Remember those days of the Cardinals’ six-man rotation? Well, those days are over. At this point, they’re trying to come up with five starters or even four.
The first time manager Mike Shildt and pitching coach Mike Maddux invoked the six-starter concept was for a 17-game stretch in 17 days that began in late April. The Cardinals went 13-4 during that time, ascending to first place in the National League Central Division.
They tried it again, for another 17-game, 17-day period commencing on May 21. In that span, which ended Sunday, the Cardinals were 6-11 and now find themselves in third place in the division after being off Monday.