Time to turn back the clock.

This is a quote from Bill DeWitt Jr. on firing Mike Matheny back in 2018: “In some places a winning record, or even .500, is even acceptable. Not with this city, not with this franchise, not with its history, and not with the fans.”

The hypocrisy is glaring, isn’t it?

“I don’t feel like our trend line was taking us in that (positive) direction anymore,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said at that time. “Even if it’s just slowly decaying, you’re going to wake up at some point and find yourself in a bad spot. You could say, ‘You’re already there, chief.’ The point is, we felt we couldn’t wait any longer. Change felt inevitable.

Well, the change that’s happened hasn’t been good change.

Following Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Mets, Oli Marmol & the Cardinals are 25 games under .500 since the beginning of the 2023 season. 25 games UNDER .500. The Cardinals were only able to pull off one win in a three-game series over the weekend against the Chicago White Sox — who are now tied with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in Major League Baseball at 8-26.

Yes, it’s been THAT bad.

“These are the players we’re going to win with,” Marmol told the media after Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the White Sox, as transcribed by the Athletic’s Katie Woo. “We have to get them going.”

So if anyone expects any big lineup changes… don’t. But it’s an issue. One that is caused by the players, manager, coaches, and perhaps most importantly, the front office. John Mozeliak is overly confident in his struggling offense, and it’s cost the Cardinals multiple games in which the revamped pitching staff has actually performed well.