Acquiring Mike Maroth was one of the worst things the Cardinals have done in a long time so they didn’t want to compound the problem so they released him. He pitched in 14 games (7 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he was 0-5 with a 10.66 ERA and a 2.32 WHIP. He pitched 38 innings for the Cards and he allowed a stunning 71 hits, 11 homers, walked 17 batters and whiffed 23. The Cardinals will lose no sleep over losing Maroth.

Adding Mike Maroth looked like a solid move for the Cardinals at the time they acquired him but he has been downright awful.  Maroth has pitched in 8 games (6 starts) this season and he is 0-4 with a 11.08 ERA and a 2.24 WHIP.  He has worked 31.2 innings for the Cards and he has allowed 58 hits, 10 homers, walked 13 batters and whiffed 17.  The Cardinals need to find a way to get Maroth off of their roster because he is absolutely PATHETIC!

Adam Wainwright, Brad Thompson, Braden Looper and Kip Wells have all had their problems this season.  Kip Wells has been the main offender in the rotation.  The Cardinals brass felt that Wells had the stuff to be their #2 starter and they said that his career record was the result of playing on bad teams.  They felt he could succeed in the same way that Jeff Suppan did for them but they were way off on their projections based on the first half that Wells turned in.  Wells was 3-11 with a 5.92 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.  His biggest problem has been throwing strikes as he has walked 47 batters in 92.2 innings this season so if he can tighten up his control he might be better in the 2nd half of the season.  The Cardinals decided in the off-season to convert Adam Wainwright back into a starting pitcher after his fine 2006 season in the bullpen.  Wainwright is having a rough season so far as he is 7-7 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.  Look for Wainwright to pitch better in the 2nd half of the season as he is a better pitcher than he showed in the 1st half.  Brad Thompson was also converted into a starting pitcher and he hasn’t done too well.  If you look past his 6-3 record you can see that his record was lucky as he has a 4.90 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  He will need to be better to hold onto his rotation spot in the 2nd half.  Braden Looper also was a converted relief pitcher and he started the season like a ball of fire but it appears that he has hit the wall as he already has thrown more innings than he ever has in a season over his entire career.  Looper is 6-7 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.  Don’t expect much from him in the 2nd half of the season.

Kip Wells is quite simply one of the very worst starting pitchers in all of major league baseball and the Cardinals should get rid of him.  He has started 14 games so far this season and he’s 2-11 with a 6.93 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP!  He has thrown 76.2 innings this season and he’s allowed 84 hits, 12 homers, walked 42 batters and whiffed 57.  The Cardinals should just cut their losses and release Wells and convert Ryan Franklin back to a starting pitcher.  I say to use Franklin because the Cardinals don’t have any starting pitchers that are going good in AAA this season.

The Cardinals knew they were in trouble when ace starter Chris Carpenter went down on Opening Night as he required surgery on his elbow that will cause him to miss at least another month.  The Cards have only had one dependable starter this season and that has been converted reliever Braden Looper.  Looper has started 12 games this season and he’s 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.  But one has to wonder if Looper can keep up the good work because he’s already thrown 72.2 innings this season and his career high is 86 innings in a season.   Kip Wells has been absolutely pathetic this season as he’s only 2-10 with a 6.40 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.  He very easily could lose over 20 games if he doesn’t start pitching better soon.  Adam Wainwright has been a huge disappointment so far this season for the Cards.  He pitched so well last season that the Cards thought his success would translate to the rotation but they’ve been wrong so far.  He is 4-4 this season with a 5.12 ERA and a remarkably bad 1.72 WHIP!   Anthony Reyes was another pitcher the Cards thought would step up after how well he pitched in the post season last year, but they were wrong again.  Reyes started the season with a 0-8 record with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP before he was demoted to the minors.  Lefty Randy Keisler even made a brief ineffective three start appearance for the Cards before they demoted him.  Now the Cardinals are depending on Brad Thompson (4-1, 4.37 ERA and 1.44 WHIP) and Todd Wellemeyer filling in at the back of their rotation.  But like Looper, both of these guys are converted relievers.  I just don’t see how the Cardinals can make the playoffs unless they make some trades for some starting pitching because this bunch will have them near the bottom of the National League Central.