By 3 p.m. local time, lightning and thunder took refuge in Busch Stadium in lieu of the 25,163 in paid attendance. By 4 p.m., the day’s shadows returned and the white home uniforms shone under the sun.

But two very different looking days in the span of an hour in St. Louis did little to change the day’s outcome.

After a one hour, four minute-long rain delay, St. Louis fell, 7-2, to the Pirates on a soggy Sunday, held without a baserunner into the seventh inning to drop the series to the NL Central’s last-place squad and lose the 19th of their last 26 overall.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt was asked if Sunday is as low as the Cardinals will fall this season.

“I certainly hope so. I certainly hope so,” he said. “I'm really optimistic about where the offense is headed, really optimistic for where that group’s going. … We just have to be able to hold people at bay to give us a chance.”

Even before the rain, it was an inauspicious omen from the get-go. Johan Oviedo threw 42 pitches in the first inning -- 28 before an out was recorded -- in finding himself in a bases-loaded jam with no outs. Three runs scored, but he proceeded to bear down, retiring seven straight before running into trouble in the fourth. Jake Woodford -- pitching before and after the rain delay -- allowed a pair of solo homers in relief.

And it didn’t help who the Cardinals faced, flummoxed by five perfect frames from Pirates starter Max Kranick, who was making his big league debut and took his first at-bat as part of Pittsburgh’s three-run first inning before he threw his first pitch. Duane Underwood Jr. picked up where Kranick left off, with a perfect sixth frame after the delay, before Dylan Carlson broke the chance for the first ever combined perfect game with a double to lead off the seventh.

Consistent at-bats still to be desired
Steps forward for the Cardinals came on Friday and Saturday, when, despite seizing just one win, the offense’s plate appearances were stringing together and building off one another, forcing opposing pitchers into high pitch counts early, securing power strokes and capitalizing on opportune moments.

Held listless by Kranick, the Cardinals were able to nick Pirates relievers for a pair of runs after the delay. It was an about-face from the first five frames, but one they felt has been simmering over the weekend series against Pittsburgh.

“The last four days, our at-bats have been significantly better; our walk rate has significantly improved; [and] our two-strike hitting is significantly better,” Shildt said.

St. Louis appreciates where it has improved, but it acknowledges that it only accomplishes so much until the total team efforts translate to wins.

“We lose three and four, that doesn't help,” Shildt said. “I get that.”

If the Cardinals want some positives, they have this: refocused out of the hour-plus in the clubhouse, they forced Pirates pitching into 65 pitches across the last four frames as opposed to the 50 from Kranick in just five.

“I think there's a lot of positives coming out of that rain delay that we can build upon,” said Lars Nootbaar, 3-for-13 in his first home series with a pair of RBIs and a pair of walks. “Starting early tomorrow and keeping it rolling, I think that’s something that we can definitely do.”

Day of learning for Oviedo
The Cardinals know what Oviedo is capable of. They’ve seen it at the Major League level, with seven shutout innings against the Marlins two starts ago. They’ve seen it in bullpen sessions and on the backfields of Spring Training, “sponging” information from any source that will offer it as he looks to establish himself as a Major Leaguer at just 23 years of age.

They’ve seen the flashes. They’ve yet to see the consistency.

“I really believe it’s more mental,” Oviedo said. “Like I've said before, just becoming more mature about myself in the game is what I’m really doing right now and what I’m trying to control right now.”

“Those are hard lessons in Double-A and Triple-A,” Shildt said, “and he’s learning them in the big leagues.”

Fifteen games (14 starts) into his Major League career, Oviedo is still searching for career win No. 1. He received little help to do so on Sunday; the offense, struggling as it has, made it three consecutive Oviedo starts without scoring while he was in the contest.