Cardinals struggling for a 2nd straight season, and the NL Central's top young players are elsewhere

A model of consistency for so long, the St. Louis Cardinals are suddenly struggling to stay relevant. Even after taking two of three against both the Angels and Red Sox, the Cardinals are six games under .500. They've rebounded from a seven-game losing streak earlier this month, winning five of their last seven, but they're seven games out of first place, and their run differential of minus-49 is by far the worst in the NL Central. St. Louis went 71-91 last year, snapping a streak of 15 straight