ST. LOUIS — It didn’t take very long Tuesday night for the Cardinals to find themselves in what has become an all-too-familiar position as of late.
Nine pitches into the game at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals were down 2-0 – and it didn’t get any better from there.
Carlos Martinez gave up those runs and a three-run homer to Jose Ramirez in the third as the Cardinals suffered their sixth loss in a row and the eighth in their last nine games.
It’s their longest losing streak since Mike Shildt became the team’s manager in 2018.
“We played from behind with a big crooked number again,” Shildt said.
Martinez walked the leadoff hitter when a close call on a 3-2 pitch did not go his way and then gave up a triple to Ahmed Rosario, who scored the second run on a groundout. In the third, a pair of singles put the runners on base before the home run.
“We’ve got to be on the other side of the three-run homer,” Shildt said. “Couple of mistakes just got paid for. The three-run homer was the big blow.
“We just haven’t been able to play with the lead. We haven’t had a lead basically in the last stretch of this homestand and the last game in LA. It’s hard to win without it.”
Paul Goldschmidt said the team is more focused on the results of that day’s game but he realizes the team has been in a rut for the last several days.
“We just really haven’t played our best this past week,” Goldschmidt said. “That happens. Show up tomorrow and try to play better.”
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals only run came in the fourth, on an RBI single from Edumundo Sosa, following a two-out walk and a hit batter … They had only six hits in the game, all singles, as their top four hitters – Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado – were a combined 1-of-16, with the hit coming from Goldschmidt … Matt Carpenter and Sosa each had two hits.
On the mound: Martinez, knocked out in the first inning in his last start, gave up seven hits in his four innings of work. He did strike out seven … It’s the fifth time in the last six games the Cardinals starter failed to pitch at least five innings … They got scoreless innings out of Andrew Miller, Daniel Ponce de Leon and Seth Elledge, but Jake Woodford allowed one run without a hit and the Indians then blew the game open with four runs in the ninth off Junior Fernandez.
Key stat: Martinez allowed eight baserunners, on the seven hits and a walk, and four of them came around to score. So far this season in his 11 starts, exactly half – 41 of 82 – of the runners who have reached base against Martinez have come around to score.
Worth noting: Yadier Molina missed his second consecutive game because of a contusion on his left knee, suffered when he was hit by a foul tip on Saturday. Shildt said he is “optimistic” that Molina will be able to play on Wednesday night … Paul DeJong was scheduled to continue his rehab assignment in Memphis on Tuesday night but the Redbirds’ game was rained out. They will play a doubleheader on Wednesday … Harrison Bader has not been cleared to resume baseball activities as he recovers from a broken rib.
Looking ahead: Adam Wainwright will get the start on Wednesday night in the final game against the Indians.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
