I kind of can’t believe how poorly the Cardinals’ season has started. That’s an appropriate response given it’s the worst start in 50 years. The Cardinals have undoubtedly not played well. But it still feels like everything that can go wrong goes wrong. The Cardinals are tied for 6th in baseball in wRC+. They are 15th in actual runs scored. For good measure, they have the 2nd hardest hit rate in baseball. They are 16th in baseball in FIP and 4th in baseball in xFIP - yes 4th. They are 21st in ERA.
The Cardinals have combined a few things - bad play, very bad luck, very bad sequencing* and a relatively tough schedule - and when you mix all it together, that’s how a team that won 93 games and added Willson Contreras can start a year 9-16.