When those have-to-have-it situations come up for the Cardinals offense, too often they've come away empty. Not even a big bopper with a decorated track record that includes accolades as lofty as an MVP trophy have been immune this season.
Former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt had the bat in his hand with the bases loaded, the score tied with a chance to deliver a win for the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth and erase the bad taste of their recent offensive struggles, but he hit a meek ground ball to shortstop.
The Cardinals gave up a run courtesy of the automatic runner in extra innings and they couldn’t muster an answer in the bottom half of the frame in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener in front of an announced crowd of 40,147 at Busch Stadium on Friday night.
“First and foremost, I just take responsibility for how I’ve played,†Goldschmidt said. “It hasn’t been good. A night like tonight where you have a chance to win the game, that’s obviously — in the moment — frustrating. You can’t let that carry over to the next day. I haven’t. I just haven’t performed well at all.â€
Goldschmidt went 0 for 5, and his batting average dropped to .169 for the season. His final at-bat of the game came in the ninth inning after the Cardinals scratched out a run with two outs to tie the score 1-1.
The Cardinals made a late push started with Masyn Winn’s two-out walk and continued with a pinch-hit single by Alec Burleson. Pinch hitter Ivan Herrera then got hit by a pitch from Brewers reliever Joel Payamps to load the bases. Brendan Donovan walked and forced in the tying run, and that brought Goldschmidt to the plate.
“We all want to play well,†Goldschmidt said. “We all want to help us win, but, yeah, when you’re hitting at the top or middle of the order you can have a big effect on the game.
"I have had an effect. It’s just been a negative one from an offensive standpoint so far this year. No one hates it as much as me. I don’t like it. We’ll just continue to work and do everything I can to try to make the necessary adjustments.â€
Goldschmidt wasn’t the only previously productive slugger Cardinals struggling on Friday night. They left 12 men on base as a team.
Second baseman Nolan Gorman, last season's club leaders in home runs and slugging percentage, also went 0 for 5. Gorman struck out four times and left seven men on base.
Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta, who entered the day with a 2.55 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings, held the Cardinals scoreless over six innings.
Peralta allowed just four hits, and he engineered an escape in the most crucial moment of the game in the sixth inning that involved Gorman.
The Cardinals entered the sixth inning with just two hits and one walk against Peralta, but they put three men on base with two outs in that frame via a Lars Nootbaar single to left field, a Nolan Arenado infield single and a Willson Contreras walk.
With the bases loaded, Peralta struck out Gorman on a 3-2 pitch to strand all three runners and preserve a 1-0 lead.
After the Cardinals forced extra innings, took a one-run lead when Brewers catcher William Contreras, the younger brother of Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, singled off of Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley to drive in the go-ahead run with two outs in the top of the 10th inning.
The Cardinals got the tying run to third base with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but the Brewers intentionally walked Willson Contreras in order to pitch to Gorman.
Gorman struck out looking to end the game with runners on second and third. He has now struck out 30 times this season in 79 plate appearances.
“He’s fighting through it,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Gorman. “He doesn’t feel great. Punchouts are adding up, obviously. He’s working extremely hard to change that. It’s — at the moment — not carrying over to the game just yet. It’s not lack of effort, lack of trying. The guy is getting after it. … We need this guy."
The Cardinals offense has scored 10 runs in the past five games. They’re batting .209 with runners in scoring position this season.
They’ve scored more than three runs in a game just once in their last 12 games. Though Goldschmidt rejected the idea of the offensive struggles carrying over from one game to the next.
“We just very much take it day by day,†Goldschmidt said. “There’s no thoughts about what’s happened two weeks ago or last week or on the road trip. It’s about preparing to play well today as individuals and as a team. So it’s just about trying to find a way to win the game. I think that’s where the mindset is.â€
Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson allowed one run on three hits and four walks in six innings. He also struck out three for his second quality start of the season (four starts). The lone run he allowed came in the third inning on a two-out RBI double by William Contreras.
Despite the four walks, Gibson made it through six innings on 89 pitches.
Gibson said that for the first time since spring training, he felt like his delivery wasn’t “on point†for most of the outing.
“You’re going to have those starts,†Gibson said. “You’re going to have times where you got to go out there and battle for six, seven innings. These are the kind of starts that can tend to shape your year a little bit because you’re going to have 10 to 15 of them.â€
The Cardinals got strong relief pitching behind Gibson. Giovanny Gallegos (2/3 innings and two strikeouts), Matthew Liberatore (1 inning, two strikeouts) and Ryan Fernandez (1 1/3 innings, no hits, two strikeouts) got the ball to Helsley in the 10th.
The run scored against Helsley was unearned by virtue of the automatic runner being on base in extra innings.
“It’s definitely a game that you’ve got to win,†Marmol said. “You’ve got to be able to scratch some runs across the board there and figure out a way to take this one. Gibby did a nice job. He pitched to the edges. He didn’t give in. It led to a couple walks, but it also led to some early contact and some quick innings for him as well.â€
The Cardinals will try to salvage the finale Sunday as they wrap up a home series against the Brewers. First pitch is set for 1:15 p.m.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman turns and walks back to the dugout after striking out in the the 10th inning to end the game during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals at Busch Stadium in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, on Friday, April 19, 2024. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt grounds out in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the game tied during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals at Busch Stadium in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, on Friday, April 19, 2024. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras runs out of the batters box after getting an RBI hit in the 10th inning to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals at Busch Stadium in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, on Friday, April 19, 2024. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com