Flaherty amid Cardinals' dismal slump: 'We're all f------g frustrated'

Warning: Story contains coarse language

The St. Louis Cardinals are mired in a six-game losing streak that's keeping them in last place in the NL Central, and players have had enough.

"We're all fucking frustrated," right-hander Jack Flaherty said after getting shelled on Thursday, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. "We're way better than this and we all know it."

Flaherty, who noted he "sucked," got knocked around by the Los Angeles Angels, taking the loss while allowing 10 runs on nine hits and one walk over 2 1/3 innings while striking out one. The former first-rounder now possesses a 6.29 ERA through seven starts.

"Feels like shit," catcher Willson Contreras added. "I take this personally. I came here with a goal and to win games, help people be better. Obviously, things haven't gone our way, but it's not early anymore. It's not early. It's May now. And if we don't make adjustments now, it's going to be a long season."

Contreras, 30, joined the Cardinals on a five-year, $87.5-million contract via free agency this past winter as the heir to Yadier Molina behind the plate. The three-time All-Star has been decent, hitting .284/.368/.431 with two homers, nine doubles, and two stolen bases.

"That clubhouse is extremely frustrated," manager Oli Marmol noted, who is in his second season at the helm after surprisingly replacing Mike Shildt as skipper. Marmol helped lead the team to a 93-69 record last year to win the division.

The Cardinals were tabbed as favorites in a generally noncompetitive NL Central. However, through 32 games, they're 10-22 and sitting in last place, 10 games back of the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates and three-and-a-half behind the fourth-place Cincinnati Reds.