Why is a Cardinals lineup built to slug not producing?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of Major League Baseball's biggest disappointments since the beginning of the 2023 season.

The Cardinals had designs on contending in 2024, hoping that a rebuilt rotation would be the difference. Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have done their part, as that trio has been St. Louis' three best starters thus far. Problems persist in the back of the rotation, but the Cards' pitching prospects could be the answer.

Instead, St. Louis entered Saturday with a 15-23 record, back in the NL Central basement. Their struggles have been particularly pronounced in May as the Cardinals have gone 1-7 to begin the month. An ineffective pitching staff and a grappling lineup have expedited that drop to the bottom of the standings.

The offensive shortcomings are best summarized with two stats. Bernie Miklasz of 590 KNFS noted that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, infielder Nolan Gorman and outfielder Dylan Carlson were a combined 0-for-48 in May entering Friday. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch added that St. Louis has a .322 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position and that 19 teams have a higher on-base percentage than the Cardinals' slugging percentage in such a scenario.

This is not going unnoticed by St. Louis manager Oli Marmol. On April 20, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat relayed that Marmol said the lineup comes down to Goldschmidt and Gorman. If those two are not hitting, his adjustments will not matter.

The players know they need to get on track. John Denton of MLB.com reported that 2022 NL MVP Goldschmidt got extra batting practice before Friday's game, but it apparently did not help as he and Carlson were a combined 0-for-7. Gorman had begun the game on the bench but hit a home run in his only plate appearance. Maybe that will be the spark he needs to get his bat going.