By Rob Rains
Facing left-handed starters has proven to be a problem for the Cardinals lately, and that was the case again on Wednesday night.
All-Star Mackenzie Gore got the start for the Nationals at Busch Stadium, and staked to a 3-0 lead before he threw his first pitch, Gore was on cruise control for all six of his innings in the win over the Cardinals.
Gore allowed one run in the first inning, then shut out the Cardinals on three more hits before he turned the game over to the bullpen.
The loss left the Cardinals 2-6 against lefthanded starters since June 22 and one of their two wins came in a game when the Cubs used lefthander Drew Pomeranz as an opener and he worked only 1/3 of an inning.
Over those eight games, the Cardinals offense has produced eight runs over 42 innings against the lefthanded starters, a span that has included the absence of Ivan Herrera, their leading hitter against lefthanders, while he is recovering from a leg injury.
For the season the Cardinals are 16-18 when a lefthander has started against them.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: A two-out bloop double by Willson Contreras and a single by Alec Burleson gave the Cardinals their run in the first inning … All five of their hits off Gore came with two outs … Lars Nootbaar led off the seventh with a double and scored on a two-out single by Masyn Winn, who had three of the team’s total of seven hits … Nolan Arenado was back in the lineup after missing three games because of a shoulder impingement but was hitless in four at-bats.
On the mound: A leadoff double and two-out walk from Andre Pallante in the first inning set up a three-run homer, one of three home runs by the Nationals. Pallante also allowed three runs in the fourth inning and a total of seven runs in his six innings of work … In their last six games since July 2, Cardinals starters combined have allowed 26 runs in 29 2/3 innings … The other Nationals run came on a home run from James Wood off John King in the seventh.
Key stat: In their last eight games the Cardinals have gone 2-6 and been outscored 51-17.
Worth noting: The Cardinals have lost their last 13 games, since June 7, when they scored three runs or less … Top prospect JJ Wetherholt made his Triple A debut on Wednesday night for Memphis and had a home run and a triple in his first game, the first game of a doubleheader. He will represent the Cardinals in the Futures Game on Saturday, part of the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta.
Up next: Miles Mikolas gets another start on Thursday night in the series finale against the Nationals.
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