Wednesday’s Game Report: Brewers 2, Cardinals 1
By Rob Rains
Dustin May carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Wednesday in Milwaukee but not only did he fall short of his bid for history, he ended up with one of the toughest-luck losses a pitcher could get.
The biggest reason was another bad day for the Cardinals’ offense, which scored a combined two runs in getting swept in a three-game series in Milwaukee for the first time since 2011.
The Cardinals gave May only one run of support and he protected that lead until the eighth, when Garrett Mitchell broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double. A bunt single moved Mitchell to third and ended May’s day, and all he could do was stand in the dugout and watch what happened next.
JoJo Romero retired the first two batters he faced, but Christian Yelich tied the game with a single, and Gold Glove shortstop Masyn Winn then could not field a hard-hit grounder for an error that let the go-ahead run score.
In the top of the ninth, Winn reached on an infield single, stole second and moved to third on a fly ball but was stuck there when the game ended with pinch-hitter Yohel Pozo striking out.
The Cardinals were hitless in 10 at-bats with a runner in scoring position and didn’t have a hit with a runner on second or third in the series, going 0-of-17 in the three games.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The only run for the Cardinals scored in the fourth. Jordan Walker, who had two of their eight hits, led off the inning with a single and after a pair of strikeouts, scored on a triple into the right-field corner by Bryan Torres. He was stranded on third when Pedro Pages struck out … JJ Wetherholt hit a one-out double in the fifth but also was left stranded at third, and Pages doubled with one out in the seventh but didn’t move from there.
On the mound: The only two batters to reach base against May in the first seven innings were Jake Bauers, when he was hit by a pitch with one out in the second, and Sal Frelick, who reached on catcher’s interference leading off the third. May had retired 12 consecutive batters and had only thrown 82 pitches in the game going into the eighth, becoming the first Cardinals pitcher to work more than seven innings this season. He struck out a season-high nine batters … May is now 0-4 with two no decisions in his six starts since his last win on April 21, despite compiling a 3.72 ERA in that stretch.
Key stat: The three games without a hit with a runner in scoring position dropped the Cardinals’ average this season in those situations to .222, the lowest mark in the National League. They went 2-of-32 in those situations in losing the last four games on the road trip.
Worth noting: The Cardinals were 1-4 on their trip to Cincinnati and Milwaukee, with one game against the Reds rained out, and have lost seven of their last nine games … Winn and Alec Burleson did combine for a terrific defensive play to get the final out in the sixth and keep the no-hit bid alive … It was a tough trip for Nolan Gorman, who was 2-of-17, and Winn, who finished the trip with two hits in 19 at-bats.
Up next: After a day off on Thursday, the Cardinals will be back at Busch Stadium on Friday night to open a three-game series against the Cubs, who had lost their last 10 games going into a game Wednesday night at Pittsburgh. The game will start at 6:15 p.m., an hour earlier than normal, because of a postgame concert. Kyle Leahy is the scheduled starter. It’s the start of a nine-game homestand.
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