Cardinals fall to Padres 3-1 on July 27, wasting a quality start from Miles Mikolas. Despite a Willson Contreras HR, the offense faltered. Read why.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a classic case of 'so close, yet so far' at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The St. Louis Cardinals had the pitching, the defense (mostly), and a key home run, but once again, the bats fell silent when it mattered most. A frustrating 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres capped the series on a sour note, wasting a quality start from Miles Mikolas and leaving fans wondering where the clutch hits have gone.
The Cardinals went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, continuing a recent trend of offensive struggles in key spots.
Miles Mikolas did his job. The veteran right-hander battled for 6.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. But the offense couldn't provide any support beyond a single swing. A costly throwing error from Nolan Arenado in the seventh inning led to the Padres' third run, a frustrating unearned tally that felt like the final nail in the coffin. Even a stellar 2.1 scoreless innings from the bullpen duo of JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley wasn't enough to spark a comeback. It's a familiar script for the Cardinals: good enough pitching, not enough hitting.
If there's a silver lining, it's the continued excellence of Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan. Contreras provided the only run of the day with a towering solo shot in the fourth, his 14th of the year and his third in the last week. He's been the engine of this offense. Meanwhile, Brendan Donovan just keeps getting on base. With a 2-for-4 day, he extended his on-base streak to 13 games and now leads the team in multi-hit games since the All-Star break. These two are doing everything they can, but they can't do it alone.
The loss drops the Cardinals to 54-52, a full 8 games behind in the NL Central. With the trade deadline just days away, the front office remains eerily quiet. There were no new rumors or moves reported Sunday, but the team's needs are glaring. The inability to hit with runners in scoring position is a season-long ailment that needs a cure. All eyes are on President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. Will he make a move to bolster this lineup or add another arm? The team's playoff hopes may depend on it.
While the big-league club struggles for consistency, the future looks promising down on the farm. MLB Pipeline's latest prospect rankings highlight the impressive debut season of JJ Wetherholt and the organization's incredible depth at catcher. With key pitching prospects like Quinn Mathews and Tekoah Roby returning from injury, the system is getting stronger. It's great for the long-term health of the franchise, but it doesn't solve the immediate problem of winning games in July and August.
Sunday's loss was a tough pill to swallow, perfectly encapsulating the 2025 Cardinals: strong individual performances undone by a collective inability to execute in the clutch. As the team looks ahead, the path doesn't get any easier. The next week will be pivotal, not just for the games on the field, but for the moves Chaim Bloom and the front office decide to make—or not make—before the trade deadline. The season is on the line.
