Cardinals can't overcome Lynn's uncharacteristic struggles in loss at Milwaukee
The Cardinals haven't had to endure many rough outings from their starters this season, or even longer in the case of Lance Lynn.
Whether he's had his best stuff or not, Lynn always seems to find a way to battle through his struggles to give St. Louis a great chance to win. But the right-hander couldn't find the answers he needed Sunday in Milwaukee as the Brewers hit him hard and handed the Cardinals a 6-3 loss.
"That's just typical, not what he's been doing lately and there's going to be those days when everything isn't there and your fastball location is just off," manager Mike Matheny told reporters during the Cardinals Live postgame show on FOX Sports Midwest. "I don't think he had a whole lot of help back there (from the umpire)."
Lynn gave some long looks to home plate to show his displeasure with an inconsistent strike zone early and often, even though he still struck out the side in the first inning for the second consecutive start. The Brewers would later take advantage of several pitches left over the plate for six extra-base hits, including Lynn's first home run allowed in more than 36 innings, a two-run shot by Adam Lind.
Lynn didn't get much run support; he has seen the St. Louis offense score just eight runs in his four starts this season. He fell to 1-2 despite giving up only one earned run in five innings or more his first three starts.
The loss ended St. Louis' hopes of winning five straight games for the second time this season, as well as two other, more remarkable streaks. Lynn hadn't given up more than three earned runs in 19 starts, and the Cardinals were the only team in the majors yet to give up five runs in a game prior to this weekend.
3 UP
• Peralta still hot. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta kept hitting with a 2-for-3 day to raise his average to .343.
Watch the Cardinals Live pregame and postgame shows before and after every St. Louis Cardinals game on FOX Sports Midwest.
He also drew two walks and delivered one of the Cardinals' few clutch hits, an RBI single with two outs in the fourth. Peralta extended his hitting streak to six games, including three straight days with at least two hits.
• Reynolds' big day. Mark Reynolds shined on defense and at the plate in the ballpark he called home last season.
Matt Holliday took a well-earned break, and Reynolds took advantage of his first start in left field by crushing a 451-foot blast to left for a solo home run in the fifth inning. He followed that up with back-to-back impressive catches in front of the wall to rob two Brewers of extra-base hits to start the bottom of the seventh.
• Stanley's first hit. Yadier Molina didn't play, but he still had a reason to flash his famous smile in the eighth inning.
The Cardinals called up 26-year-old catcher Cody Stanley on Sunday morning and he lined an eighth-inning pinch-hit single to right field in his first major league at-bat. Matt Adams' bases-loaded groundout four batters later would score Stanley, who spent plenty of time learning from Molina in spring training.
3 DOWN
• Heyward hurt. A key Cardinal left the game with an injury for the third straight day when Jason Heyward injured his left groin fielding a Gerardo Parra triple in the third inning.
The right fielder's injury certainly didn't look as bad as the one that might sideline Adam Wainwright for the season, or even the knee bruise that kept Molina out of the lineup for a second straight day. Matheny said Heyward suffered a mild strain and should be considered day-to-day until the team can re-evaluate him tomorrow.
Reynolds nearly became a fourth casualty when he ran into the wall twice in the seventh, but he remained in the game.
"I just hit my face on the wall and just had to take a minute to make sure I was seeing straight and I was all right," Reynolds told FOX Sports Midwest's Jim Hayes after the game. "They did a concussion test (between innings) and I was fine."
• More missed chances. The Cardinals haven't lost often this season, but when they do, the offense has followed a familiar pattern.
In each of its past four losses, St. Louis averaged more than 11 hits but managed to score only three runs per game. That includes a season-high 13 hits in two losses this week, which featured a combined 27 runners left on base.
"I thought we had more chances here," Matheny said after watching his team strand 14 baserunners, including eight in the first three innings. "We had good opportunities to score. Bases loaded at one point with one out. We've got to push something across, just start chipping away."
• Carpenter's hit streak ends. An uncharacteristic 0-for-4 day at the plate came at the wrong time for Matt Carpenter, who saw his major league-leading 12-game hit streak finally end. However, he managed to draw a walk to reach base for the 24th consecutive regular-season game, which leads the majors.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
