Cardinals’ Offense Comes Up Short in a Tough 2-1 Loss to Rangers
The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals’ Offense Comes Up Short in a Tough 2-1 Loss to Rangers
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals had the pitching. They had the late-inning chance. They had the tying run within reach.
What they did not have Monday night at Busch Stadium was enough offense.
The Texas Rangers held off the Cardinals 2-1 in the opener of a three-game interleague series, riding five scoreless innings from Jacob deGrom and just enough timely offense to spoil a solid bounce-back start from Michael McGreevy.
It was the kind of game that leaves a club frustrated because the Cardinals were never buried. They were never out of it. The pitching staff kept the game close all night, but the offense could not build enough pressure or cash in enough chances.
McGreevy gave the Cardinals a professional start, working six innings and allowing two runs. After his roughest outing of the season last week, this was the response St. Louis needed from him. He threw strikes, worked with tempo, and gave the Cardinals a chance to win against one of baseball’s more dangerous lineups.
The Rangers finally broke through in the fourth when Ezequiel Duran doubled to left, scoring Brandon Nimmo to give Texas a 1-0 lead. Texas added another run in the fifth when Joc Pederson singled to center, scoring Danny Jansen and pushing the lead to 2-0.
That was all the Rangers would need.
The Cardinals had a chance in the bottom of the fourth when Jimmy Crooks lined a base hit to left, moving Bryan Torres to third with two outs. With deGrom already laboring near the upper end of his pitch count, Victor Scott II worked a full count but popped out to left, leaving two runners stranded.
That inning stood out. Against a pitcher like deGrom, opportunities are rare. When they show up, a team has to cash them in.
DeGrom was sharp, holding the Cardinals scoreless over five innings while allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out eight and looked much closer to the vintage version of himself than the Cardinals would have preferred.
Once deGrom exited, the Cardinals finally got on the board.
Masyn Winn jumped on reliever Peyton Gray in the sixth and launched a solo home run to left, cutting the Rangers’ lead to 2-1. It was the one real offensive spark of the night for St. Louis and gave the Cardinals life heading into the late innings.
But that was as far as the comeback would go.
Justin Bruihl retired the Rangers in order in the seventh, and the Cardinals’ bullpen kept the game within reach. The problem remained the same: the bats could not finish the job. Nelson Velázquez struck out as a pinch-hitter, Jose Fermin lined out to second, and JJ Wetherholt grounded out to second to end the seventh.
The Cardinals continued to hang around, but Texas’ bullpen held the line. St. Louis finished with five hits and only one run, a familiar frustration on a night when the pitching staff gave them enough to make the game winnable.
Winn’s homer was the highlight. McGreevy’s bounce-back effort was encouraging. The bullpen did its part.
But baseball still comes down to 27 outs, and right now the Cardinals are giving away too many of them. In a one-run game, empty at-bats and missed chances carry extra weight.
This was not a blowout. It was not a game where the Cardinals were outclassed across the board. It was a tight, winnable ballgame that slipped away because the offense could not provide enough support.
The Cardinals entered the night in second place in the National League Central and opened a stretch against a Texas club that came to St. Louis trying to climb back into the American League West picture. Former Cardinal Skip Schumaker returned to Busch Stadium as manager of the Rangers, but by the end of the night, the story was less about sentiment and more about missed opportunity.
St. Louis will try to even the series Tuesday night, with Dustin May scheduled to start against Nathan Eovaldi.
Old School Take
The Cardinals pitched well enough to win. That is the hard part to swallow. McGreevy answered the bell, the bullpen kept them alive, and the game was there for the taking. But one swing from Winn was not enough. At some point, the offense has to stop waiting for the perfect inning and start winning the at-bats in front of them.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Maysn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB.com