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Three games, three shutouts. For the Cards, it’s only happened twice in a series since divisions were created. And both were in the final series of a season: 2015 vs. Atlanta and 1976 vs. Pittsburgh.

This week, the Pirates’ pitching was hexing, the Cardinals’ hitting was perplexing and now, with Pittsburgh flexing, this ӣ����Ƶ team has become vexing.

How do you possibly get shut out and swept in three games against the last-place Pirates?

Then again, in the three previous games, it was the Cardinals doing the sweeping at Cleveland — and the Guardians only scored in one of the 27 innings. In fact, there were 64 possible combinations of win-loss outcomes in the past six games ... I wouldn’t believe anyone predicted ӣ����Ƶ would win all three at Cleveland and lose all three at Pittsburgh. But that’s where we are.

Naturally, this was an embarrassing series for ӣ����Ƶ.

And maybe I’m in the minority, but I don’t find it that concerning.

There are other issues to be concerned about regarding the 47-41 ӣ����Ƶ Cardinals. Erick Fedde, in the same season he twirled a shutout of his own, has become one of the most inconsistent and infuriating starting pitchers in the National League. And with all of the times he’s been hit dangerously by pitches, Willson Conteras is turning into a modern-day Ron Hunt. And the Cardinals’ specific hitting against lefty starters has left much to be desired.

But I’m not overly worried about the Cards’ overall offense, which is sixth in the National League in batting average, seventh in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), seventh in homers and first (yes, first!) in doubles.

Here's why:

First of all, Wednesday’s game was the Cards’ 15th in 14 days. The fellows are fatigued. This is not an excuse��— I mean, even the White Sox haven’t been shut out in three straight this season��— but as we gauge the state of the Cardinals, it’s fair to point out that, wouldn’t you know, the first time this happened in a decade occurred during Games 13-15 of Days 12-14.

And in recent games, the Cardinals lineup didn’t feature, if you will, the Cardinals. Due to injury, Nolan Arenado was out. Contreras was out. Ivan Herrera (injured list) remained out. And Lars Nootbaar missed some action.

Yes, the Cardinals also got shut out twice last week by the Cubs. But since June 1, Contreras has an .878 OPS. Arenado is at .730 (not his standard self, but better than earlier this season). And in his previous 10 games before the Pittsburgh series and his hand pain, Arenado hit .308 with an .854 OPS. Alec Burleson’s OPS since June 1 is .855. And Nolan Gorman, perhaps sneaking back into your good graces, has an .849 OPS since June 1. These guys might cool off��— OK, they were frighteningly frigid in Pittsburgh��— but I believe they’ll still hit well in the coming weeks as the July 31 trade deadline creeps closer.

Thursday is the two-week mark since Herrera tore a muscle in his hamstring. When he returns, presumably sometime in July, he’ll bring his .320 average and .925 OPS back to the lineup.

And yes, the shutouts in the first and third games at Pittsburgh were startling, but in the second game, ӣ����Ƶ faced perhaps the best pitcher in the whole National League. Paul Skenes has a 2.03 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 111 innings. And even though he only went five against the visitors, his bullpen has the fourth-best ERA in the NL, as ӣ����Ƶ fans disconcertingly discovered this series.

And the Pirates, albeit a last-place team, have looked like the Dave Parker Pirates in the past six games, winning all six by a total score of 43-4. And Pittsburgh has won eight of its past 10. So yeah, caught them at a bad time, I’d say.

Also, Wednesday wasn’t all for naught. In the 5-0 loss, the Cardinals hit seven balls 95 mph or higher (the highest being 106.4 mph) that were all outs. So ӣ����Ƶ did put together some good swings. A bit of positivity to carry into Friday.

And yes, their next game is Friday, not Thursday. It will be the most desirable��day off in Chicago since Ferris Bueller’s. The Cards start their series the following day at Wrigley Field. It’ll be a big one.

With Miles Mikolas pitching on Friday, there will likely be some fireworks that have nothing to do with the Fourth of July. But here’s thinking that the rested Redbirds will actually score some runs themselves.

OK, yes, in the moment, it feels like the shutout and shutdown Cardinals are on a tailspin. But Wrigley brings rejuvenation. And hey, after that series, the Cards return to Busch for six games against sub-.500 teams ... before the longest break of the season.