Sunday’s Game Report: Dodgers 6, Cardinals 3
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals got some good news on Sunday, despite losing their third game in a row in Los Angeles. April is finally over.
What has been a historically bad month for the Cardinals concluded with the end of a 2-8 road trip that dropped their record at the end of the month to 10-19.
It’s their first losing record at the end of April since 2007 and their worst record after the first month of the season since they were 3-15 in 1973. Since that season, the Cardinals had never been more than six games under .500 at the end of April.
They also find themselves 10 games behind the NL-Central leading Pirates. According to research by the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time the Cardinals have been 10 games or more out of first place at the end of April since 1907, when they began the year 3-12.
In being swept by the Dodgers, the Cardinals had the lead in only two of the 27 innings in the series, after the second and third innings on Sunday, before the Dodgers regained the lead in the fourth and went on to the victory.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals took their early 2-1 lead on a one-out single by Willson Contreras, a checked-swing double by Alec Burleson, a sacrifice fly from Dylan Carlson and a single by Brendan Donovan … A single by Lars Nootbaar following a double by Tommy Edman briefly tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth … They did not have a runner reach second base over the final four innings and had just two at-bats in the game with a runner in scoring position … Contreras and Donovan were the only players with two-hit games … For the series the Cardinals hit .198 (19-of-96) with four doubles and 15 singles. It was the first time they did not hit a home run in three consecutive games in Los Angeles since 2015.
On the mound: The biggest pitching problem for the Cardinals was walks. They issued eight in the game and three of the four which came in the fourth and fifth innings ended up scoring, when the Dodgers took the lead … Jake Woodford lasted just 3 2/3 innings … Three of the Dodgers runs scored on ground balls and another on a wild pitch.
Key stat: The Dodgers scored their six runs despite going 1-of-15 with runners in scoring position. In winning all three games in the series they were a combined 4-of-32 with a runner on either second of third base.
Worth noting: For the 10-game trip the Cardinals had a team batting average of .237. Nolan Arenado was 4-of-33; Tyler O’Neill was 4-of-25; Burleson was 5-of-26 and Nootbaar was 9-of-41 … The loss Sunday was the fifth in a row for the Cardinals in Los Angeles … Adam Wainwright made his third minor-league rehab start and worked 5 2/3 innings for Memphis at Durham, allowing four runs on seven hits (including a home run) and one walk while striking out nine. He threw 89 pitches, 61 of them strikes …The Cardinals announced on Sunday that franchise icon Mike Shannon had passed away. To read our coverage of Shannon’s death CLICK HERE
Looking ahead: After a much-needed day off on Monday, the Cardinals will begin May on Tuesday night with the first of three games against the Angels at Busch Stadium. Steven Matz is scheduled to start the opener. The Cardinals have lost all five of his starts this season. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to pitch for the Angels on Wednesday night.
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