Wednesday’s Game Report: Brewers 3, Cardinals 2
By Rob Rains
What has been building for much of the season became official on Wednesday night.
With the loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee, the Cardinals will finish in last place in the NL Central for the first time since the NL split into three divisions in 1995. It’s the Cardinals’ first last-place finish since they were sixth in the old NL East in 1990.
The loss was their 89th of the season, and the Cardinals will need to win their final four games of the year to avoid their first 90-loss season since they were 70-92 in 1990.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning before the Brewers tied the game in the bottom of the inning and then scored the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning but could score only once, the run coming home on a sacrifice fly by Masyn Winn … A wild pitch produced the Cardinals’ second run in the sixth … Jordan Walker’s single leading off the eighth extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He advanced to third as the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out but Ivan Herrera grounded into a double play to end the threat.
On the mound: After shutting out the Brewers through five innings, Zack Thompson could not get through the sixth, giving up two runs, one scoring on an error by Richie Palacios … In the seventh, Matthew Liberatore allowed a two-out RBI double that produced the go-ahead run, following a leadoff double off Jacob Barnes.
Key stat: The Cardinals have spent 141 of 175 days this season in last place in the NL Central, including every day since July 28.
Worth noting: Juniel Querecuto’s bunt single in the second inning was the second hit of his major-league career, coming exactly seven years to the date after he tripled for the Rays for his first and only previous hit in the majors … With Paul Goldschmidt getting the night off and all of the players the Cardinals have on the injured list, their only players in the lineup with more than two years of MLB experience were Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbaar.
Looking ahead: Dakota Hudson will get the start in the final road game of the year on Thursday, scheduled for a 3:10 p.m. first pitch.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
