Cardinals discovered a winning formula during brutal 17-game stretch

If the Cardinals can sustain those three things, this season may start looking very different.

Jordan Walker Is Becoming The Centerpiece Of The Offense

The biggest development during this stretch may have been the continued emergence of Jordan Walker. Walker has been one of the best hitters in the Cardinals lineup through the first 39 games of the season, slashing .299/.377/.578 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and a .955 OPS. The 23-year-old is no longer simply showing flashes of stardom. He is beginning to look like the offensive engine of the franchise.

But what changed during this difficult stretch was the support around him. Alec Burleson continued producing in the middle of the lineup with a .266 average, six home runs and 30 RBI, while Iván Herrera quietly developed into one of the team’s most important offensive pieces. Herrera owns an impressive .407 on-base percentage and .828 OPS while consistently creating traffic on the bases.

The Cardinals also started getting more meaningful production from younger pieces throughout the lineup. Rookie J. J. Wetherholt has already contributed seven home runs and 20 RBI despite some expected inconsistency early in his first full MLB season.

That depth matters. Earlier in the year, opposing pitchers could navigate through the lineup by working carefully around Walker and a couple dangerous bats. Over the past few weeks, St. Louis looked much harder to pitch to from top to bottom.

The Pitching Staff Finally Took A Step Forward

For much of April, the Cardinals’ inability to generate swing-and-miss stuff created constant pressure on the entire roster. The rotation ranked near the bottom of baseball in strikeout rate early in the season, forcing the team to rely heavily on balls in play and defensive execution. Against elite lineups, that formula simply was not sustainable.

During this 17-game run, however, the pitching staff finally started showing signs of life. The Cardinals improved both their swinging-strike numbers and strikeout production during the stretch, while the overall ERA dropped significantly compared to where it sat earlier in the season.

That improvement changed the complexion of games entirely. Instead of constantly needing offensive shootouts to survive, St. Louis finally started getting cleaner innings and more consistent pitching performances. It allowed the offense to play with less pressure and helped stabilize the team during difficult moments against dangerous opponents.

If the Cardinals can continue generating more swing-and-miss stuff moving forward, the entire ceiling of the roster changes.

MORE: JJ Wetherholt turns routine single into chaos as Cardinals rookie sparks viral moment

St. Louis Showed Real Resilience

The Cardinals also responded to adversity in a way they had not consistently shown earlier in the year. This stretch actually started terribly. St. Louis was swept by Seattle in a series where the Cardinals blew leads in all three games. That kind of collapse can easily spiral during a long season.

Instead, the Cardinals answered with a four-game sweep of Pittsburgh and repeatedly bounced back after frustrating losses. Even Sunday’s painful extra-innings loss against San Diego felt different than similar defeats earlier this season. St. Louis looked disappointed afterward, but not defeated.

That mental toughness matters across a 162-game season. There will still be rough stretches ahead for this roster, especially in a competitive National League. But during these past few weeks, the Cardinals looked like a team beginning to understand its identity.

And for the first time all season, that identity looked sustainable.

More MLB news:

• JJ Wetherholt turns routine single into chaos as Cardinals rookie sparks viral moment
• Cardinals prospect Joshua Báez is making it harder to ignore a looming call-up decision
• Zack Wheeler’s return gives Phillies exactly what they desperately needed
• Cubs may be getting key bullpen piece back sooner than expected
• Mason Miller is turning dominance into history with Padres,  and it’s getting hard to ignore