Central STL News

PITTSBURGH -- The St. Louis Cardinals faced a challenging series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, concluding with a 5-0 loss on Wednesday at PNC Park. This marked the first time since October 2015 that the Cardinals failed to score in a three-game series.

Cardinals' pitcher Sonny Gray delivered a strong performance through 6 1/3 innings, but the offense's scoreless streak extended to 28 innings. "I mean, yeah, I felt good," Gray commented after taking his third loss of the season. Despite allowing four runs, Gray was efficient with his pitch count and struck out six while walking one on 78 pitches.

Manager Oliver Marmol praised Gray's efforts: "For him to be able to go [nine innings last time out] and then give us what he did today, I mean, that’s giving us a real shot."

The Cardinals struggled offensively throughout the series, managing only one hit after the fourth inning in their final game. Second baseman Brendan Donovan expressed frustration: "It’s very frustrating when you hit balls really hard just right at people."

The absence of key players Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado added to the team's challenges. Marmol acknowledged their impact: "Those are three key parts to our offense and when you don’t have them, it's tough to score."

Despite these setbacks, Marmol remained optimistic about his team's approach: "Today, I actually liked some of the swings we took, it was just right at people." Donovan echoed this sentiment, viewing the series as a minor setback in a long season: "Obviously the series is frustrating, but it’s just one little blip on the radar of 162 [games]."

Looking ahead, Marmol emphasized moving forward: "We swept the last [series against Cleveland], got swept here. We’ll flush this one, get some rest and get ready for tomorrow."