Following Logan O’Hoppe’s grand slam that put the Cardinals behind 5-3 on Wednesday, I had a plan to write about how the Angels series may have been a reality check for this team. Fortunately, those plans were foiled in a hurry. The Cardinals fought back, and Ivan Herrera had a three-homer game, leading to a 12-5 victory to avoid the sweep.
Today, they get set for a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, where the Cardinals earned a sweep back in 2023. And so, I wanted to break down the hot start the 2025 Cardinals are off to.
We’ll talk about what I’ve liked so far and what needs to happen for them to sustain this and prove John Mozeliak right about this team surprising people.
Brant Brown: MVP
The Cardinals offense is rolling, and so far, it’s been the strength of this team. I’ll admit I was worried after the struggles they had in spring training, but a lot is going right for this offense.
A lot of the credit goes to Brant Brown, the team’s new hitting coach. It’s clear that his approach is resonating with the players. One thing I’ve seen that I’ve really liked is how he has hitters gather around in between innings to discuss their approach. Brown is a man with a plan, and so far, it’s saving the offense from repeating its dreadful 2024 performance.
Another thing that I think a lot of fans have noticed is how the Cardinals are getting timely hits. That’s something we didn’t see a lot of in 2023 or 2024. It was pretty much non-existent last year, but not this year.
When they get down, they get key hits that turn the tide of the game and get themselves going again. I don’t want to discredit the players, but perhaps the missing piece to turn this offense around was none other than Brant Brown.
Players are buying into what he’s teaching, and that’s important.
Tight games
There have been a lot of tight games so far this year. Monday and Tuesday’s game went into extra innings, and even Opening Day was a close game. Not to mention, the series finale against the Angels was close until the Cardinals broke out for seven runs and busted the game open.
This is a good thing. It shows that this team can respond to challenges and be battle-tested when it matters most. The only downside is that it’s going to make fans a little nervous. But I don’t care about that. As long as the Cardinals are winning, I’m happy. It doesn’t matter how they do it, just that they get it done.
Hopefully, we’ll see the Cardinals play a few less stressful games in Boston this weekend.
Pitching Pitching Pitching
Because the vibes are good right now, I’m not going to talk the pitching as if it’s a weakness. For the most part, it’s been solid, but it got beat up a little in the Angels series. The bullpen struggled in the two losses and Sonny Gray ran out of gas in the finale.
Hopefully, yesterday’s day off helped everybody reset a bit and get ready for the Fenway series. But I would like to see a few less hiccups on the pitching side. That’s the one area I worry a little bit about.
If the Cardinals are in the mix at the trade deadline, they should certainly add some more pitching. I think with a few additions to the staff, this team could end up being really good.
We don’t know what approach they’ll take on July 31. Right now, it doesn’t matter. The pitching has been mostly good, but that is the area to keep an eye on in my opinion, and it will be the key to St. Louis sustaining their early success.