The St. Louis Cardinals have sunk below .500 thanks in large part to the collapse of their offense. The team was outscored 19-4 in their series with the Cincinnati Reds.
In order to get going again, St. Louis is going to need better production out of their lineup and may have to make some tough decisions with their roster.
Two young hitters at Triple-A Memphis have performed well, as was pointed out by Cardinals insider John Denton on Twitter.
"Last night in Triple-A Memphis' win over Jacksonville, Thomas Saggese was 3 for 5 with two RBI, two runs, and a two-run homer," Denton tweeted. "Ivan Herrera went 2 for 4 with two RBI and a walk.
Herrera had performed well for St. Louis in Willson Contreras' absence earlier in the season, but he was placed on the injured list himself back in June.
Still, he would be a solid right-handed bat to have on the bench. And what he lacks defensively in comparison to Pedro Pages can be made up with his hitting.
Saggese was acquired last summer from the Texas Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery deal. He has yet to taste the Major Leagues, but St. Louis needs production from the right side of the plate, as they have struggled against left-handers this season.
It will be interesting to see if St. Louis considers this. As of now, their most desperate need is offense, and that should currently be prioritized.
Herrera and Saggese are both hitting well and have earned an opportunity to show what they can do, while other players such as Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar have underperformed.
More MLB: Cardinals could pursue former Cy Young this winter to boost rotation
