The Cardinals must cling to the notion that they’re as good at predicting the eventual arrival of the offense they imagine as they have been at forecasting the starter Jordan Hicks is becoming.
With Hicks’ career-long appearance as a starter as the subplot, the Cardinals’ offense stalled for too long to keep Friday’s visit from San Francisco close before the game came spectacularly apart in the eighth inning. The Giants drubbed lefty reliever T. J. McFarland for three hits, including a double and a two-run homer, to turn their two-run lead into an 8-2 rout against the Cardinals.