[Marcellus]

Good Lord almighty Carp and Fowler are just bad.

A list of reasons explaining the root cause of the Cardinals’ offense must begin with Carpenter and Fowler. How severe are their slides? Answer: Among 171 qualifying MLB hitters, Fowler ranks 170th with a .146 batting average, and Carpenter is at No. 171 with a .145 average. Fowler ranks 165th in slugging percentage (.285), one spot above Carpenter (.282). In OPS, Carpenter (.576) is No. 162, with Fowler (.541) at No. 166.

Here’s another way to look at it. Let’s do a composite. If we combined the Fowler-Carpenter rate stats and compared 2017 to this season, this is how it looks:

2017: .252 average, .374 OBP, .467 slug, .841 OPS

2018: .146 average, .274 OBP, .283 slug, .557 OPS

Last season Fowler was 21 percent above league average offensively in park-adjusted runs created. Carpenter was slightly better at 23 percent above average.