Cardinals fall: 'We have to win these games'

ST. LOUIS -- The crispness of the air was there. The emotions were there. The savvy veteranness, the quality of baseball, and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the nimble margins of September baseball were all there.

The Cards lost the series opener against the Reds, 4-2, at Busch Stadium on Friday night, seeing T.J. McFarland’s scoreless streak end in a crushing fashion, with two runs scoring in the top of the ninth inning of a game that was tied from the fourth onward thanks in large part to Jon Lester’s best start as a Redbird.

The smallest of margins plagued St. Louis in a way it cannot much afford, a pair of tough throws in the ninth inning the difference in this go-round. This series against Cincinnati is its last chance to directly make up ground on the division foe its chasing for the second NL Wild Card spot. The Cardinals are now three games back of the Reds and the Padres, who are tied for the second Wild Card.

More crushing and confusing: The Cards have lost five consecutive games to the Reds at home dating back to June and have lost the season series.

“We have to win these games,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado. “It’s home field. We have to take care of home field and we haven’t really done that this year.”

It didn’t help Friday that the Cardinals went hitless from the the end of the fourth inning until there was one out recorded in the ninth, when the wind was already sucked out of a potential comeback the half-inning prior.

Since its 15-run outburst against the Brewers on Sept. 3, St. Louis is averaging 2.43 runs per game across seven contests, scoring more than two runs just twice.

“I don't know. I think probably just a little bit more quality at-bats,” said Arenado, who went 0-for-3 with a walk, now batting .212 with a .229 on-base percentage in September.

“It’s hard to sit here and talk about what the team needs to do when, individually, I'm not doing a very good job,” Arenado added. “I really don’t know. I think just be better, and I don’t know quite the answer. Like I said, it's hard for me to speak on these things when I’m not really doing my job.”

Though the Cardinals got 15 sparks in Milwaukee, they’ve been looking for a sustained one ever since. They appeared to get one from Yadier Molina, his game-tying blast in the fourth inning only one-upped in volume from the yells he bellowed while rounding first and touching home plate, shortly followed by a curtain call.

After that: two base hits the remainder of the night against Tyler Mahle and a Reds bullpen that has come into form but ranked among the least effective on the year.

“We're in a stretch where we're facing teams that are at the top of the heap, and we're right there with them; we're competing with them,” said manager Mike Shildt. “You’re going to see starting pitching that's pretty good, you're going to see bullpens that are pretty good. … It is about the timely hitting. We have to string together tough, consistent at-bats.”

But that the Cardinals arrived at such a late juncture while competitive Friday was due in large part to Lester. The 37-year-old with a penchant for pennant-winning baseball tossed seven innings with just three hits (two homers) on his ledger, firmly settling into the reliable role St. Louis set out for him. Over his last six starts, Lester owns a 2.67 ERA.

What’s gone into his turnaround? Lester attributed it to finding comfort in St. Louis, finding adjustments that have paid off fruitfully and finding a perennial source of ease: September.

Now with 81 career games (80 starts) in post-August regular-season baseball, Lester owns a 3.17 ERA.

“Maybe it's just the way I'm built; my body, pitches, feel for stuff, get some chances to face guys. I don't know,” Lester said. “Maybe it gets a little cooler, which is always nice, especially for me.”

Asked about his 2022 plans, Lester was non-committal, saying he owes his family a long chat about their future whenever this year comes to a close. He remained open to an offseason reunion, but if not, the Cardinals may receive only a few more starts from the three-time World Series champ they acquired at the Trade Deadline.

They don’t want to waste them -- because they’ve seen up close, and from afar, what Lester can provide in October.

“He's pitched in big games before and nothing's too big for him, so it's always nice to have that calming presence on the mound,” Arenado said. “I'm happy he’s here. I don’t know how many starts he has left, but probably just a few. Hopefully he continues to keep us in ballgames and hopefully we can reward him for them, too.”