Wednesday’s Game Report: Braves 5, Cardinals 1

By Rob Rains

When Jordan Walker delivered an RBI single in the first inning on Wednesday night, it looked like it might be the start of a good night for the Cardinals offense.

What they didn’t know was that Walker’s two-out hit would be their last hit of the game.

The Braves’ pitchers retired 25 of the final 26 Cardinals’ hitters in the game in winning the second game of the series in Atlanta.

The only batter to reach base for the Cardinals after Walker’s single was JJ Wetherholt on a one-out walk in the third. After that, the Braves retired the final 20 batters in a row.

The closest the Cardinals came to getting a hit was pinch-hitter Jose Fermin’s drive to left leading off the eighth inning, but it was caught at the wall.

The Braves had taken a 2-1 lead on a home run by Ozzie Albies off Michael McGreevy in the third and the Atlanta pitchers protected that lead until the Braves scored three runs in the eighth off the Cardinals’ bullpen.

The Cardinals have scored two or fewer runs in 25 of their 83 games so far this season.

Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:

At the plate: With one out in the first, Ivan Herrera doubled and following Alec Burleson’s groundout, Walker lined the single that put the Cardinals in front … The Cardinals hit only seven balls out of the infield the rest of the game …The fifth through ninth-place hitters were a combined 0-of-15 and struck out seven times … It’s the fourth time in their last five games that the Cardinals did not score more than two runs … They also were held to just two hits in a game this season at Milwaukee.

On the mound: McGreevy gave up a single and double to the Braves’ first two hitters of the game, including an RBI double from Albies, but the only other hit he allowed was Albies’ home run in the third as he pitched through the sixth inning … A leadoff walk issued by Justin Bruihl started the three-run eighth inning for the Braves off Bruihl and Gordon Graceffo, who allowed one inherited runner to score.

Key stat: It was the first time the Cardinals were held to two hits in a game in Atlanta since July 22, 2013 when the Braves were playing at Turner Field. The two hits came from Matt Holliday and Jon Jay, both doubles, in a 2-0 loss.

Worth noting: The rosters for the Futures Game, part of the All-Star Game festivities, were announced on Wednesday and the Cardinals will be represented by catcher Rainiel Rodriguez and pitcher Liam Doyle, both playing for Double A Springfield. The game will be played in Philadelphia, which will be a homecoming of sort for Rodriguez who spent several years during his childhood living in Philadelphia before his family moved back to the Dominican Republic when he was a sophomore in high school. The game will be played on July 12 … After his single, Walker stole his 11^th base of the season and he also later threw out a runner at home plate … Blaze Jordan committed a pair of fielding errors, the first two-error game of his career.

Up next: Dustin May, who was skipped in the last turn through the Cardinals’ rotation, will get the start on Thursday night in the final game of the series.

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