St. Louis Cardinals: Weaver and bullpen collapse against Brewers on Memorial Day

Luke Weaver and the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen collapsed against the Milwaukee Brewers on Memorial Day. The 8-3 loss characterizes the Cardinals issues with the offense and the bullpen.

The St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Luke Weaver could only go four innings in a 8-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.  Mike Mayers and Brett Cecil could not stop the bleeding in relief appearances, while the Cardinals bats were shut down by the Brewers bullpen.

The Brewers started the scoring in the second inning when catcher Manny Pina drove in Ryan Braun on a two out single to make it 1-0.  The Brew Crew added to the lead in the third inning when outfielder Christian Yelich hit a two out one run homer.

Weaver continued to struggle in the fourth inning when Brewer pitcher Brent Suter hit a bases loaded two out RBI two run double giving Milwaukee a 4-0 lead.  Luke Weaver completed the inning but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth.  Weaver finished the day with 4 earned runs, 5 hits, 2 BB, 3 SO on 76 pitches.

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The St. Louis Cardinals offense woke up in the fifth inning when shortstop Yairo Munoz hit a two run homer after a Harrison Bader lead off single.  The Redbirds added another run on Matt Carpenter‘s two out homer to close the gap to 4-3.

However, Cardinal reliever Mike Mayers couldn’t hold the Brewers, when Braun singled in Yelich with two outs to give the Brewers a 5-3 lead.  Mayers then proceeds to pitch a scoreless 6th inning.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen woes continued when Brett Cecil was brought in to pitch the seventh inning.  After giving up a lead off single to Yelich, Cecil got the next two Brewer hitters out.  An intentional walk to Braun, brought up Brewer second baseman Jonathan Villar.  Villar then puts the game away with a three run homer that gives the Brewers a 8-3 lead.

The Brewers bullpen shut down the Cardinal bats and completed the game for a 8-3 win.

Game Takeaways

• Luke Weaver made a case for either a return to Memphis or a slot in the bullpen when Alec Reyes is activated.  Weaver is now 3-5 in 11 starts for the Cardinals.  In his last 7 starts, he has a 1-4 record with a 4.86 ERA.

Related Story: Weaver on the hot seat

• The Cardinals bullpen continues to be a question mark.  In recent games only Bud Norris, Jordan Hicks, and Sam Tuivailala seem to be reliable.  Since Brett Cecil returned from the DL on May 12, he has a 11.25 ERA in seven games.
• Matt Carpenter continues his recovery from early season woes.  On Monday, he went 2-4 with a home run.  His BA in his last 15 games .345 that raises his season BA to .221.
• Yairo Munoz seems to be more comfortable during this stint with the Major League club.  On Monday he went 1-3 with a home run and 2 RBIs.  In his last 19 AB, he is has a slash line of .474/.524/.632.
• The Cardinals offense continues to be inconsistent.  After the three run fifth inning, the offense was shut down by the Brewer bullpen.

Next: Cardinals who should be moved

The Cardinals and Brewers meet again on Tuesday at 6.40pm with Michael Wacha (6-1, 2.88 ERA) vs Zach Davies (2-4, 4.74 ERA).