Monday’s Game Report: Pirates 7, Cardinals 0
By Rob Rains
Erick Fedde was hoping Monday night would be the night he put an end to his long streak without a victory for the Cardinals.
It wasn’t.
For the second game in a row Fedde gave up a home run to the first batter he faced and then saw the Pirates blow the game open with a six-run fifth inning en route to the win in the opener of a three-game series in Pittsburgh.
It was also the second start in a row in which Fedde allowed seven runs. Fedde has not won since May 9, a streak that has now reached nine consecutive starts. He is 0-5 with four no-decisions during that stretch but only once in those games did the Cardinals score more than four runs.
The Cardinals were held to just four hits as they were shut out for the sixth time this season.
Here is how Monday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: A one-out walk to Brendan Donovan in the first inning gave the Cardinals their only baserunner until Victor Scott II singled with two outs in the sixth inning … The other hits were a leadoff single by Masyn Winn in the seventh, a two-out single by Willson Contreras in the same inning and a single by Jose Fermin in the ninth … None of their runners reached second base, meaning the Cardinals did not have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position … Thomas Saggese’s streak without a hit reached 14 at-bats as he was 0-of-3.
On the mound: After the leadoff homer by Spencer Horwitz, the Pirates got a double and single before Fedde got out of the first inning. He pitched around two walks before running into trouble in the fourth, when he gave up seven hits, leading to the six runs … John King and Matt Svanson combined to allow only one hit over the final three scoreless innings.
Worth noting: The Cardinals finished June with a 14-14 record … Lars Nootbaar, who aggravated the soreness in his rib cage on Saturday in Cleveland, was out of the lineup for the second consecutive day … The Cardinals changed their initial lineup to have Nolan Arenado DH and Nolan Gorman play third base … Shortstop J.J. Wetherholt, the Cardinals top pick in last year’s draft, was named Monday to represent the Cardinals in the Futures Game, part of the All-Star game festivities in Atlanta. He has spent this season at Double A Springfield … Jordan Walker is expected to play at least one more game on his rehab assignment with Memphis, on Tuesday night in Nashville. He is eligible to come off the injured list on Wednesday.
Up next: The Cardinals will face Pirates ace Paul Skenes on Tuesday night in the second game of the series. Andre Pallante will start for the Cardinals. In five career starts against the Cardinals, Skenes is 0-4 despite having a 2.76 ERA.
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