Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker speaks with the media on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, after a game vs. the Mariners at Busch Stadium. (Video by Ethan Erickson, Post-Dispatch)
With time running out in the regular season and every win of the utmost importance down the stretch, the Cardinals have fallen into a habit of losing series openers.
For the third time in their past four series, the Cardinals fell in a series-opening game. This time, they were held to just one run in a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners in the first game of a three-game series in front of announced crowd of 37,476 at Busch Stadium on Friday night.
The Cardinals (71-70) had their best scoring chances early, but they came up empty against Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller.
The lone run for the Cardinals came on Jordan Walker’s first home run at Busch Stadium since Sept. 17, 2023. Walker’s home run came after Miller gave way to the Mariners’ relief corps.
Center fielder Michael Siani (2 for 3) was the only Cardinal with a multi-hit day. Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (8-9) allowed one run on five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.
The Mariners (72-71) came into the series having batted .346 and scored 22 runs in their previous two games. Friday night, they did most of their damage against the Cardinals bullpen. Reliever Matthew Liberatore gave up two runs, and Kyle Leahy gave up three insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning.
The Cardinals began play Friday night sitting five games behind the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets for the final National League wild card playoff spot, 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division, with 22 games remaining (including Friday night’s game).
Friday’s series opener against the Mariners marked the start of a 16-game stretch for the Cardinals that includes 13 games at Busch Stadium.
With their win the Mariners remained four games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.
Cardinals unable to master Miller
Miller (11-8) came into the night having allowed the fewest base runners in club history through the first 27 starts of the season (158 runners). In five August starts, Miller allowed just 10 runs in 30 innings and struck out 36 batters.
The Cardinals put two men on base in the first inning via a one-out walk by Alec Burleson and a two-outs single by Arenado. Burleson, who had been running on the pitch, went from first-to-third on Arenado’s single.
However, the Cardinals weren’t able to take advantage of having two runners on against a particularly stingy starter in Miller.
Instead, Brendan Donovan’s grounder to Mariners second baseman Dylan Moore stopped the threat.
The Cardinals put three of the first seven batters on base against Miller, including a leadoff walk by Lars Nootbaar to start the second inning.
However, Nootbaar got thrown out attempting to steal second base during the second at-bat of that inning.
After Nootbaar reached in the second, Miller retired 14 of the next 16 batters he faced. Miller held the Cardinals scoreless for six innings. He allowed three hits and two walks. Donovan’s first-inning at-bat was the Cardinals’ lone chance with a runner in scoring position against Miller.
Fedde blinked first in the fifth
Fedde didn’t allow a run through the first four inning, and he limited the Mariners to just four hits during that span. He pitched around the lone extra-base hit he allowed, a one-out double by Justin Turner in the second inning, and he made it through the first four innings on 71 pitches.
However, Fedde hit a speed bump in the fifth inning.
After Fedde got Josh Rojas to ground out to start the frame, he hit Mariners leadoff hitter Victor Robles with a pitch. Mariners young star outfielder Julio Rodriguez then reached on an infield single on a ball Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn had to dive to keep from reaching the outfield.
That brough Mariners power-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh to the plate with one out and two men on. Raleigh came into the night with a team-high 29 home runs as well as a team-leading 87 RBIs. Fedde walked Raleigh, which loaded the bases with still just one out.
Former Cardinal Randy Arozarena then drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to deep center field. With the left-handed hitting Luke Raley due up next and the left-handed Liberatore warm in the bullpen, the Arozarena at-bat marked the end of the outing for Fedde.
Liberatore lets the lead expand
Liberatore retired the first two batters he faced, Raley to finish the fifth and Justin Turner to start the sixth, but he gave up a one-out single to Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford in the sixth.
The single by the left-handed hitting Crawford set up an at-bat for Dylan Moore with a runner on against Libertore. Moore ambushed a first-pitch fastball on the inner half from Liberatore and swatted it an estimated 372 feet to left field for a two-run home run.
The ninth home run allowed by Liberatore this season, the seventh by a right-handed batter, gave the Mariners a 3-0 lead.
Walker’s seventh-inning homer made the score 3-1, but the Mariners scored the game’s final three runs.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker speaks with the media on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, after a game vs. the Mariners at Busch Stadium. (Video by E…
Cardinals relief pitcher Matthew Liberatore reacts after giving up a two-run home run to the Mariners’ Dylan Moore, background, during the sixth inning on Friday at Busch Stadium.
Mariners center fielder Julio RodrÃguez, right, congratulates Dylan Moore on his two-run home run off Cardinals relief pitcher Matthew Liberatore in the sixth inning on Friday.