Cardinals Swing and Miss
Jon Jay 's 7th inning strikeout exemplified a night where Cardinals hitters struckout 15 times and managed only five hits on the night. Jay stepped to the plate in a slow moving, and sometimes boring game, and preceded to take four balls, but instead of taking his base, he remained at the plate to take a called third strike. The mistake went unnoticed by players, coaches, and umpires, a sign that the game had taken a turn downhill. In a series where the Cardinals had an opportunity to damage the Rays season hopes and possibly greater the chance of David Price being traded, the Cardinals fell flat on their faces.
During the two-game set vs. Tampa Bay the Cardinals manage just three runs and fell into a tie for second place in the NL Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Meanwhile, the Brewers swept the Cincinatti Reds to take a two-and-a-half game leadin the division.
The Rays have now won seven games in a row and 25 of their last 35. With their recent hot streak the Rays have climbed within 4.5 games of a playoff spot and most now believe it's unlikely ace David Price will be moved.
With the offensive inconsistency of late and the uncertainty of the starting pitching, it appears the front office could go in any direction. Rumored trade parts have included pitchers Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, and Jon Lester. Cardinals fans are holding their breath for superstar Giancarlo Stanton, although it's more realistic that the Cardinals make a smaller move or multiple small moves.
Many fans anticipating a trade may be disappointed in the size of any probable deals. With the season in the balance, the Cardinals may be content with making similar moves as they did when they brought in Edward Mujica or Marc Rzepczynski and chose not to in choosing not to mortgage the future of the organization.
