ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals once again found themselves in an early deficit they could not overcome on Wednesday night.
A three-run homer by Josh Donaldson in the first inning off Zack Thompson provided all of the runs the Brewers would need to defeat the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals closed the Milwaukee lead to 4-2 with a run in the eighth inning and had the tying runs on base but couldn’t bring them home before the Brewers put the game away with four runs in the ninth.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: A leadoff double by Lars Nootbaar and a single by Paul Goldschmidt produced a run for the Cardinals in the first, but they could only manage two more hits until the eighth. With two outs in the eighth, Jordan Walker singled and Ivan Herrera was hit by a pitch before Richie Palacios delivered an RBI single. With runners on first and third, Luken Baker popped out to end the inning.
On the mound: Thompson worked five innings, allowing only three hits after the first inning, one of them the first of two home runs in the game from Tyrone Taylor … Taylor also homered in the ninth, when the Brewers scored four times off Casey Lawrence, the big blow a three-run double by Mark Canha.
Key stat: The Cardinals have been outscored 104-83 in the first inning this season, with the 104 runs the second highest total they have allowed in an inning this season. They have allowed 105 runs in the seventh inning. The 104 runs also is the most the Cardinals have allowed in the first inning since 2007, when opponents scored 109 runs. They have 10 games left in the regular season.
Worth noting: As expected Alec Burleson was placed on the injured list because of his broken left thumb and replaced on the roster by Herrera. Herrara came into the game in the seventh after Contreras had to leave with left wrist discomfort … Dylan Carlson had surgery on his left ankle on Tuesday in Charlotte. He is expected to have an eight to 12 week recovery time but should be ready for the start of spring training.
Looking ahead: Miles Mikolas will get the start on Thursday in the final game of the four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.