The Cardinals began the month of May with a game that looked very similar to a lot of the ones they played in April.
A home run from Willson Contreras accounted for their only run on Wednesday in a loss to the Tigers in Detroit.
In April, the Cardinals were held to three or fewer runs 18 times, going 5-13 in those games. Wednesday’s loss was the third time they scored less than three runs in their last four games.
St. Louis native Matt Vierling, a graduate of CBC High School, hit a two-run homer and also delivered a sacrifice fly to lead the Tigers to the win.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Contreras’ homer, his team-leading fifth of the season, came leading off the fourth inning. It snapped an 0-of-13 streak that included seven strikeouts … He struck out in his other three at-bats on Wednesday as well, giving him nine strikeouts in his 13 at-bats in the three games in Detroit … The Cardinals got a leadoff hit in each of the next three innings but hit into two double plays and had another strikeout-caught stealing double play to wipe out those threats … They did not get a runner past second base except for the Contreras home run and went 0-of-3 with a runner on second … Jose Fermin came off the bench and singled in the eighth, only the second pinch-hit for the Cardinals this season in 17 at-bats.
On the mound: Vierling’s homer came with two outs in the third inning off Miles Mikolas, who also gave up a run-scoring double in the second … After the home run Mikolas retired the last 10 hitters he faced but still saw the Cardinals fall to 2-5 in his seven starts this season … Matthew Liberatore worked a perfect seventh inning before JoJo Romero allowed back-to-back singles in front of Vierling’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Key stat: The Cardinals fell to 1-9 in the final game of a series so far this season. They have been outscored 44-23 in those 10 games and were held to three runs or less eight times.
Worth noting: The Cardinals finished the trip to New York and Detroit with a 3-3 record … Steven Matz, who failed to get through the fourth inning in his start on Tuesday night, is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his back on Thursday after the team returns to St. Louis. His next scheduled start would be on Sunday, but the Cardinals have not listed a starter for that game … Dylan Carlson played center field on Wednesday in the second game of his rehab assignment with Memphis, going hitless in three at-bats.
Looking ahead: After a day off on Thursday, the Cardinals will host the White Sox for three games over the weekend at Busch Stadium, followed by a three-game series against the Mets. Sonny Gray is the scheduled starter for Friday night’s game.
