The St. Louis Cardinals lost again, this time thanks to a late rally from the Texas Rangers. Nolan Arenado wasn't happy postgame.

One might mistake the mood in the St. Louis Cardinals locker room to that of a wake these days, and it's tough to blame them. St. Louis entered the season with postseason aspirations, and now find themselves eight games behind the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cards have lost three straight games by one run, including their walk-off defeat against the Rangers, thanks to a single by Nathaniel Lowe.

"It's frustrating," Nolan Arenado said of the four-game skid. "We're in a bad stretch again right now."

This comes just one day after Adam Wainwright preached urgency to the Cards clubhouse — perhaps hoping to reach the front office, as well — following a sweep against the Pirates.

"I don't think 'concerned' is the right word," said Wainwright, h/t the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I think 'pissed' is the right word. I think everyone is pissed at a lot of different things. We come in here and we look around and we're like, 'What the heck?' Some things can't be explained. You've just got to go and perform."

What can Cardinals, Nolan Arenado do to turn things around?

The talent on the St. Louis roster is undeniable to the point it would be a shame to see the front office blow things up at the deadline. Should the Cardinals continue to falter, expect John Mozeliak and team executives to look to trade some rental players, who otherwise might leave in free agency for nothing.

The odds of St. Louis dealing, say, a Paul Goldschmidt, whose contract ends after 2024, are low. Goldy is a core member of this team, and the Cards believe in what they are building, down year or not.

But to be true buyers, St. Louis needs to make up significant NL Central ground in the weeks to come.