TORONTO聽鈥 The Cardinals bullpen took the loss, but the club鈥檚 offensive struggles were the true culprit behind Sunday鈥檚 series-ending loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Offensive futility was the main culprit of the entire weekend as the Cardinals were swept for just the sixth time this season.
In the top of the eighth inning of a tie game, the Cardinals played their lone trump card off the bench when Brendan Donovan drew a leadoff walk against Blue Jays left-handed reliever and former Cardinal Genesis Cabrera. That鈥檚 when Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol went to Paul Goldschmidt as a pinch hitter for Alec Burleson in hopes of igniting a scoring opportunity.
Instead, Goldschmidt hit into double play, and the Cardinals didn鈥檛 score in the inning. They took their shot and had nothing to show for it.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Blue Jays got a one-out, pinch-hit single by against Cardinals bullpen stalwart Andrew Kittredge. Springer singled, then scored the decisive run on Nathan Lukes鈥 opposite-field RBI double into the left field corner as the Cardinals fell 3-2 to the Blue Jays in the finale of their three-game set at Rogers Centre.
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The Cardinals scored seven total runs in the three-game series, including one extra-inning game.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 the thing with our 鈥檖en: It gets kind of amplified a little bit when they give up a run, and it鈥檚 because the margins are so thin for them,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been that way all year. You鈥檝e got to give them credit. They鈥檝e done a hell of a job, for a long time now, of giving us every bit of a chance to win. Any time they give up a run or two聽鈥 for the most part, other teams do that and they鈥檙e still up two runs of they鈥檙e still up three runs and it鈥檚 OK. But our guys, one run flips the game, and it鈥檚 constant.
鈥淪o there鈥檚 a lot of pressure on those guys, and they鈥檝e handled it really well. I鈥檓 proud of them. Offensively, we just haven鈥檛 had the ability to execute. Plain and simple. There鈥檚 no talking around it or excusing it. We just don鈥檛 score enough runs right now to win games, especially to go on a run.鈥
The Cardinals fell to a game below .500, with a 74-75 record, going into the final 13 games of the season. They still have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they fell 7陆 games behind the Atlanta Braves heading into the Braves鈥 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball."
Cardinals outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker drove in the club鈥檚 runs in Sunday鈥檚 loss. Nootbaar went 2 for 4 with a home run, while Walker went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI. The Cardinals went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Entering Sunday, Blue Jays starting pitchers had posted the best ERA in the majors since the start of August (3.02).
Right-hander Yariel Rodriguez allowed one hit through the first four innings, but catcher Ivan Herrera (1 for 3) singled to start the fifth and Walker lined an RBI double over the head of Blue Jays center fielder, Lukes, and gave the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage.
s had held the Blue Jays to just two hits through the first four innings. Thanks to a double play and a runner caught trying to advance to second base on a pitch in the dirt, he faced the minimum number of batters through four innings.
However, the Blue Jays (72-78) responded in the bottom half of the inning when a two-strike pitch from Mikolas sailed up and inside off the plate to hit Spencer Horwitz. Mikolas then went to a full count on Davis Schneider after Schneider fouled off an initial two-strike pitch.
Mikolas鈥 3-2 sinker didn鈥檛 have the late action he鈥檇 wanted, and it stayed over the heart of the plate and belt high. Mikolas reacted almost immediately when he saw the location of the pitch.
鈥淭rying to keep that ball down right there, and I kind of just threw it right down the middle,鈥 Mikolas said. 鈥淭his is a team that swings a lot. So I knew he was going to swing. As soon as I saw that it wasn鈥檛 going to be down, I knew that it wasn鈥檛 going to be great pitch.鈥
Schneider, who also homered on Saturday, smacked the sinker over the left-center field wall for a two-run home run.
Mikolas went five innings and allowed two runs on three hits and no walks. He struck out four batters. He did not factor into the decision in what was the 47th one-run game of the season for the Cardinals (they've gone 27-20).
Asked about the club鈥檚 penchant for playing so many tight games this season and what it鈥檚 like knowing any one play could prove pivotal, Mikolas turned to world of rock music.
鈥淚t鈥檚 Jon Bon Jovi 'Livin鈥 on the Edge,'鈥 Mikolas said, seemingly combining and 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fickle place to be. It鈥檚 rough walking the line on the razor鈥檚 edge there. It does make for some exciting games. I think if you asked a lot of people, we鈥檇 rather have some more blowouts in our favor.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lineup that can, for sure, put good swings on the ball and put a hurting on opposing pitchers. I think that鈥檚 something that we鈥檒l start to do the end of this year and, hopefully, into next year as some of these young guys get more comfortable and the veterans get back into the swing of things.鈥
Nootbaar took Blue Jays reliever Ryan Yarbrough deep to start the seventh inning. Nootbar鈥檚 first home run against a left-handed pitcher this season tied the score 2-2. It stayed that way until the Blue Jays pushed a run across in the eighth against Kittredge.
The Cardinals made a last-ditch effort in the ninth. Luken Baker singled, and with two outs, Thomas Saggese hustled and beat out an infield single to bring Walker to the plate with the tying run in scoring position.
鈥淵ou want to see him in that last situation there,鈥 Marmol said of Walker. 鈥淭he more times that happens, the better for him and for us. You want the game on the line with some of these young guys leading into the end of this season for it to be meaningful, for them to take some at-bats where something is on the line.鈥
Walker, who doubled in the game鈥檚 first run and homered on Saturday, got a first-pitch fastball up in the zone from Blue Jays reliever Chad Green, and he swung. Walker鈥檚 swing yielded a game-ending pop fly to shortstop.
鈥淚 obviously want to come through for the team right there,鈥 Walker said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛, and that鈥檚 frustrating, but I think that I need to prepare myself for the next time in that moment to come through.鈥
As far as Marmol鈥檚 sentiments about those types of situations benefiting Walker in the long run, Walker said he certainly hopes to learn from that situation. Of course, he was more focused on the desire to deliver in the present than any potential future payoff.
鈥淚 think whenever I鈥檓 in that moment, I want to come through,鈥 Walker said.