If Friday’s matchup against the Braves left Cardinals fans with a sense of déjà vu, it would make sense, as the team struggled once again at the plate in a 9-1 loss at Truist Park.

“Let’s not forget you'll make things bigger than they are, and that's when you get into trouble,” said manager Mike Shildt following the loss. “No one's gonna sit here and say we're as good as we need to be right now. We need to improve in areas and be more consistent. No doubt about it.”

In Thursday’s loss to Atlanta, the Cardinals were held to three hits, and Friday brought more of the same despite a quick start.

Tommy Edman led off the game with a double to left field, his 18th of the season, putting him among the league leaders in that category. It was also indicative of his consistency in the Cardinals' lineup, as he's hitting .260/.305/.379 with a .684 OPS and 12 stolen bases.

The Cardinals took advantage of Edman's table-setting, with a Paul Goldschmidt RBI groundout providing an early 1-0 lead -- but that was the extent of their production against Braves left-hander Max Fried and the Atlanta bullpen.

St. Louis finished the night 3-for-28 with one run, three hits, three walks and three left on base. The Cardinals are currently among the bottom five in the Majors in offense with a cumulative line of .226/.298/.377 and a .676 OPS on the season.

“I think when we get off to a deficit, we all want to do it all there right now,” Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong said. “I think we've just got to stay together as a group and understand that we can lean on each other, as opposed to all of us playing individually.

“When things go bad, I get a little analytical and try to break down my swing too much. So, I've got to go out there and be an athlete and try to compete. I've just got to be able to be in the at-bat, as opposed to being in my head. It's easier said than done, but it's definitely more of a mental adjustment.”

On the pitching side of things, Carlos Martínez never looked comfortable on the mound, beginning his 13th start of the season by hitting Ronald Acuña Jr. on a 2-0 pitch. It set the tone for the right-hander's evening, as he finished by allowing eight earned runs on eight hits, including two home runs and four walks in just three innings. The loss was Martínez's fourth in his past four outings.

The lack of offensive support has plagued Martínez all season. He's received two runs or fewer of support in nine of his 13 starts, and the Cardinals are now 0-9 in those games after Friday's loss. When he receives three runs or more of support, St. Louis is 4-0.

“I think he just fell out of his rhythm of what he was doing,” said Shildt. “I think early on he felt like he had it and then I just felt like he lost his rhythm and feel for what he was doing. He wasn't able to make adjustments quickly enough.”

In the bottom of the second, the Braves put their foot on the gas with a four-run rally kicked off by a monster home run from William Contreras. After two quick outs, Martínez ran into Freddie Freeman, who delivered an RBI single into right. Ozzie Albies then crushed a two-run homer, launching Atlanta to a commanding 5-1 lead.

“I think I need to work more on my mechanics and my focus. My angle and my mechanics were terrible and that's why I missed a lot of pitches,” he said of his rough night.

“We get to play tomorrow, and we've got a chance to win and come together as a group,” DeJong said. “We know we're going to get hot at the right time. We've done it over the course of my career here every year. We're just gonna try to build some momentum. But it starts with a single step, not to bite it all off of one piece. We just gotta keep trying to stay together and put some [hits] together as a group.”