The St. Louis Cardinals have enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season, recently improving to 14–9 after a 5–3 win over the Miami Marlins. Early signs suggest a club that is outperforming expectations, with the offense producing consistently and the pitching staff doing just enough to keep the team competitive in the opening month.
Despite the encouraging record, underlying concerns are beginning to surface particularly within the bullpen. While the team’s overall performance has created optimism about a potential surprise contender status, one recurring issue threatens to undermine that progress: control problems in high-leverage relief situations.
According to reporting from Derrick Goold, the bullpen’s tendency to issue walks has become a growing liability. In 23 games so far, the Cardinals have recorded six separate innings in which pitchers issued at least three walks, and five of those instances have come from relief arms. Even more concerning is that three of those high-walk innings have occurred in the eighth or ninth inning, directly impacting late-game situations where leads are most vulnerable.
The issue was on display again in the recent win, where reliever Ryne Stanek loaded the bases with walks and allowed two runs before St. Louis ultimately held on for the victory. Although the result was positive, the outing highlighted how quickly command issues can shift momentum in tight games.
Stanek acknowledged the problem after the game, noting that bullpen struggles tend to feel amplified in late innings and emphasizing the need for better execution moving forward. He stressed that overthinking situations can make matters worse, but also admitted that improvement is necessary to avoid repeating such performances.
The Cardinals’ bullpen, outside of standout closer Riley O’Brien who remains perfect with a 0.00 ERA and seven saves—and left-hander JoJo Romero, who was unavailable in the latest game, has been inconsistent in controlling the strike zone. That lack of precision has repeatedly put extra pressure on the defense and created avoidable scoring opportunities for opponents.
While the early-season success has been encouraging and has sparked hope of a competitive campaign, the underlying bullpen struggles represent a clear warning sign. If the walk issues persist, the Cardinals risk seeing close games slip away more frequently as the season progresses. For a team trying to build momentum and stay in contention, addressing that weakness will be critical to sustaining their strong start.
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