Wednesday’s Game Report: Pirates 7, Cardinals 0
By Rob Rains
Luckily for the Cardinals, they haven’t had many games like the one they had on Wednesday night.
They gave up 15 hits to the Pirates, including four to 20-year-old Konnor Griffin, and suffered their most lopsided loss of the season at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals had only five hits and were shut out for the second time in the last three games. The loss kept the Cardinals from moving to 10 games above .500, a mark they have not reached since the end of the 2022 season.
Michael McGreevy allowed three runs over five innings before the Pirates blew the game open with a four-run eighth inning. It was the first loss for the Cardinals against the Pirates in six games this season.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals’ best scoring chance came in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with one out on a single, a hit batter and a walk. Masyn Winn struck out for the second out and Cesar Prieto, getting the start at third base, saw his fly to right caught on the warning track … They were hitless in five at-bats with a runner in scoring position … JJ Wetherholt had two of the Cardinals’ five hits.
On the mound: After allowing only two runs combined in his last four starts, covering 24 innings, McGreev was not as sharp. He gave up a home run to Spencer Horwitz in the second inning, then allowed three hits and another run in the fourth. He left the game with no outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, on three singles, but Justin Bruihl allowed only one of the runs to score, on a sacrifice fly … The four runs in the eighth came off Matt Svanson, who allowed five hits in the inning, part of the Pirates’ 15-hit attack. Twelve of the hits were singles.
Key stat: McGreevy only threw a first-pitch strike to 12 of the 26 hitters he faced. In his most recent start, against the Athletics in Sacramento, he threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of the 23 hitters he faced.
Worth noting: Hunter Dobbins started for Memphis on Wednesday and worked seven innings, allowing only two runs on just three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out three … Winn was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday night’s game with a sore left knee. He was hitless in four at-bats.
Up next: Dustin May will get the start on Thursday in the final game of the three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
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