Welcome to a new feature here at STL Sports Central: Breakfast with Bernie, which I’ll write early in the morning on most weekdays. I’ll serve up observations, opinions, notes, facts, stats, praise, cheap shots, randomness, and some weirdness as I have my first cuppa or two of the day. We’ll (mostly) go “Buffet” style to give you a chance to graze before I write a different column that I’ll post much later in the day.
Heads-up: I’m going all baseball today, mostly because of time limitations … and laptop problem that ate one of my files … but also because I have a lot to say about the Cardinals.
The Cardinals took another one upside the head Tuesday night at Milwaukee, getting blasted 6-0 in a non-competitive game made notable by the taunting, crotch-chopping, loony-tunes Brewers reliever Abner Uribe after he struck out Alec Burleson to end the 8th. Ol’ Abner strikes again! This came soon after Uribe zoomed a pitch in into the air space close to Ivan Herrera's head.
That's two strikes. More than enough just cause for Marmol to go for some payback.
The Cardinals did not retaliate but Brewers manager Pat Murphy berated Uribe as he walked off the field … and again later in the postgame.
Will Marmol seek vengeance in the series finale? And if he doesn't do that, will Marmol lose credibility in his own clubhouse?
Five Reasons Why the Cardinals Lost (Again) to the Brewers:
1. Let’s face it, the Cardinals are inferior to the Brewers. Nothing new here. This has been going on since 2017. Over the last nine-plus seasons the Brewers are 79-69 in direct matchups against the Cards and have had more success in making the postseason and winning the division.
2. The Cardinals had no answers and no offense against another Milwaukee starting pitcher. Jacob Misiorowski owned the STL hitters on Monday, and lefty Kyle Harrison had the pleasure of an easy-breezy win over the Cardinals on Tuesday. In the two wins, Misiorowski and Harrison pitched a combined 13 innings, were nipped for six hits and one run, and the Cards struck out 14 times while walking only once. And as Harrison and manager Murphy notes after Tuesday’s romp, Harrison got the job done even though he didn’t have his best stuff working.
3. The STL offense was limp again. The Cards have been shut out three times in the last eight games. The hitters have scored three or fewer runs in 12 of the team’s 22 games in May – and scrounged for two runs or fewer 11 times. I could go on, but the bottom line to this point in May is an average of 3.6 runs per game, which ranks 25th among the 30 teams.
4. Michael McGreevy didn’t have it. The Cards starting pitcher was an easy quarry for the Brewers, who rocked the right-hander for seven hits, three walks, a homer, and five earned runs in his four innings. In his last two starts McGreevy has gotten whacked for 17 hits and eight runs in nine innings for an 8.00 ERA. And in his last three starts McGreevy has been struck for 29 hard-hit balls in play that left the bat at 95+ miles per hour.
5. The Cardinals are in a downtime phase. It happens. They’re 11-11 in May, 6-9 since May 9, have lost five of their last six, and are 3-6 in the last nine road games. These troublesome types of streaks have smothered every NL Central team at some point this season. The sky is cloudy and a darker shade of gray – but hasn’t fallen. This team needs a Wednesday afternoon to avoid a three-game sweep and mentally reset for their scheduled off day on Thursday.
Let’s head over to the Buffet …
— After Uribe’s cuckoo, unhinged antics, the Cardinals manager Oli Marmol must send an adamant response to the Milwaukee side. Yes, the Cards have to go old school and drill a Brewer. Ivan Herrera seemed to suggest as much after the game – after Uribe had buzzed a pitch close to the catcher’s head – in the eighth inning.
— Postgame Herrera: "It’s not fun if you throw a 2-0 heater in here up to your head. I said, ‘Keep it down,’ and he started laughing. I didn’t do anything crazy. I feel like it was just disrespectful to the entire team, what he did. I hope we take care of it and we move on.”
— So why didn’t Marmol order an immediate retaliation in the bottom of the 8th? Obvious answer, even if you don’t like it: he had an inexperienced rookie pitcher, Matt Pushard, on the mound. That’s not the right spot (or the right pitcher) for a payback pitch.
— I’m thinking Cardinals players will be watching their manager to see if he takes action in Wednesday’s game. A veteran starter, Dustin May, can handle the assignment.
— Make it 10 consecutive losses for the Chicago Cubs. Are we starting to figure out that the key to Milwaukee’s success, without question, is the brilliant brilliant front office? Did people like me overrate Craig Counsell’s work as the longtime manager of the Brewers?
— Headline on a Cubs-based blog: “Cubs may be faced with an inevitable Craig Counsell problem that once seemed impossible.”
— Another headline on a Cubs-related blog: “Counsell's excuses for Cubs slide are anything but reassuring.”
— In their last seven games through Tuesday, St. Louis starting pitchers have been clobbered for 25 earned runs in 35 innings for a bloody 6.43 ERA. In the seven games, opponents have bashed Cardinal starting pitchers for seven home runs, seven doubles, a .313 batting average, .373 on-base rate, and .503 slugging percentage. Other than Andre Pallante, who had a fantastic start at Cincinnati, the other Cardinal starters have been assaulted for a 7.45 ERA since May 19.
— Interestingly, Cards starting pitchers have a 27.5% strikeout rate over the previous seven games. Wait a second. In today’s pitching culture, I thought strikeouts were all that matters? So if strikeouts are the way to a beautiful ERA and enlightenment, then why are the St. Louis hurlers getting smacked around? McGreevy struck out six Brewers Tuesday and was clobbered. So.
— For the life of me, I can’t understand the gushing, unrestrained praise of Matthew Liberatore after his Monday start at Milwaukee. He walked the leadoff hitter and got the Cardinals in an immediate 3-0 hole in the first inning. He faced 22 batters and 41 percent of them reached base. He was belted for a two-run homer. He struck out 10, nice, but I didn’t realize this means he’s Randy Johnson. Bottom line: another short start (five innings) and three runs allowed (5.40 ERA). Dude has a 6.75 ERA in his last three starts, but with all of the fawning over him you’d think Libby was Chris Sale. And this is coming from a guy (lil’ ol me) who believes in Liberatore’s talent and his potential to become a terrific starter. But for cripe’s sake, raise the standards.
— Masyn Winn, last 26 games: .189 average, .266 on-base rate, .242 slug, .508 OPS, 23 total bases. For the season Winn has an OPS+ that’s 17 percent below league average. In 2024, Winn had a good rookie season and finished four percent above league average offensively. Were we wrong to assume Winn would develop offensively?
— Cards slugging prospect Joshua Baez had a two-homer game Tuesday night to lead Triple A Memphis to a 19-5 rout of Omaha. In his last 12 games Baez has walloped six homers and two doubles and knocked in 13 runs. He reduced his problematic strikeout rate to 29.6% over the last 13 games but that punch-out rate is 33% for the season.
— No, Baez won’t be promoted to the majors anytime soon, especially with left fielder Lars Nootbaar getting closer to a return from his injury-rehab assignment. So stay off the damn Twitter machine.
— Bryan Torres takes great at-bats, doesn’t he? The left-side hitter has made quite the impression in his first 17 MLB plate appearances with a .333 batting average, .945 OPS and 46.2 percent line-drive rate. But Torres will almost certainly be returned to Memphis when Nootbaar rejoins the Cards 26-man roster. Why? Because the Cardinals seemingly have lukewarm interest in putting together their best 26-man roster with players in their system.
— Blaze Jordan check-in: over the last week the Cards corner-infield prospect housed at Memphis has mugged pitchers for a .611 average and 1.056 OPS. For the season the big man has a .329 average, .389 OBP and .572 slug with nine homers and 15 doubles. Jordan has outstanding plate discipline and as a right-handed batter has no problems posting terrific numbers against righty pitchers. Chaim Bloom drafted him in Boston. At the 2025 trade deadline, Bloom advised the Cards to ask for Jordan when John Mozeliak flipped pitcher Steven Matz to the Red Sox.
— Since the start of ‘17, Milwaukee has the fourth-best win percentage (.564) in MLB. And St. Louis ranks ninth overall at .523. Since the outset of 2018, the Cards have made the postseason four times and won two NL Central titles; the Crew has competed in seven postseasons and won four division titles.
— Today’s Cards-Brewers game should be … interesting.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015. Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach. Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil on a daily basis.
Bernie has covered and written about many great St. Louis sports team athletes including Albert Pujols, Kurt Warner, Brett Hull, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Al MacInnis, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Aeneas Williams. Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues, Saint Louis U, and Mizzou football and basketball. Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STL Sports Central, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows. And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.