I'll be honest with you. In the fifth inning, I wanted St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux to go get Adam Wainwright.
The Milwaukee Brewers had runners on base and only one out with a 2-0 lead already constructed. This is where you minimize the bleeding and pull Wainwright before the game is blown apart. This has been one of Mike Matheny's less than stellar traits in his time as Cardinals manager. Sticking with loyalty instead of honesty.
Against all odds, Wainwright pitched out of the jam. The Brewers would get a third run, but the 36-year-old pitcher would complete seven innings, becoming just the second Cardinal to do so in 2018. The Cardinals, however, wasted the good start and lost 3-2, their bats silenced by average arms once again.
Here are my 5 takeaways:
5) Once again, the offense collects more strikeouts than hits. Later this morning, I will look into this and see how far the bats with holes goes, but the strikeouts are a problem. The Cardinals aren't slugging enough to miss this many baseballs. Nine strikeouts to just seven hits is a letdown. More often than not, a team that strikes out more than getting a hit will lose the game.
4) Kolten Wong is struggling. He went 0-4, which included a miss in a huge spot. He's hitting .167 with a .409 OPS, and you can look at just one game where he showed the flourish that occurred last year. This is a big year for Wong and an even bigger moment right now. With Jedd Gyorko out, Wong has the chance to run off with the second base job, but is wasting it. If I had to point at one Cardinal for possible trade this season, it's Wong. With the emergence of Jose Martinez, long-term deal for Paul DeJong, and versatility of Gyorko, Wong could be sent out right as his contract starts to increase dramatically. He'll have to prove himself yet again.
3) Speaking of Martinez, the Achilles heel contusion was minor, and after a day off Tuesday, he got back on base three times Wednesday afternoon. The more he takes the field and performs, one has to wonder if he will force the team to make a move at midseason. A great example of Martinez's hitting ability is the way he doesn't try to re-route a pitch at the plate. In the ninth inning, he took an outside pitch to right field, laying the bat head out there and poking it to right. A different hitter would have tried to yank it to left and be pull-happy. Martinez is wise at the plate. What the heck too this so long?
2) Tommy Pham just needs time. He hasn't gotten off to an explosive start, but smashed his second home run in the ninth and collected another hit in a loss. I have confidence in this guy providing at least half the spark he did in 2017. Do I think he will give another six wins to the Cards? No, but three or four shouldn't be out of the question.
1) Wainwright is 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA, but don't let the dichotomy of his two starts bring you down. He was very good Wednesday, going deep into a game, which gives the bullpen a rest before a four game set in "bombs away" Cincinnati kicks off tonight. Needing only 91 pitches to get 21 outs, Wainwright relied on his cutter and curveball to get outs, even if the hook didn't produce any swings and misses. The 91 mph fastballs didn't depart after 60 pitches, and he spotted the corners well. In order for him to fare well this season, he will need the umpire's agreement with pitches on the corners. If not, hitters will take him deep, as they did two times on Wednesday.
Still, if Wainwright gives you seven innings without blowing the game up, it's a good day. Too bad the lineup couldn't do their part, going 0-6 with runners in scoring position. According to Derrick Goold, the RISP performance affected the entire homestand.
The Cardinals are 5-7 on the season, which isn't ugly, but stands far from pretty. Their rotation is improving and their bullpen is catching up, but the bats need to be consistent. Hopefully, Cincy awakens the lumber.
Thanks for reading.
