St. Louis Cardinals: 3 Players Who Must Step Up Against Milwaukee Brewers

The St. Louis Cardinals lost their first series of the season earlier this week against the Chicago Cubs.

In order to regain their momentum, a few things need to change heading into a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

In a matchup between last year’s NL Central champion and last year’s world champion, both teams would like to assert their dominance over the other team.

Here are three players who need to step up if the Cardinals are going to win this series.

Jason Motte

After blowing a save on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs, Motte has a 4.05 ERA for the season.

That’s way too high for a guy who is going to be counted on to consistently pick up saves this season.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: He needs to stop relying so heavily on his fastball. Yes, it’s fast. But it’s not the fastest. Big league hitters aren’t going to be fooled by it three times in a row. Right now, his slider is simply not good enough for him to hold onto the closer job all season.

Matt Holliday

Holliday has respectable power numbers this season, with four home runs and 10 RBI. But, his batting average currently stands at only .205.

With the way Carlos Beltran has been hitting lately in the No. 4 spot, Holliday needs to get on base more often.

If he doesn’t, Beltran will continue hitting solo home runs instead of more productive two- or three-run homers.

Daniel Descalso/Tyler Greene

The Cardinals need to start getting something out of the second base position if they are going to continue to be competitive this season.

If Descalso and Greene can’t handle this task, maybe the Redbirds should consider shifting Allen Craig to second base when he comes back from injury. Descalso’s .208 average, one home run and three RBI simply aren’t going to cut it.

Neither are Greene’s .206 average, one home run and four RBI.

These guys need to either step up or sit down (on the bench).