"Some kind of tell": Cardinals closer may be losing his edge after rocky outing

The St. Louis Cardinals won a big game on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, overcoming a rocky start and holding on for a 4-3 final.

Sonny Gray pitched seven innings of two-run ball and Ryan Helsley closed the door to secure a win for St. Louis. However, it wasn't easy for Helsley in the ninth inning.

Tampa Bay added a run and came to within one of tying St. Louis in the ninth before Helsley buckled down and secured the win.

This has led to some speculation about Helsley possibly losing his edge, and Cardinals insider Brandon Kiley tweeted that this could be the case.

"It's pretty clear teams have some kind of tell on Ryan Helsley," Kiley wrote.

Helsley has been dominant for St. Louis this year. In fact, he leads Major League Baseball with 35 saves. However, he could be hitting a wall.

Last week, he coughed up a 4-2 lead against the Chicago Cubs, who walked off their archrivals, and on Tuesday, he certainly made things interesting in the ninth inning.

With the Cardinals slipping in the standings, it's fair to wonder if buying at the deadline and holding onto Helsley was truly the right call. He's under contract for just one more season after 2024 and could have brought back a haul.

If Helsley rebounds, then the Cardinals should be okay, but his recent trend is slightly troubling as the team tries to fight for its playoff life.

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