Once upon a time, the St. Louis Cardinals had a pair of leads against the New York Mets.
They could not retain either of those advantages for a win.
Tuesday's loss was the second aggravating loss of the 2018 season, following the Dominic Leone breakdown in Milwaukee. A disappointing defeat that won't fester for too long due to the early date on the schedule, but one that will remind fans that the better teams don't roll over like the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets are 15-6 on the season and have won three of four against St. Louis already. It's like the Cardinals got home from a night on the town and the babysitter was mad.
Here are five takeaways from a 6-5 loss in ten innings that left the Cardinals with a 13-9 record.
5) Luke Weaver just didn't look right from the first pitch. He was missing his spots. overthrowing a little, and working hard for every out. Tuesday's struggle follows last week's problems in Chicago, where things went south quickly. A reminder that, while the sky is the limit for Weaver, he's barely lifted off the ground. As the great Mike Shannon said on the radio as I drove home, if your starter can't go five innings, it's going to be hard to win the game. Weaver needs to bounce back against Pittsburgh this weekend.
4) The Reds don't have Yoenis Cespedes. The Mets left fielder launched a 3-1 Weaver mistake in the fifth inning 463 feet into the left field air at Busch Stadium, turning a seemingly calm 4-1 lead into a new ballgame. Cespedes has struggled this season, hitting the locker last night with a .634 OPS, but he will always lurk as a game changer. Make a mistake and he will destroy it like a Mad Titan.
3) Greg Holland pitched a clean inning for the second game in a row. After a bumpy entrance to his Cardinal career, the rehabbing closer is rolling into form. Tuesday's dominant inning, which ended with a Cespedes strikeout, marks the third straight inning where he hasn't allowed a baserunner. Is he ready for the ninth inning? I'd say we are getting very close.
2) Tommy Pham put on another show for the crowd. These days, it's like Pham is the Greatest Showman at these games. He hits home runs, lines singles, and makes running catches in the field. The three hit game was Pham's seventh multi-hit game of the season already, but what impressed me the most was Pham finding a way to hit an inside fastball in the first inning 400 feet to center field for a home run. Bust him inside and the guy made you pay. Pham reached base five times, performing his job to the highest ability. Too bad.
1) Matt Bowman isn't good, but he keeps finding his way into meaningful games. That's on the manager. Bowman throws soft darts these days, the ones that dip before hitting their target. Jay Bruce hit a game winning home run on a flat Bowman offering. I would have rather seen John Brebbia or even Tyler Lyons (fresh off a day off Monday) in the game. Mike Matheny's defenders find new ways to stand in front of him, but it's child's play. He could have used a different arm, but he prefers the insanity route. Choosing the same option while hoping for a different result.
Again, too bad. When asked why Brebbia wasn't used, I got a good answer on Twitter.
Bonus Takeaway: The Cardinals mounted a threat in the bottom of the ninth, putting the first two guys on base, but Jose Martinez struck out and Marcell Ozuna grounded into a double play. Ozuna has yet to truly take off in his short tenure as a Cardinal. He had a terrible misplay in left field that led to a run and went 0-5 at the plate. I guess they hand those gold gloves out like candy or something.
The Cardinals fly back into action tonight with Michael Wacha on the mound facing a true test. A bounce-back win would be quite lovely. Hopefully, the Cardinals do enough good to overcome their manager's inept ability. You don't play the Reds until June 8, so it's time to actually manage now.
