ST. LOUIS -- An interesting pattern has emerged in Kyle Leahy’s last two starts.
Leahy has breezed through the first five innings of each start without allowing a run. It’s the sixth inning where things fall apart.
In his most impressive start of the season, Leahy ended up allowing just one run in 5 1/3 innings in the Cardinals’ 6-3 win over the Brewers on Monday. Leahy allowed six hits, struck out five and walked two. It tied his longest outing of the season, and he threw 56 of his 94 pitches for strikes.
Trouble started after Leahy allowed a leadoff walk to Jake Bauers in the sixth. He followed that up by striking out Andrew Vaughn looking, but Sal Frelick ended his night with a single. Bauers eventually scored on a Luis Rengifo single off George Soriano.
In his previous start, Leahy held Pittsburgh scoreless through five, only to allow three runs while recording just one out in the sixth.
Adjusting the third time through the opponents’ order is the logical next progression for Leahy, who is attempting to establish himself as a starter after coming out of the bullpen in his previous three seasons.
Albeit a small sample size, eight of the 10 batters Leahy has faced in the sixth inning have reached, and five of them have scored.
The splits against the Brewers through the first five innings told another story. Leahy was able to strand one-out doubles in the first and fourth innings, and aside from Jackson Chourio’s three hits, the rest of Milwaukee’s lineup hit .130 off of him during that span.
JJ Wetherholt’s two-out single scored Masyn Winn to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The hit snapped a 1-for-14 on the homestand for the rookie. Iván Herrera ended Brewers starter Chad Patrick’s night early with a bases-clearing double that scored three runs in the fourth to make it 4-0 as the Cardinals won for the seventh time in their last eight games.
Patrick pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowed four runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked three.
Chourio had three straight hits and reached five times in his return to the Brewers lineup.