Cardinals Fatal Flaw That Sent Their 2026 Season Off the Rails

The St. Louis Cardinals had a tough second half of the season, to say the least.

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throughout the first half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, the St. Louis Cardinals looked like a playoff team for a while.

Back on July 17, the Cardinals were six games above .500 at 51-45 coming out of the All-Star break. Since then, the Cardinals have gone 24-35 and now are 75-80 on the season and have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.

So, what happened? The biggest weakness for the Cardinals in the second half of the season specifically was the bullpen. Overall, the Cardinals are in 24th place in the league in bullpen ERA this season at 4.54.

The Cardinals are tied for third in the league with 30 blown saves on the season. On top of this, both Riley O'Brien and George Soriano are both tied for third in the league in blown saves with eight apiece. Overall, the Cardinals' bullpen is seventh in the league in walks (278), tied for fifth in the league in runs allowed (338), and is ninth in the league in losses with 32.

The Cardinals' Biggest Weakness

Sep 16, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) pitches in relief against the San Francisco Giants in the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The bullpen just hasn't gotten it done for the Cardinals this season, specifically in the second. That's the biggest difference for the Cardinals and is the biggest reason why they were not able to get back to the playoffs this season. The offense has been pretty good for the Cardinals this season, led by Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson. The rotation has been solid overall, including Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Quinn Mathews and Michael McGreevy.

The talent is there, but St. Louis has dropped a handful of close ones, as shown by the blown stat number. Right now, the Cardinals are 75-80 on the season. Right now, the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for 15th in the league with 22 blown saves.

If the Cardinals were at that level, which is just average in the league, they would be in the mix for a playoff spot. Flip eight of those blown saves and all of a sudden, the Cardinals would be 83-72. The Philadelphia Phillies have the No. 3 Wild Card spot at 85-70. If the Cardinals were simply an average team when it came to blown saves, they'd be two games out of a playoff spot and still in the mix with a week to go.

With an improved bullpen in 2027, it's going to be a completely different story.