Peter Strzelecki and Gordon Graceffo, relievers pressed into high-leverage situations on Friday night with Riley O'Brien and George Soriano unavailable because of heavy usage of late, surrendered three walks and two earned runs in the eighth inning of a 3-1 Cardinals' loss to the Blue Jays.
Forced to use a shorthanded bullpen because of heavy usage in the previous four-game series against the rival Cubs, middle relievers Peter Strzelecki and Gordon Graceffo were forced into high-leverage spots on Friday night, and the results were somewhat predictable for the reeling Cardinals.
Strzelecki, St. Louis’ newest reliever, surrendered two walks and Graceffo allowed another base on balls and a two-run single to Luis Urias in the eighth inning of a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Center.
It was the sixth straight game that the Cardinals allowed at least two runs in the eighth inning or later. Rookie Luis Gastelum allowed two runs in 10th innings on Wednesday and two more on Thursday – one a win and one a loss.
On Friday, with closer Riley O’Brien and setup men George Soriano and Ryne Stanek unavailable, the Cardinals had to rely on others in the bullpen. Graceffo kept a slider low and away to Urias, but he still stroked a 101-mph single into left field to score George Springer and Daulton Varsho, both of whom had reached on walks by Strzelecki.
It also didn’t help that the Cardinals got little offense at all from a lineup that continues to struggle. The Cards lost for an 11th time in 15 games since the MLB All-Star break largely because they had just five hits in the game. They were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven on base.
The Cards, who will start rookie Quinn Mathews for his MLB debut on Saturday, has lost seven straight games to the Blue Jays over the past two-plus seasons.
Cardinals hitters struck out four times over the first four innings against All-Star Game starter Dylan Cease, but they finally got to the ace right-hander in the fifth inning. Nathan Church reached on a single and stole second base to set up an RBI chance for Jordan Walker, who plated his 79th run with a soft liner to center field. The hit was Walker’s 117th of the season, a new personal high.
Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million free-agent contract with the Blue Jays on Dec. 2, limited the Cardinals to three hits and one run. He struck out seven, while walking three over six innings to lower his season ERA to 2.41.
Kyle Leahy matched All-Star Dylan Cease
Leahy matched Cease pitch for pitch over his six innings of work. Leahy got eight ground ball outs and limited the Blue Jays to six hits and one earned run. That extended his streak of starts where he went at least six innings with two earned runs or fewer to seven. In fact, Leahy – a full-time starter at the big-league level for the first time in his MLB career – has allowed just five earned runs over his last seven starts.
Over his last seven starts, Leahy has pitched to a 1.21 ERA, while limiting foes to a .185 batting average and piling up 32 strikeouts compared to just nine walks.
Leahy didn’t allow a runner past second base over the first five innings, and he limited the damage to one run in the sixth inning after surrendering back-to-back doubles to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto. He got George Springer to line out to first, JJ Wetherholt trapped a short-hop off the bat of Daulton Varsho for an out and center fielder Nathan Church made a sprawling catch of an Ernie Clement fly out to end the sixth inning.
