ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals are limping to the season’s finish line.
For the third game in a row, they lost a player to injury on Tuesday night during their loss to the Brewers at Busch Stadium. Alec Burleson fractured his left thumb sliding head-first while stealing third base in the first inning.
The injury will end Burleson’s rookie season. The Cardinals did not make an immediate roster move, but Ivan Herrera was pulled from the game at Memphis and it would appear he is headed to St. Louis.
On Sunday, Tyler O’Neill went on the injured list with a sprained right foot and on Monday, reliever Giovanny Gallegos saw his season end because of fatigue in his right shoulder.
A four-run fourth inning that featured four consecutive doubles off Drew Rom carried the Brewers to the win, which officially eliminated the Cardinals from the playoff race.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Burleson’s double drove in the first of two first-inning runs for the Cardinals. He stayed in the game to complete the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nolan Arenado before leaving the game …Richie Palacios hit his fourth home run of the month to pull the Cardinals within 5-3 in the fourth but the Cardinals were held to just three singles the rest of the game. The last four hits by Palacios have all been home runs.
On the mound: Rom allowed one run through the first three innings but could not get out of the fourth, when the Brewers scored four times. Milwaukee’s run in the third came on a home run by William Contreras, Willson’s brother … They added insurance runs in the eighth off Andre Pallante, charged to Drew VerHagen, who left after a leadoff walk, and in the ninth off Casey Lawrence.
Key stat: The Cardinals’ leadoff hitters, Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman, had gone a combined 0-of-20 in the last five games before Nootbaar led off the first with his first of two hits on the night.
Worth noting: Manager Oli Marmol said that Adam Wainwright will not make his next scheduled start on Saturday night in San Diego. A starter for that game has not been determined. Marmol said that if Wainwright does pitch again, it will be during the season’s final weekend at home against the Reds … When Burleson is officially placed on the injured list, it will bring the number of players on the 10 or 15 day list to seven, plus four players on the 60-day injured list … The Double A Sprigfield Cardinals lost game one of the best-of-three Texas League playoffs on Tuesday night, falling 3-1 to Arkansas.
Looking ahead: Zack Thompson will get the start on Wednesday night in the third game of the series.
