Cardinals Offense Completely Shut Down in Forgettable Loss to Braves

· Yahoo Sports

Roundtable Sports' John Denton breaks down the Cardinals' 5-1 loss to the Braves on Wednesday night -- a game where they had just two hits.

The sporadic, sputtering Cardinals’ offense struck again on Wednesday night, leaving tough-luck starting pitcher Michael McGreevy with little run support and little resistance against five Braves pitchers.

How forgettable of a night was it for the Cardinals’ offense in a 5-1 loss to the Braves? The Cards had just two hits – both in the first inning – and they didn’t have a base runner after JJ Wetherholt’s third-inning walk. Opener Reynoldo Lopez and relievers Dylan Dodd, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias retired 25 of the final 26 batters they faced at Truist Field.

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Ozzie Albies doubled in a run in the first inning and hit a solo homer in the third inning. He hit a 3-2 fastball from McGreevy 380 feet for his 13th homer of the season.

The lack of run support made McGreevy (3-7), who allowed just three hits and two earned runs, while striking out three and walking just one. The Braves tacked on three runs over the final two innings against Justin Bruihl and Gordon Graceffo to break the game open.

“(McGreevy) definitely didn’t have his A-game, but he still competed really well,” manager Oliver Marmol told Cardinals.TV. “He didn’t have the feel for the changeup. The slider and the cutter, he was able to lean on those to navigate that lineup. Overall, when you’re able to get us to the seventh inning with only two runs allowed without your best stuff, that’s a good night.”

Walker shows out in front of friends, family

Playing in front of 200 family and friends from the suburban Atlanta area, Jordan Walker drilled a single into the right-center gap in the first inning to plate Ivan Herrera, who had doubled two batters. Walker, a Cardinals hopeful for the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, showed off his vastly improved defense late in the game when he threw out friend and fellow Atlanta native Michael Harris II at the plate. It was Walker’s seventh outfield assist of the season.

“(Walker) stayed on that ball really well for the RBI, and then the throw home he made was on the money for a really strong throw,” Marmol said of his right fielder. “He continues to take good steps on both sides of the ball.”

Blaze Jordan, who gave the Cardinals a jolt in the arm with his timely hitting and solid defense after replacing a struggling Nolan Gorman, had a rough night at the plate and in the field. Jordan went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and he misplayed two ground balls for errors at third base.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals won the series opener 5-3 on the strength of a solo homer by Nelson Velazquez, a three-run shot by Nathan Church and five innings of one-run baseball by Matthew Liberatore.

The two teams will play the series finale Thursday night and then they will meet for three games at Busch Stadium from July 10-12. Thos will be the final three games before MLB breaks for the All-Star Game festivities.

Dustin May, who had his last scheduled start skipped because of lingering back pain, is scheduled to start for the Cardinals, while the Braves will counter with Hurston Waldrup.

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