ST. LOUIS — Let it be stated for the record that Adolis Garcia didn't lose the game for the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.
The rookie outfielder carrying the nickname of "JAG" attempted to score in the eighth inning on a grounder to third base off the bat of Jose Martinez that was thrown down the first base line. Coming all the way around from first base, Garcia tripped running around the third base bag after having to change gears mid-stride.
There was a lot of hate coming down on Garcia after the game ended in a merciful 2-1 loss to Milwaukee, which pushed the Cardinals further out of the wildcard game and nudged the Brewers closer on the comeback trail to the Central Division title.
On one hand, I get it. When fans see another team celebrate on their field for the second year in a row and see the hopes of playoff baseball slipping away for the third year in a row, the reactions will be dramatic. After all, baseball is a romantic sport that forges bonds and doesn't really ever let go.
On the other hand, it's not Garcia's fault the Cardinals lost. It's the feeble offense that offered two hits against the Brewers and only scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jedd Gyorko.
For the second straight time, the bats were stymied by Brewers starter Jhoulys Chacin, and couldn't find any traction against the Brewers bullpen. Remember when the series started out in the Cardinals' favor with a Milwaukee bullpen game? A great setup soon turned into a pathetic nightmare of ugly proportions.
This isn't hyperbole, folks. The Cardinals managed ten runs, TEN, in their last four games against Milwaukee this season. They just got swept in a pivotal late series at home, continuing their trend of ordinary play at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals mixed in three walks with those two hits, and struck out nine times. It was so boring down there during the Cardinals' at-bats that they left just four guys on base and went 0-2 with runners in scoring position. The announced attendance of 40,000 couldn't fill half the stadium at first pitch. For the first time in years, Busch Stadium wasn't noisy in a late September game that meant something.
Yadier Molina, Kolten Wong, and Harrison Bader went 0-9 with three strikeouts. John Gant did his best, pitching into the fourth inning before Chasen Shreve came in to allow the go-ahead run on a lucky hit by Travis Shaw. Dakota Hudson, Jordan Hicks, and Carlos Martinez held the line at 2-1,giving the bats a chance to come back and win a big game.
The answer was crickets. Nothing. Empty production. As Mike Shiltd would later say the players barreled some of the early pitches from Chacin, but got unlucky. How does he explain the rest of the series? Explain the first game where the Cardinals found a way to get to Josh Hader and NO ONE ELSE. This team doesn't make sense, frustrates writers and fans alike, and guess what....aren't out of it yet.
Unbeknownst to some after the game, the Cardinals are just a game back of Los Angeles for the second wildcard spot. They came into the series this week controlling their destiny, and they leave controlling little. The Cards will need help from other teams such as the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants this weekend to get into the wildcard game.
Who stands in their way? The Chicago Cubs. Do you think Joe Maddon is going to rest his regulars and lay down for the Cardinals? No way. He will take joy in personally hammering the nails into the Cardinals' casket at Wrigley Field.
All the Cardinals can do is win a series to have the chance of possibly playing the Cubs in a wildcard game next week. First, they may have to go through Colorado or Los Angeles. Imagine playing two games just to get into the National League Division Series.
The good thing about the Cardinals is they aren't out of it. The bad thing about it is the Cardinals are...not out of it. As I said yesterday, this team does nothing easy and will make it a roller coaster finish.
I would say the savior is Adam Wainwright, who pitches Friday--but in reality it's the offense. Can the lineup give Wainwright an early lead to work with? Can the bats crack Kyle Hendricks, Cole Hamels, and Mike Montgomery this weekend? That is the only question. The Cubs smell blood in the water, so I hope the Cardinals have some fight in them.
Adolis Garcia may wake up this morning with the fate of the world on his shoulders. Similar to Kolten Wong getting picked off in the 2013 World Series, a rookie will take it upon himself to shoulder the blame for an offense that couldn't muster more than two hits in a must-win game.
That's baseball for you. Unfair at times, harsher during others, and impossible to look away from.
There's three games left, Cardinals fans. With their backs against the wall, what do the Cardinals have left?
