The St. Louis Cardinals’ playoff prospects are on life support, and they cannot afford any losses. However, on Monday, they faced a difficult clash against division foe and current NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers. However, the Cardinals were swiftly struck by tragedy.
Starting pitcher Andre Pallante was hit by what appeared to be a missed called third strike, which would have finished the inning. Instead, home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez called a ball on a pitch that landed in the bottom-inside region of the strike zone, resulting in a walk to Jake Bauers. The Cardinals then suffered a tragedy when Pallante allowed a three-run blast to Willy Adames in the very next at-bat, putting St. Louis on the back foot with a 3-0 hole that grew into a 9-3 loss.
But such is life for a baseball player. They are vulnerable to factors beyond their control, as Pallante and the Cardinals discovered in their loss to the Braves. Regardless, manager Oliver Marmol praised Pallante’s effort and defended him by stating that every pitcher is permitted a less-than-ideal start.
“Everyone is permitted to have an outing that does not go as planned. [Pallante] has played exceptionally well recently. But they got him in the air, and they got him to hit some home runs. Unfortunately, Bauers’ fastball should have ended the inning. That’s a punch out, which leads to a walk and then a home run. So he performed his job in the first round of pitches,” Marmol told reporters after the game, citing Bally Sports Midwest on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Marmol on Pallante's start in the #STLCards' loss: "Everyone's allowed an outing that doesn't go their way. … It's unfortunate that that pitch should've ended the inning there on Bauers. That's a punch out, and it leads to a walk and then a homer. He did his job in that first." pic.twitter.com/1co2ud6lrg
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) September 2, 2024
Andre Pallante, a converted reliever, has done an adequate job of bolstering the Cardinals’ starting rotation. He began his Monday night start against the Brewers with a 3.50 ERA in 82.1 innings of work across 15 starts. Pallante’s ERA over his last four outings is 2.13, which Oliver Marmol described as a “really good stretch” for the 25-year-old.
Nonetheless, the Cardinals’ margin of error is quite thin. Pallante, despite being one of the Cardinals’ top starters over the last month, struggled on Monday, regardless of the missed call by the home plate umpire. This defeat further adds to their difficulties in reaching the postseason. Pallante admitted his shortcomings after the trek to Bauers.
“Obviously, it’s a strike, which affects the entire first inning there. That is going to happen. “It is beyond your control,” Pallante added. “[But the Adames at-bat] was just an all-around stupid at-bat from me.”
Pallante on missed third call strike in first inning: "Obviously, it's a strike, and that changes the whole first inning there. That's going to happen. It's out of your control."
On Adames' three-run homer in following at-bat: "It was just an all-around stupid at-bat from me." pic.twitter.com/cTTf0JDw8d
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) September 2, 2024
Cardinals’ playoff hopes are fading
The Cardinals have been oddly uneven this season. They proved capable of overcoming the New York Yankees in a three-game series, with a thrilling 14-7 victory in the rubber match on Sunday. However, they didn’t even give themselves a chance on Monday, losing 9-3 to the Brewers.
A 69-69 record — perfect.500 — seems appropriate for this year’s Cardinals. They’ve struggled to put together a streak of solid wins, and it may be too late for them to make the playoffs. Prior to Monday’s loss to the Brewers, Fangraphs estimated their playoff chances at a mere 1.0 percent. That should only happen after tonight.
