The bottom has hit this year. The Cardinals had a 20-year low in regular-season ratings for their local TV package (Fox Sports Midwest). Then the club’s appearance in the first round of the playoffs drew the lowest rating of the Cardinals’ last seven trips to the divisional round. That was followed by their worst ratings performance, by far, in the 10 National League Championship Series in which the team has played in this century.
• The opener was the lowest-rated Game 1 of the Cards’ 10 NLCS trips in this century. The rating: 15.4. Previous low: 24.1, in 2014.