Fowler went 0-for-4 in Monday's 2-1 victory over the Pirates, lowering his average to .132. He's now 1-for-18 over his last four games.

EDGE Analysis

Neither Fowler nor the Cardinals could have possibly seen the extent of his early-season struggles coming, considering he slashed .349/.453/.605 with two doubles, three triples, one home run, seven RBI, nine walks and 12 runs over 52 spring plate appearances. However, Fowler's OBP (.207) and slugging percentage (.151) are currently the lowest of any of his eight full major league seasons prior to 2017, while his strikeout rate (27.6 percent) and walk rate (6.9 percent), also career-worst figures, tell the tale of a veteran hitter who's uncharacteristically pressing with a new team. That trend was exemplified again Monday by the fact that Fowler saw all of nine pitches over four at-bats. Nevertheless, manager Mike Matheny is likely to continue exercising patience with the prize offseason acquisition given his well-established track record, although the leash could get shorter if the Cardinals offense continues struggling as a whole.