Friday’s Game Report: Blue Jays 3, Cardinals 1
By Rob Rains
One of the success stories of this season for the Cardinals has been the evolution of Kyle Leahy as a starting pitcher.
It was on display again Friday night – but once again Leahy did not get a victory to show for his efforts.
Leahy allowed one run over six innings but left the game in a 1-1 tie and the Blue Jays went on to win the opener of the three-game series in Toronto, taking advantage of three consecutive walks in the eighth inning before a two-run single off Gordon Graceffo.
The Cardinals have lost five of their last six games and fell to 4-11 since the All-Star break. They finished July with a 10-18 record for the month.
This was the seventh consecutive start in which Leahy allowed two or fewer runs but he has won only two of those games, with five no-decisions.
Over the current stretch Leahy has allowed five runs over 37 1/3 innings, an ERA of 1.20.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Jordan Walker drove in the only run for the Cardinals with a single in the fifth inning. Nathan Church led off the inning with his first of two hits in the game, followed by a two-aout walk to JJ Wetherholt in front of Walker … Walker’s single was one of only two hits for the Cardinals in 10 at-bats with a runner in scoring position and they had only five hits total in the game.
On the mound: Leahy allowed six hits, walked one and struck out three. The only run he allowed came on back-to-back doubles by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto in the sixth, both on two-strike pitches … The Cardinals were able to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh when Guerrero hit into a double play but they weren’t as fortunate in the eighth. Peter Strzelecki walked two batters with one out. Graceffo relieved and walked the first batter he faced before giving up a two-run pinch-hit single to Luis Urias, who is the brother of Ramon Urias, currently on the Cardinals’ injured list.
Key stat: The Cardinals have now allowed at least two runs after the eighth inning in their last six games, losing five of those games.
Worth noting: This was the Cardinals’ seventh consecutive loss to the Blue Jays, with their last win coming in 2023. It ties their longest current active losing streak against one opponent. They also have lost their last seven games against Seattle … Top pitching prospect Liam Doyle struck out a career-high 10 batters in 5 2/3 innings with no walks Friday night for Double A Springfield, giving up one run, on a home run.
Up next: Quinn Mathews joined the Cardinals Friday in Toronto and will make his major-league debut on Saturday in the second game of the series. Mathews had a 1.55 ERA in his last nine starts for Memphis. The Cardinals will need to make a roster move before the game to open a spot for Mathews. First pitch is scheduled for 2:07 p.m. St. Louis time.
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