ST. LOUIS — There hasn’t been much that has gone Adam Wainwright’s way this season, and that was the case again on Tuesday night.
Trying for the ninth time to earn his 199th career win, Wainwright allowed only one hit and one run through the first four innings against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
He didn’t get out of the fifth inning, however, as the Pirates scored five runs that secured the win over the Cardinals and dropped them to 0-5 this season in Pittsburgh.
The loss was the sixth in their last seven games for the Cardinals and also left them a season-low 17 games below .500.
In those seven games, the Cardinals have been outscored 52-16, with seven of their runs coming in their only win.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: It was another night of failing to get a key hit for the Cardinals, who were just 1-of-11 with a runner in scoring position and left nine runners on base … Richie Palacios hit his first career homer leading off the fifth while the other Cardinals runs scored on a double by Willson Contreras in the sixth, following a leadoff walk, and on a single by Alec Burleson in the seventh … Burleson was the only Cardinal with a two-hit night.
On the mound: After allowing only one hit and one walk to the first 15 hitters he faced, Wainwright could not get out of trouble in the fifth. The Pirates had three consecutive singles, then got a two-out double and a two-run homer from Andrew McCutchen that capped the big inning … John King, Jacob Barnes (making his Cardinals’ debut) and Andre Pallante combined to shut out the Pirates for the final three innings on just one hit and one walk, both off King.
Key stat: The 72 losses for the Cardinals is more or equal to the number of losses they had for the entire season in eight of the last 13 full seasons since 2009.
Worth noting: Contreras, manager Oli Marmol and Walker were all ejected from the game. Contreras was tossed after he struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh, which also prompted Marmol’s ejection … Walk was ejected after being called out on strikes in the eighth … Matthew Liberatore, who had been scheduled to start on Wednesday, was placed on the injured list because of back tightness. Barnes was promoted from Memphis … Tekoah Roby, one of the players acquired from Texas at the trade deadline, will make his debut with the Cardinals organization on Saturday, starting the game at Double A Springfield. He hasn’t pitched since June because of a shoulder injury.
Looking ahead: Zack Thompson will get the start in the 11:35 a.m. game (St. Louis time) on Wednesday as the Cardinals try to avoid the series sweep and win their first game of the season in Pittsburgh.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains.
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