Central STL News

Erick Fedde's promising start against the Pittsburgh Pirates quickly unraveled in the fifth inning, leading to a 7-0 loss for St. Louis at PNC Park. Initially showing resilience by retiring eight consecutive batters after an early home run, Fedde's control faltered as the game progressed.

The fifth inning began with a weak single from Joey Bart and escalated when Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s bunt turned into a hit. Fedde struggled with his cutter and sinker, allowing Pittsburgh to send ten hitters to the plate and accumulate seven hits, including two extra-base hits. This left St. Louis trailing by seven runs.

Reflecting on the game, Fedde acknowledged the similarity to his previous outing: “It kind of feels like the last start where it just happened really quick again,” he said. “I’ve got to be a better professional at slowing that down and just not allowing things to get out of hand quickly.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol noted Fedde's inability to finish off batters effectively: “A lot of thigh-high misses,” Marmol stated. “[Fedde] really didn't have anything to put them away today... The last two outings haven’t been good; we have to be better.”

Fedde relies on inducing contact rather than overpowering hitters, but his low strikeout rate has been problematic. He threw 47 strikes out of 82 pitches without recording a strikeout in this game.

Marmol emphasized the need for improvement: “When you look at the overall strikes, if you fall behind and you don't have swing and miss, you’re making it that much harder on yourself.”

This marked Fedde's second consecutive start conceding seven runs on eight or more hits. Previously, he lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs.

Fedde expressed frustration with first-pitch swings turning into hits: “It just feels like a lot of the first-pitch swings I’m getting are hits rather than those quick outs,” he said.

Despite showing potential earlier in May with scoreless outings, Fedde has struggled to maintain consistency since joining St. Louis from the White Sox in July 2024.

“When you’re giving up runs, most pitches aren't going where you want them to go,” Fedde concluded. “I’ve just got to be a little more precise on what I'm doing and locating balls and giving us a better chance to win.”