The Cardinals looked like they might be on their way to a productive offensive night after Jordan Walker delivered a two-out RBI single in the first inning Wednesday against the Braves. Instead, that swing turned out to be the club’s final hit of the game as Atlanta’s pitching staff completely shut down St. Louis in a 5-1 victory.
Walker drove in Ivan Herrera, who had doubled earlier in the inning, to give the Cardinals a brief 1-0 lead. From that point forward, however, the offense disappeared. Atlanta retired 25 of the final 26 Cardinals hitters, with JJ Wetherholt’s one-out walk in the third serving as the only baserunner after Walker’s hit. Once Wetherholt reached, the Braves retired the final 20 batters in order to close out one of the Cardinals’ quietest offensive performances of the season.
Braves Pitching Takes Complete Control
The closest St. Louis came to breaking the drought arrived in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Jose Fermin sent a deep drive toward the left-field wall. For a brief moment it appeared the Cardinals might finally have another hit, but the ball was caught just in front of the fence, preserving Atlanta’s dominant effort.
The Braves erased the Cardinals’ early advantage in the bottom of the first when Ozzie Albies answered with an RBI double. Albies struck again in the third, launching a solo home run off Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy to put Atlanta ahead 2-1. That lead proved more than enough as Braves pitchers never allowed the Cardinals to mount another serious threat.
McGreevy Keeps Cardinals Within Reach
McGreevy settled in nicely after the opening inning despite taking the loss. After allowing a single and Albies’ RBI double to begin the game, he surrendered only one more hit over the next several innings, with that lone blemish being Albies’ home run in the third. McGreevy completed six innings and kept the Cardinals within striking distance throughout his outing.
Atlanta finally added breathing room in the eighth. Justin Bruihl issued a leadoff walk before Gordon Graceffo entered from the bullpen. The Braves capitalized on the opportunity, scoring three runs in the inning to stretch the lead to 5-1 and remove any remaining suspense.
The offensive struggles continued a troubling trend for St. Louis. The Cardinals have now scored two runs or fewer in 25 of their first 83 games this season. Wednesday also marked the fourth time in their last five games they failed to score more than two runs. The bottom half of the lineup struggled throughout the night, with the fifth through ninth hitters combining to go 0-for-15 while striking out seven times. Outside of Herrera’s first-inning double and Walker’s RBI single, the Cardinals generated almost no hard contact, hitting only seven balls out of the infield for the remainder of the game.
Futures Game Honors Provide Bright Spot
Walker still found ways to contribute beyond his lone hit. He stole his 11th base of the season after his RBI single and later threw out a runner attempting to score from the outfield, providing one of the few bright spots for St. Louis.
There were also a pair of notable developments away from the final score. The Futures Game rosters were announced Wednesday, with Double-A Springfield catcher Rainiel Rodriguez and pitcher Liam Doyle selected to represent the Cardinals organization. The July 12 showcase in Philadelphia will hold special meaning for Rodriguez, who spent several years of his childhood in the city before his family returned to the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, first baseman Blaze Jordan committed the first two-error game of his professional career.
The Cardinals will now look to avoid carrying Wednesday’s offensive frustrations into the remainder of the series after one of their most difficult nights at the plate this season.
