The St. Louis Cardinals haven't had the best of starts to the 2023 season, and this stat just shows how brutal things have gone.
The St. Louis Cardinals were seemingly the team to beat in the NL Central this offseason. But no one could have guessed that not only would they be sitting last in the division early on in the season, but also in the entire National League at one point.
There were some drastic decisions made by the team, most notably removing Willson Contreras as starting catcher, only to reinstate him about a week later. But, things have gotten better for the team, as they have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games entering Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In case you wanted to know how ridiculous St. Louis' start to the season was, take a look at this.
The Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central entering Friday, May 19, even though they scored the most runs in the division, with 229.
Cardinals are in last place in NL Central despite scoring most runs in division
Here's a look in list form of the standings in the NL Central, including how many runs each team scored and how many runs they've allowed, per MLB.com.
- Milwaukee Brewers (24-19): 183 runs scored, 182 runs allowed (+1 run differential)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (23-20): 184 runs scored, 171 runs allowed (+13 run differential)
- Chicago Cubs (19-24): 206 runs scored, 184 runs allowed (+22 run differential)
- Cincinnati Reds (19-24): 188 runs scored, 221 runs allowed (-33 run differential)
- St. Louis Cardinals (19-26): 229 runs scored, 212 runs allowed (+17 run differential)
When it comes to in-division play, the Cardinals have a 7-6 record against their rivals. There is only one team with a better record against NL Central teams, and it's the Pirates, who are 7-4.
But there is one concerning statistic for the Cardinals. In one-run games, St. Louis holds a 2-8 record. Only the Cubs have a worse record at 2-9.
Look, there is still plenty of season left. Like, we're talking about four more months of baseball. A lot can change. It seems like the Cardinals are heading on the right track as of late, so we'll have to wait and see how if they can continue this momentum.