Sunday’s Game Report: Brewers 2, Cardinals 0
By Rob Rains
The way things are going for the Cardinals offense these days, Sonny Gray needed to be almost perfect on Sunday if he wanted to get another win.
He gave it his best shot.
Gray allowed just two hits through six innings, finishing with 12 strikeouts, but saw the Brewers bunch three singles in a row with one out in the seventh to score twice, which was too big of a deficit for the offense to overcome.
The loss was their season-high fourth in a row, their sixth in a row to the Brewers at Busch Stadium dating back to last year and left them 0-7 in the final game of a series to begin this season.
It was the 12th time in their last 14 games the Cardinals scored three runs or less.
Gray’s streak of scoreless innings to begin his Cardinals career was snapped at 17, across three starts. The only two pitchers with longer streaks to begin a season with the Cardinals since 1969 were Woody Williams with 24 in 2003 and John Tudor with 19 in 1988.
The Cardinals’ streak without a home run reached eight-plus games and a total of 281 at-bats, although Lars Nootbaar made a bid to end the drought in the first inning only to be robbed by Blake Perkins.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: It didn’t take long for the game to find Paul Goldschmidt. Dropped to fifth for the first time as a Cardinal in 695 starts, and first time in his career since April 14, 2013, Goldschmidt came up with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning and popped out. Alec Burleson then grounded out to leave the bases loaded … The Cardinals also left runners on second and third in the second inning, and got only two more runners to second base in the game … Two of their six hits were bunt singles … A single in the first inning extended Willson Contreras’s hitting streak to 14 games … The team ws 0-of-9 with a runner in scoring position. In their four-game losing streak they are a combined 4-of-32 in those situations.
On the mound: The only two hits allowed by Gray through the first six innings were a two-out double in the first by Willy Adames and a one-out single by Brice Turang in the second …. He ended a streak of 55 consecutive batters faced without a walk when he issued a two-out walk in the fifth … The 12 strikeouts were one shy of Gray’s career high and marked the eighth time a Cardinal pitcher recorded 12 or more strikeouts at Busch Stadium 3, accomplished last by Jack Flaherty in 2018.
Key stat: The Cardinals have scored 76 runs in their 22 games, an average of 3.45 runs per game. Their total ranks last in the National League, two fewer runs than the Rockies have scored. They have scored three runs or less in 15 of their 22 games.
Worth noting: After getting just five hits in 59 at-bats to begin his major-league career, the Cardinals optioned Victor Scott II to Memphis before Sunday’s game. “It was time for Victor to go down and get to work,” said manager Oli Marmol. Scott made the opening day roster because of an injury to Dylan Carlson, despite no experience above Double A. Unable to get on base, Scott also was limited to just two stolen bases. “He was very adamant that he was going to put his head down and get to work,” Marmol said. Catcher Pedro Pages was recalled from Memphis, which will allow the Cardinals to have both Contreras and Ivan Herrera in the lineup on a more regular basis … The Cardinals also optioned Andre Pallante to Memphis and recalled Nick Robertson after Pallante worked three innings on Saturday, making him unavailable for several days.
Looking ahead: Lance Lynn will get the start on Monday night as the Cardinals open a three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Former Cardinal Jordan Montgomery is scheduled to start Wednesday’s game for Arizona.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
