COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Wednesday’s Game Report: Braves 3, Cardinals 0
The Cardinals desperately needed a good outing from their starting pitcher on Wednesday night and Miles Mikolas gave it to them. It just wasn’t good enough to beat the Braves' Max Fried and get a win.
Mikolas allowed three runs over six innings, two coming on solo homers, but the offense failed to do its part as the Braves posted the shutout victory in Atlanta.
It was the fourth loss in a row for the Cardinals, who have lost six of their last seven games. They have scored a total of four runs during the season-high four-game losing streak.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: When Dylan Carlson drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, it marked the first time the Cardinals had put their leadoff hitter on base in 15 innings but he was retired on a fielder’s choice … Their best scoring chance came in the eighth. They loaded the bases with two outs when Paul Goldschmidt walked, Nolan Arenado singled and Juan Yepez walked. The threat died when Nolan Gorman, pinch-hitting for Albert Pujols, grounded out … Pujols had two of the Cardinals’ seven hits, including a double … The Cardinals were 0-of-5 with runners in scoring position and during the four-game losing streak are a combined 2-of-24.
On the mound: Mikolas allowed just one hit through the first four innings but gave up back-to-back homers to Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario in the fifth … The Braves added their last run in the sixth when Austin Riley doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Travis d’Arnaud … Zack Thompson and Giovanny Gallegos each worked a 1-2-3 inning in relief.
Key stat: In Mikolas’ 16 starts, the Cardinas have failed to score while he was pitching in seven of those games. In his seven losses, they have scored a combined five runs.
Worth noting: The six inning start from Mikolas was the longest outing by a Cardinals starter since Andre Pallante worked seven innings on June 29 … Mikolas has thrown at least six innings in 11 of his 16 starts … This was the Cardinals seventh consecutive loss to the Braves, their longest streak since losing eight games in a row between 2002 and 2003 … In their rehab appearances, Tyler O’Neill was 1-of-4 and drove in a run and T.J. McFarland worked a scoreless inning. At Peoria, Drew VerHagen also worked a scoreless inning.
Looking ahead: Matthew Liberatore will get the start on Thursday night in the final game of the series and the road trip as the Cardinals try to snap the losing streak.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains