Thursday’s Game Report: Braves 10, Cardinals 2
So far, the month of May has been a struggle for the Cardinals and the situation did not get any better on Thursday night in Atlanta.
Adam Wainwright lasted just four innings and gave up five runs and the bullpen did not offer much relief in the loss to the Braves.
It was only the second time in the last 11 years the Cardinals allowed 10 runs in a game in Atlanta, the first time it happened since May 30, 2012.
With Carlos Martinez set to rejoin the team, a roster move will have to be made and the duo of Luke Gregerson and Dominic Leone did not do much to improve their chances of holding onto a job.
Gregerson allowed four hits and two runs in 2/3 of an inning, plus allowing an inherited runner to score, and Leone also gave up two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Both of the Cardinals’ runs came on solo homers, by Marcell Ozuna in the sixth and by Matt Carpenter in the eighth. Ozuna has a team-leading 13 homers while Carpenter’s homer, his fifth of the year, was his first since May 6. Carpenter was 2-of-11 in the three-game series … The Cardinals had only four other hits, all singles … They went 0-of-5 with runners in scoring position for the second consecutive night.
On the mound: Wainwright was pitching in his 31st stadium in his major-league career and was making his first start in Atlanta since 2016, but it did not go the way he would have liked. He allowed five hits and issued a season-high five walks … Tyler Webb worked a scoreless fifth but was charged with one run in the sixth before the Braves blew the game open … Gregerson has a 7.94 ERA since returning to the Cardinals while Leone’s ERA is now 8.02.
Key stat: The loss dropped the Cardinals record so far in May to 4-11. They have lost seven of their last nine games.
Worth noting: Molina’s hit in the fifth came after he was 0-of-12 in his career off Braves starter Julio Teheran, the most at-bats Molina has had against any pitcher without a hit. The new leader on that list is the Dodgers’ Rich Hill, who has retired Molina in all 10 at-bats in their careers … Martinez is scheduled to join the Cardinals in Texas on Friday and likely will be activated before Saturday’s game … Springfield outfielder Dylan Carlson had a double, triple and homer on Thursday night, driving in four runs … The Cardinals’ loss was not the worst loss in the organization on Thursday night. The Peoria Chiefs lost 21-1 to the Quad Cities River Bandits.
Looking ahead: Miles Mikolas will get the start in the opener of the series in Texas on Friday night. It’s the first regular-season series for the Cardinals at Texas since 2004. The Cardinals will not face former teammate Lance Lynn in the series. Lynn, who signed with the Rangers as a free agent over the winter, started on Thursday in a 16-1 win over the Royals.
