On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals pulled off what may have been their biggest win of the season, rallying from a late deficit to stun the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in their series opener.
St. Louis was down 4-2 after the sixth inning before rallying to take the lead.
After the Red Sox came back in the eighth inning, the Cardinals put together a rally against Kenley Jansen, scoring three unanswered runs before Jansen could even record an out.
The offense was dialed in and overcame yet another lackluster performance from one of their starters.
Adam Wainwright took the ball for St. Louis and threw three scoreless innings before faltering in the fourth and fifth.
On Twitter, Cardinals insider Brenden Schaeffer pointed out a key issue that is holding the team back.
Cardinal starters get torched like clockwork in the fifth and sixth innings. I don’t know if this has been said before. But what we’re seeing from this group is not sustainable if they want to be successful as a team.
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) May 13, 2023
The issue that Schaeffer pointed out was the fact that in the fifth and sixth innings, Cardinals starters tend to lose their way.
He then mentioned that if the Cardinals want to make a run, this type of starting pitching is not sustainable.
St. Louis has only recorded seven quality starts this season, five of which belong to Jordan Montgomery.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, their offense bailed them out on Friday.
But the starting rotation remains an issue.
And if Steven Matz is unable to get through the sixth inning on Saturday, it will be the second time this season that the team has gone an entire turn through the rotation without a starter making it at least six innings.
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