Tuesday’s match report: Reds 4, Cardinals 1
By Rob Rains
This three-game series in Cincinnati was supposed to be a breather for the Cardinals in a month-long series of games against teams battling for a playoff spot.
Instead, the Cardinals ran out of steam.
For the second night in a row, the Cardinals scored just one run in a loss to the Reds on Tuesday night, dropping their season record to .500 for the first time since June 20, when they were 37-37.
The Cardinals’ chances of making the playoffs are increasing by the day, especially considering that after one more game against the Reds starting Friday, they won’t play against a team with a losing record until September 10th.
The Cardinals are now 4-8 in August and have not won more than two games in a row since a four-game streak from June 20-24.
This is how the game went on Tuesday evening:
On the plate: The Cardinals’ only run came on a Nolan Arenado home run to top of the seventh inning with Cincinnati already leading 4-0… Prior to the home run, the Cardinals had been limited to three baserunners on doubles by Willson Contreras in the first and Victor Scott II in the sixth inning and a walk to Lars Nootbaar in the fifth… When they had a runner on third base, the Cardinals were 0 for 3, with all three at-bats ending in strikeouts… Nolan Gorman was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Hunter Greene and is now 1 for 14 in his career against Greene with 10 strikeouts.
On the hill: A two-out single brought in the Reds’ first run in the first inning against Erick Fedde, before home runs by Ty France in the second and Jeimer Candelario in the sixth extended their lead… Fedde recorded just two strikeouts in his six innings… Matthew Liberatore pitched around a hit batter in the seventh inning, and Shawn Armstrong worked a 1-2-3 eighth.
Important statistics: The Cardinals hit 0 of 5 nights with a runner in scoring position, lowering their average in those situations to .146 (13 of 89) in their 12 August games. They have hit one home run with a runner on second or third base since July 27, a 17-game span — Tommy Pham’s pinch-hit grand slam on July 30.
Noteworthy: In August, the Cardinals have a team batting average of .233 (94 of 404) and have scored 40 runs, averaging 3.33 runs per game … Reliever Nick Robertson, who was scheduled to play earlier this week, was signed by the Angels on waivers on Tuesday. He was one of the players acquired by the Red Sox for Tyler O’Neill last winter.
Outlook: Kyle Gibson will start Wednesday night as the Cardinals try to avoid a series sweep that would push their record below .500 for the season.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
