The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tailspin. They’ve lost four consecutive games and are now a game below the .500 mark.
Now, they’re looking at potentially another year without October baseball and a second consecutive losing season.
But they may soon receive some reinforcements on the pitching side, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“A couple of reinforcements look to be back soon,” Woo wrote. “Steven Matz (back) didn’t allow an earned run over four innings in his latest rehab start for Memphis, and Lance Lynn (knee inflammation) will throw a second bullpen on Friday before potentially going on a rehab assignment.”
The Cardinals rotation appears to be falling apart. Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Kyle Gibson all struggled against the Cincinnati Reds, and Miles Mikolas has not had a good season.
But having Lynn back should give them an extra option. Matz also appears to be making progress.
Matz will likely head to the bullpen and be used as a long relief option upon his return due to his 6.18 ERA prior to going on the injured list and the emergence of Andre Pallante.
Lynn could potentially replace a struggling Mikolas in the rotation when he is activated.
It will be interesting to see how St. Louis structures its pitching staff when Matz and Lynn and return and what their roles might be as they try to salvage the 2024 season.
Time is running out for the Cardinals to go on a run and keep their playoff hopes alive.
More MLB: Cardinals could pursue former All-Star as potential next manager