Little missteps like the baserunning blunder for the final out of the game or the missed pickoff on what became the game’s winning run wouldn’t have loomed so daggum large if not for the biggest thing of all missing for the Cardinals.
Runs provide excellent cover, even on the hottest days.
The Cardinals lack shade.
For the second time in three days against the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles, the Cardinals struggled to muster offense, stringing zeroes like digital garland on the scoreboard above a baking Busch Stadium. Even the sharpest of fundamental teams cannot always overcome a dull offense.