The St. Louis Cardinals hit the season's quarter-mark at 20-20, a slow start for the reigning National League champions, who were expected to repeat as division winners.

John Mozeliak went so far as to describe his club's start as "concerning" during a candid session with the media.

"I still think this is a talented club and I still believe in it," Mozeliak said. "But having a belief in something is far different than actually getting it done. I think right now it's still early in the season where you can't hit the panic button. But you've got to see the trend line change a little bit. ... I think the record reflects how we've played, certainly."

Mike Matheny was similarly blunt as he addressed the state of his team on Monday.

"I think our record might be a little better than what the product looks like," Matheny said. "I think we're fortunate to be where we are record-wise with how we've played, and the guys would agree with that. We've seen some really good. I still don't think we've seen as good as we can be. What matters to us is the consistency of good, and that we certainly haven't seen."