Why Cardinals are not true postseason contenders despite hot start

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the biggest surprises in Major League Baseball this season, with the team's winning record alone being a massive surprise.

But, at 20-14 through the first few days of May, there are serious questions now about whether this team can make the postseason.

However, as ESPN's David Schoenfield pointed out, there is one major issue that will likely hold the Cardinals back from truly making the postseason: pitcher strikeout rate.

1 pitching reason why Cardinals might miss playoffs

"Are the Cardinals legit contenders?" Schoenfield writes. "They're coming off a hot week, but their pitchers are last in strikeout rate, and it's almost impossible to make the playoffs doing that. Last year, the bottom nine team sin pitcher strikeout rate all missed the playoffs."

The Cardinals have been getting some incredible production from their lineup, with JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker looking like true stars in the Majors this season.

Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson, along with Nolan Gorman and others, are also playing well, making for one of the more exciting young offenses in the league.

MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals

However, the team has some major issues with the pitching staff. With a 4.54 ERA for their pitchers, which ranks 24th in MLB, the Cardinals do not have the arsenal to compete with top teams in the league consistently.

Schoenfield pointed out the strikeout issue, and it's a big problem. With 236 strikeouts on the year, which is six strikeouts behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for last in MLB.

The Cardinals might have the offensive personnel to contend for a playoff spot this year, but their pitching staff just isn't good enough right now to contend.

This does make for a set of clear needs in the future, but it's a problem that the Cardinals cannot truly resolve this year unless their offense is an elite unit or their pitching staff begins to turn things around.

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