Cardinals Truths and Lies: What's Real and Fake After 14-13 Start

The St. Louis Cardinals were off to a much better start than expected this year, having gone 14-10 through their first 24 games of the schedule. However, they were swept over the weekend by the Seattle Mariners and fell to 14-13 ahead of a crucial series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The weekend series started a stretch of 17 games in as many days for St. Louis, and they failed their first major test. Now, it is becoming clearer what kind of team this truly is and what the rest of the season may look like.

Here are a few truths and lies about the 2026 Cardinals.

Truths and lies about 2026 Cardinals

Real: JJ Wetherholt's emergence

While he may only be hitting .238 to start the season, JJ Wetherholt already has five home runs and has posted a .769 OPS. He homered on opening day and has shown a lot of promise since then.

He is their top prospect, and was expected to have a big year in 2026. So far, he has proven he can handle the pressure, and that is the piece that the Cardinals should build around as they focus on the future.

His power has been impressive, and so has his defense at second base. As long as he stays healthy, he should be the piece that the Cardinals focus their future around.

Fake: Andre Pallante's strong start

Andre Pallante has posted a 4.26 ERA and is 2-2 in his first five starts of the season. He even recorded eight strikeouts in his last start.

However, he posted a 5.31 ERA last season and is largely a pitch-to-contact starter. When he gets ground balls, he can be effective, but this is not something that is sustainable long-term. It may only be a matter of time before he comes back down to earth and potentially proves to be the weak link in the starting rotation.

Pitching to contact can work, but it eventually caught up with him in 2025, so it's only a matter of time before the same happens in 2026 and the Cardinals see some regression.

Real: Riley O'Brien's breakout

Up until Saturday's 11-9 loss to the Mariners, Riley O'Brien had not allowed an earned run. Unlike Pallante, the veteran Cardinals' closer generates more swings and misses and also is a high-velocity pitcher.

If this is anything like Ryan Helsley's breakout year in 2024, then the Cardinals are in for a treat. Most of the time, handing a lead over to O'Brien late in games works out just fine for the Cardinals. He also could be a valuable trade candidate with four years of club control remaining, so it wouldn't be a surprise if St. Louis got a haul for him at the deadline.

Fake: the winning

The weekend results were likely a sign of things to come for the Cardinals. They managed to beat a lot of teams in April, but only one of them appears to be a true contender, and that is the Cleveland Guardians.

They also lost a series to the Miami Marlins before heading home and being swept by the Mariners. The pitching staff simply can't hold up as is. There is no ace, and a lot of the pitchers the Cardinals do have are pitch-to-contact guys.

In a strong National League Central, that is going to be hard to sustain. Now, the Cardinals are playing contenders over their next 14 games, and their first test didn't go as planned.

They weren't expected to be a contender this season, so fans shouldn't be surprised to see some regression.

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