recap. There will be plenty of baseball info served here, with emphasis on the Cardinals.
Your beloved St. Louis Cardinals tried to play the role of nuisance on Monday night, pestering the mighty Brewers while taking a 3-0 lead through six innings.
But after threatening the first-place Crew, the Cardinals fell back into a more familiar role. Which is to say, they lost yet another game to the Brewers. The score was 4-3, and the result was predictable.
This has become a habit, a bad habit, for the Cardinals. After losing the first game of the season between these rivals, Milwaukee has won five in a row over St. Louis, outscoring the Cardinals 23-7 in the process.
In the five straight losses the Cardinals offense has averaged 1.4 runs per game, batted .176, smacked no home runs, and chipped only three hits in 33 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Once upon a time, the Cardinals dominated the Brewers. Milwaukee switched from the American to the National League before the 1998 season.
From ‘98 through 2016 the Cardinals were 182-125 against the Crew for a .593 winning percentage. On top of that, STL cruelly ended the dreamy season of a 96-win Brewers team in the 2011 NLCS.
Since the start of the 2017 season – right around the time the Brewers turned chesty – the Cardinals are 69-81 against the Brewers for a .460 winning percentage. From the start of the 2023 season, the Cardinals have won only 17 of 45 games (.377) from the Wisconsinites.
Evidently the Cardinals are allergic to cheese. President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has much work to do to counter the Brewers and turn the Cardinals into a first-place contender in the NL Central. But it won’t happen this season.
Can Tony La Russa show up as Don Tony and intimidate the Brewers or something? Is that even possible?
Here are some thoughts – recovered overnight – on the Cards’ 4-3 loss to the Crew.
1. With the victory, Milwaukee moved to 43-20 (.682) since April 26 – the best record in the majors over that time. The Cardinals are a good team in multiple ways, but the Brewers are ruthless. Sure, there is frustration in losing to the Brewers – but I don’t think there’s any shame in losing to them.
2. Do the Cardinals have a home-field advantage? I ask because the Redbirds are 2-6 in their last eight games at Busch, and their home record for the season is a generic 23-22. The boys seem to have a lot more fun on the road, where they actually score runs and take home-run trots and things.
3. The No. 1 reason for the home-field mediocrity is the St. Louis offense. In their 22 losses at Busch this year, the Cardinals have averaged 2.4 runs, batted .217, slugged .326 and put up a .607 OPS.
In their 45 home games (win or lose), the Cards have scored three or fewer runs 26 times. That’s no more than three runs in 58 percent of their Busch games. Among the 30 MLB teams St. Louis ranks 26th in runs scored at home, 26th in slugging percentage at home, 26th in OPS at home, and hits less than one homer (0.93) per game at home.
4. The Cardinals, obviously, had a good chance to win Monday’s bout. Going into the top of the 7th inning the Brewers had a win expectancy of only 10 percent. For the first time this season, the Cardinals lost a game when leading by three runs through six innings. The St. Louis bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Lefty Justin Bruihl, put in a key spot, had to leave prematurely after spraining an ankle. Reliever Ryan Fernandez entered and committed a damaging error. The Brewers used four hits, a walk and that error to plate four runs and snatch the win. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said his team made “three defensive miscues,” and was fortunate to win.
5. The Cardinals have lost the magic touch in one-run games. After going 10-3 in their first 13 contests settled by a one-run margin this season, the Cardinals are 5-9 in their last 14 one-run outcomes. And they’ve lost six of their last eight one-run battles.
6. The Cards lost despite controlling Milwaukee’s top five lineup spots. Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras and Jake Bauers combined for two hits and two walks in 22 plate appearances. But Turang had the big blow – a two-run single that gave the Crew their 4-3 lead.
7. Dustin May looked good in Monday’s start. After experiencing some recent turbulence, May was on a limited pitch count Monday. But the righty was sharp, pitching 4 and ⅔ scoreless innings, giving up four hits, not walking anyone, and striking out seven of his 18 batters faced 38.8%.) With 27 calendar days left until the Aug. 3 trading deadline, it’s important that May enhances his trade value.
8. The loss pushed the Cardinals from the No. 3 wild-card spot. Miami was idle on Monday, but the STL loss enabled the Marlins to move a half-game ahead of the Cards in the bid for the third wild-card. The Nationals are 2 and ½ games behind the Cards in the chase for the No. 3 spot.
9. Nobody wants to hear it, but … in the last eight games Cardinals starting pitchers have averaged only 4.5 innings per start, a shortage that puts more work on the shoulders of their relievers. Over the eight games the bullpen has handled 47 percent of the innings, and that means manager Oli Marmol can’t go with his optimum alignment of relievers as much as he wants to. That was a factor in Monday’s give-back loss.
10. In their first six games against Milwaukee this season, the Cardinals made 210 plate appearances without hitting a home run. Maybe Tuesday? Next up: a split doubleheader. First game at 1:15. Second game at 6:45. Jacob Misiorowski is scheduled to start Game 1 for the Brewers.
SAME AS IT EVER WAS …
— The USMNT couldn’t handle the pressure, couldn’t live up to one of the biggest moments in U.S. soccer history. And the result was the same old thing we’ve come to expect from the national men’s soccer team: the entire squad needing the Heimlich Maneuver after another epic choke job on the global stage.
— I felt particularly stupid after the USA’s disgraceful 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16. Why oh why did I fall for the narrative and believe that this team would be different from all of the other U.S. squads that retched in a similar World Cup spot?
— This collapse was the worst of them all. The entire nation was behind them, and anything that even remotely resembles unity in the present-day United States of America is a rare and beautiful thing. The U.S. had the benefit and luxury of playing this World Cup at home – equipped with every advantage that comes with an opportunity that comes along one every 40 years or so.
—- The gift of having a massive international event set up just for you as a homestand of all homestands cannot be squandered by a pathetic no-show. This should have been the biggest U.S. men’s soccer conquest since 1950. Instead, the U.S. capitulated to nerves and panic and frightening expectations. A team that couldn’t function when it mattered most, even after getting a boost from the White House, which intervened (read: bullied) FIFA to restore striker Folarin Balogun to the active U.S. roster for Monday’s encounter.
— That changed the psychology of this match. The U.S. lost its underdog persona as soon as FIFA succumbed to pressure from the president to rescind the red card and declare Balogun eligible for the Belgium match. How many nations get the added advantage of competing with a full squad instead (instead of losing the striker) because of a show of political muscle that turned the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, into a dutiful, yes-man coward?
— As it turned out, the decision turned into scorn and ridicule outside the U.S. and ruined a feel-good story. I actually underestimated how this changed the dynamic of this competition. The U.S. players were weighed down by immense extra pressure after being given an extremely controversial political favor on their home turf. And FIFA’s reversal of the red-card policy fired up the motivation of the Belgian side.
— Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans said the team held a meeting after hearing the news on Balogun. “We told ourselves to do our talking on the pitch,” he said. “That’s what we did today.”
— Said fellow midfielder Nicolas Raskin: “Of course, that motivated the group. It was an injustice that made for a special buildup. That made this match extra special.”
— The words from Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois probably stung more. “I didn’t think the motivation was necessary,” he said. “I just laughed. I understand they want to hype up America. I felt more confident here than I did against Senegal because Senegal had a better team.” He could have used other words to say the U.S. team was a joke. If that wasn’t the perception before the match, it’s certainly the perception now.
— Whatever the source of the inspiration the Belgians were sharpened into killing form by the time they walked into that stadium in Seattle. And the U.S. team wasn’t ready. The U.S. team cowered under pressure.
— To quote David Byrne and Talking Heads: “Same as it ever was.”
Thanks for reading …
— Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015. Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach. Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil on a daily basis.
Bernie has covered and written about many great St. Louis sports team athletes including Albert Pujols, Kurt Warner, Brett Hull, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Al MacInnis, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger, Dan Dierdorf, Keith Tkachuk, Jackie Smith and Aeneas Williams. Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues, Saint Louis U, and Mizzou football and basketball. Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STL Sports Central, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows. And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.