ANAHEIM, Calif. — Twice on this road trip, the Cardinals were able to rally from an early multiple-run deficit and pull out a victory. History did not repeat itself on Wednesday night.
Lance Lynn and the Cardinals gave up four runs in the first inning and the Angels cruised to the win in Anaheim in the final game of the series and the seven-game trip.
The loss snapped their three-game winning streak and left the Cardinals 0-4 on the final game of a road trip this season and 2-11 in the last game of a series.
They finished the trip with a 3-4 record and fell back to seven games under .500 at 18-25.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals had nine hits, just missing a fifth consecutive game with a double-digit hit total … One of the hits was a home run by Paul Goldschmidt leading off the sixth … Brendan Donovan drove in the other run with a single in that eighth following a double by Alec Burleson, one of his two hits … Donovan and Lars Nootbaar also had a two-hit game … The Cardinals were just 1-of-10 with a runner in scoring position and for the road trip were a combined 11-of-74 with a man on second or third, a .149 average.
On the mound: Lynn allowed a leadoff homer in the first, the first of four hits by the Angels in the inning … Lynn had only allowed four runs total, two earned, in the opening inning over his first eight starts of the season … A throwing error and a wild pitch helped the Angels score one of their runs … Nine of the first 14 batters Lynn faced reached base, but one runner was thrown out attempting to steal and another was doubled off first on a fly ball … The Angels also hit two home runs off Nick Robertson, who allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Key stat: The Cardinals were outscored 10-0 in the first inning on the road trip. They had a combined total of four hits in 26 at-bats, a .154 average, while their opponents, the Brewers and Angels, were a combined 11-of-31, a .355 average.
Worth noting: In their first seven games since Willson Contreras broke his arm, Cardinals catchers Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages combined to go 9-of-26, a .346 average, with five RBIs … Herrera also recorded his first caught stealing of the year on Wednesday night after opponents and been 22-of-22 in attempts with him behind the plate, including a stolen base in the first inning … The Cardinals had a 7-6 record in their tour of California in their three trips to the state to play the Dodgers, Padres, Athletics and Giants. Their only three games left in California will be the last three games of the season in September, in San Francisco.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals have a day off on Thursday before opening a nine-game homestand on Friday night against the Red Sox. Kyle Gibson is the scheduled starter. Following the three weekend games against Boston, the Cardinals will host the Orioles for three games and play the Cubs for the first time this season.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains.
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