Cardinals Have One Key Weakness Despite Strong Start

The Cardinals are playing well to start 2026, but have a key weakness.

Apr 19, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a strong start this season. They were not expected to be a team that contended for a playoff spot, but as the month of May rolls along, they are seven games above the .500 mark and leading the National League Wild Card race.

This comes after the team traded away four veterans in Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. The offense has performed well, with St. Louis receiving key contributions from their young players.

However, there is one issue that is plaguing them and could ultimately spell their doom in 2026, as Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com points out.

"What hasn’t changed, though, is the lack of swing-and-miss stuff on the Cardinals’ pitching staff," Harrigan wrote. "St. Louis has an MLB-worst 17.6% strikeout rate this season. No team has made the playoffs after posting a strikeout rate that low through 36 team games since the 2017 Twins. The last time a team made the playoffs with MLB’s lowest strikeout-generating pitching staff? No AL or NL club has ever done that, going back to the first World Series in 1903."

Lack of strikeouts could doom Cardinals

Apr 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) speaks with St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) during a game against the Seattle Mariners in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The Cardinals have been playing well, but it's important to note that in this day and age, strikeouts are very important, and if the Cardinals pitching staff can't increase their swings and misses, then they could be in trouble.

The fact that they pitch to so much contact is a concern, and doing that may not be sustainable if they want to make it to the postseason in 2026. There is a lot to like about this team thus far, but this is one issue that the team needs to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.

The team does not have an ace after the Gray trade, and having one can certainly help with any pitching staff. But it is ultimately a key reason why the Cardinals may not be able to sustain this hot start to the season.

The National League is also very competitive this season, so there are reasons for concern. The question is whether or not the Cardinals will be able to remain in the hunt and stay on par with some of the better teams in the league.

It will be interesting to see if they can stay in the race and continue to perform better than expected.