Cardinals fall to Padres 3-1 on July 27 as tensions flare. Benches clear after Willson Contreras is hit, hurting St. Louis's playoff hopes. Read the recap.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was supposed to be a pivotal late-July matchup with massive playoff implications. Instead, the Saturday showdown between the Cardinals and Padres at Busch Stadium devolved into a chippy, frustrating affair defined more by bruised bodies and flared tempers than by clutch hits. When the dust settled, the Cardinals were left with a stinging 3-1 loss, a bruised catcher, an ejected coach, and a widening gap in the wild card standings.
The Cardinals are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, a brutal slump that has come at the worst possible time.
The tension was palpable all night, and Willson Contreras was at the center of it. The Cardinals catcher was plunked twice, marking the 16th and 17th times he's been hit this season. The second HBP, a fastball to the left wrist, was the boiling point. Benches for both teams cleared twice, and Cardinals coach Jon Jay was tossed after a heated exchange with Manny Machado. While Contreras thankfully reported no immediate injury, the incidents underscored a growing animosity between two teams fighting for the same playoff spot.
Beyond the drama, the Cardinals' bats simply went silent. The team managed just three hits all game. Starter Matthew Liberatore pitched serviceably, allowing only one earned run over 4.1 innings, but received no support. A costly error by Victor Scott II in the outfield directly led to the Padres' first run, and the lone bright spot was a Jordan Walker RBI double that briefly tied the game. It wasn't nearly enough to overcome the offensive malaise that has plagued the team during this recent slump.
Every loss stings in late July, but this one feels particularly damaging. The defeat drops the Cardinals to 54-52 on the season. They now sit a daunting 8 games behind the co-leading Cubs and Brewers in the NL Central and, more importantly, fall 2.5 games behind the very team that just beat them, the Padres, for the final NL Wild Card spot. With the trade deadline looming, this slide couldn't come at a worse time.
There's no time to dwell on the frustration. The Cardinals have to flush this ugly loss and turn the page immediately. Right-hander Michael McGreevy will take the mound for the series finale on Sunday afternoon in what now feels like a must-win game. A victory salvages a series split and keeps them within striking distance; another loss would be a devastating blow to their postseason aspirations.
