Friday’s Game Report: Pirates 8, Cardinals 2
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals knew the streak was going to end at some point, and it happened on Friday night.
For the first time since July 24-26, the Cardinals lost their second game in a row, falling to the Pirates in the opener of a weekend series in Pittsburgh.
Miles Mikolas allowed four runs over five innings and the offense struggled as well, collecting only six hits.
Thanks to the win by the Reds over the Brewers, the Cardinals’ lead in the NL Central remained at eight games.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Tommy Edman had two of the Cardinals’ six hits, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. His second hit, a double, drove in their second run in the seventh inning … Corey Dickerson had the other RBI with a ground out in the sixth … Paul Goldschmidt had a double in four at-bats and is now hitting .327 … Albert Pujols did not start but replaced Alec Burleson as the DH and was 0-of-2.
On the mound: After giving up a solo home run in the second, Mikolas allowed three runs in the fifth. The Pirates had eight of their 15 hits off Mikolas, who also recorded eight strikeouts … For the second game in a row the bullpen struggled, giving up four runs in the final three innings. This time Jake Woodford allowed the four runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Key stat: In seven starts on the road since the All-Star break, Mikolas is 2-4 with a 6.98 ERA, allowing 44 hits and 30 earned runs in 38 2/3 innings.
Worth noting: Eight of the Cardinals remaining 23 games will be against the Pirates … Tyler O’Neill was back in the starting lineup after missing Thursday’s game because of a stiff neck… The Oakland A’s claimed outfielder Conner Capel on waivers. Capel was designated for assignment to make room for Burleson on the 40-man roster.
Looking ahead: Jack Flaherty will make his second start since coming off the injured list in Saturday night’s game.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
