The St. Louis Cardinals roared into the 2025 season, boasting a near 10-games-over-.500 record by June in the competitive NL Central. However, a disastrous 3-7 start to the month has fans and analysts, including FanSided’s Chris Landers, sounding the alarm as the team’s postseason dreams teeter on the edge.
“Behind a breakout start from young lefty Matthew Liberatore and resurgences from the likes of Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, St. Louis was suddenly pitching as well as anybody in baseball, carrying an offense that was solid but certainly far from elite,” Landers wrote. “Unfortunately, the bloom may be off the rose.”
Since June began, the Cardinals’ pitching has plummeted, ranking 25th in MLB with a 4.95 ERA. Wednesday’s game marked the eighth time in 10 outings they’ve allowed five or more runs. “The script has totally flipped since the start of June,” Landers noted. “If the Cardinals played in the American League, we might not even be having this conversation. Unfortunately, they play in the NL Central, and that makes this recent funk loom even larger in the grand scheme of things.”
The regression of pitchers like Liberatore, Fedde, and Mikolas, who had outperformed expectations earlier, has exposed vulnerabilities. St. Louis’ once-stout rotation now struggles to keep games competitive, putting immense pressure on a merely average offense.
In the loaded National League, the Cardinals (36-29 as of June 13, 2025) can’t afford prolonged slumps. A few more rough weeks could push them toward becoming sellers at the July 31 trade deadline, a scenario that seemed unthinkable a month ago. Social media is abuzz with #CardinalsCrisis trending on X, as fans debate whether St. Louis can rebound or faces a roster shakeup.
The Cardinals must stabilize their pitching to stay in the playoff hunt. With tough NL Central rivals like the Cubs and Brewers lurking, time is running out. Can St. Louis rediscover their early-season magic, or will this June slide derail their 2025 campaign? Follow the Cardinals’ fight for redemption as the trade deadline looms!