DENVER • As ugly as the score got on the giant display at Coors Field that looms over left field, it didn’t compare to what the Cardinals saw in left field during the second inning.
Running in as if to make a diving attempt on a bloop single, left fielder Matt Holliday had a cleat catch in the turf and launched, jarringly, off his feet. The Cardinals’ No. 3 hitter and potential All-Star landed on his right knee and quickly rolled to his back in obvious pain. Holliday was able to leave the field on his own – but the early diagnosis is one that has proven costly already this season for the Cardinals.