ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals no longer have a cushion.
With their offense flummoxed by Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler, the Cardinals wasted a strong start by their own rookie starter, Jack Flaherty, while falling, 3-0, in front of a sellout crowd at Busch Stadium on Friday. Coupled with the Cardinals' defeat in the series opener, the two-game lead they held over the Dodgers for the National League's second Wild Card spot has, in just over 24 hours, completely dissolved.
For the first time since Aug.