Marlins take 2-of-3 from St. Louis
The Cardinal Chronicle
Marlins take 2-of-3 from St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
MIAMI — A long afternoon for the bats ended with a flicker of life, but not nearly enough to change the outcome.
The St. Louis Cardinals managed just four hits Wednesday afternoon, falling 4-1 to the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park and dropping the series two games to one. What started as a promising road trip with a sweep in Houston finished flat.
Kyle Leahy’s transition from bullpen arm to rotation piece hit another bump. The right-hander worked five innings again but allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out just two. Leahy struggled to find the strike zone consistently, falling behind hitters and working deep into counts. His fastball command was shaky, and several Marlins hitters jumped on pitches left out over the plate.
Fatigue may be playing a role as well, with Leahy's velocity dipping slightly as the game went on. Miami set the tone early, pushing across two runs in the second inning and adding single tallies in the fourth and fifth. It was not overwhelming, just steady pressure, and on this night, that was more than enough.
The offense never found its footing.
St. Louis was held to three hits through eight innings before Ivan Herrera finally broke through, leading off the ninth with a solo home run — his third of the season — to avoid the shutout. Before that swing, there wasn’t much to hang your hat on.
Pedro Pagés singled in the third. Nolan Gorman doubled in the seventh. Nathan Church followed with a single that moved Gorman to third, but the brief threat fizzled when Thomas Saggese grounded into a force play. That was the night in a nutshell — a chance here, a chance there, and nothing to show for it. The Cardinals finished 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
To their credit, the bullpen did its job. Gordon Graceffo worked out of trouble in the sixth, Matt Svanson was clean in the seventh, and Ryan Fernandez navigated traffic in the eighth. They kept it within reach. The lineup just never reached back.
One number tells the story, and it is not a pretty one. The Cardinals struck out nine times on Wednesday and 34 times over the three-game series. They fanned at least nine times in every game on the six-game trip.
That is not a blip anymore. That is a trend.
The team will need to make some adjustments as they move forward: tightening up two-strike approaches, focusing on putting more balls in play, and perhaps seeking more aggressive coaching on pitch recognition. There may even be room to shuffle the lineup to spark a new look. Either way, cutting down on empty swings is going to have to be a priority if the Cardinals want to get this offense in gear.
Manager Oliver Marmol gave Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker the night off, looking ahead to a demanding stretch — 17 games in 17 days starting Friday. It’s a long haul, and fresh legs matter. But this club is going to need more than rest days. It’s going to need better at-bats.
There is some help potentially on the horizon. With Richard Fitts lost for the season, a spot starter will be needed soon. Hunter Dobbins, currently on a rehab assignment with Memphis, continues to make his case. Over his last two outings with Memphis, Dobbins has thrown 10 innings, allowing just three runs on eight hits, with 12 strikeouts against only two walks. If the rotation needs a boost, he’s likely first in line.
For now, the Cardinals will take a breath.
They’re off Thursday before returning to Busch Stadium to open a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners. It’s their only homestand before another road swing, and it comes at a good time.
Seattle comes in hot, having won seven of its last 10 games and currently sits atop the AL West. Pitching will be a major storyline, as the Mariners feature one of the league's stingiest rotations, led by ace Logan Gilbert and the emerging Bryce Miller.
The Cardinals hitters will need to be ready for a steady diet of fastballs and sliders. Offensively, keep an eye on Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners' dynamic center fielder, who has started to heat up after a slow start to the season. Ty France and J.P. Crawford have also been table-setters at the top of the order. It promises to be a challenging series against a well-rounded club that rarely gives away runs.
Six games on the road told a pretty honest story — when the bats show up, this club can play with anyone. When they don’t, it gets quiet in a hurry.
And lately, it’s been a little too quiet.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports