Major stumbling block for Nolan Arenado and Co. in NL Central highlighted by analyst

The St. Louis Cardinals had one of baseball's biggest rivalry with the NL Central rivals, Chicago Cubs. However, that rivalry seems to be fading and the Cardinals are currently no match to the Cubs in every facet of the game, according to MLB analyst Bernie Miklasz.

A variety of factors can be attributed to the Redbirds' inconsistency at the plate. The team’s home run rate has dropped from once every 35 at-bats in April to every 40 in May.

On his show Tuesday, the analyst said power isn’t the only issue. According to Miklasz, May has been a brutal month for key hitters such as Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman. The third baseman, in particular, continues to underwhelm offensively.

"I believe. I’d like to see some other people join the doubles party, right?" Mikalsz asked on Sports Hub. "That’s the problem for the Cardinals.

"When I sit around and think about this—and look up numbers when I’m just wondering—unless the Cubs collapse offensively, which again is not realistic—they might settle down a little bit, but it’s too good of an offense to go dry for a long period of time."

He added:

"So I keep wondering: How can the Cardinals offensively keep up with the Cubs’ offense? It's a hell of a challenge, I tell you what."

Cubs far ahead than Cardinals in MLB

Comparisons to the division-leading Cubs only add to the concern of the Cardinals. According to Bernie Mikalsz, Chicago not only outpaces St. Louis in home runs, slugging, and on-base percentage, but also leads in steals, triples and performance with runners in scoring position.

Moreover, the Cubs have better offensive numbers on the road than at Wrigley Field—debunking the theory that St. Louis' struggles are a ballpark-related issue.

"The Cubs’ hitting performance—hate to tell you this—is better on the road this season than it is at Wrigley Field," Mikalsz added. "And the Cardinals actually hit better—much better—at Busch Stadium than they do on the road. So unlike the Cardinals, the Cubs’ offense is above average at home and on the road.

"The Cardinals are below average offensively on the road. I can’t figure it out, but they’re really good at Busch Stadium. It makes no sense, but those are the facts."

The Cardinals and the Cubs play in a four-game series starting June 23. But unless key bats like Arenado regain form and the team finds ways to manufacture runs more consistently, the Cardinals are bound to struggle.