But with the Cardinals’ defense shifted toward right for lefthanded-batting Nick Markakis, Acuna took off on a 3-2 pitch for third, Wacha stepped off the rubber and tried to lead third baseman Carpenter, who was scrambling back to the bag. But Wacha fired the ball in the outfield and Acuna scored the first run.
“Is it a concern? He’s not getting hit hard. There’s not a lot of hard contact,” Shildt said. “There’s always a concern when a guy’s velocity is a tick down. But it’s not dramatic. We know when it clicks just how dominant it can be.