Offensive Blackout: Cardinals flop in embarrassing loss to basement-dwelling Rockies

Miles Mikolas flirted with history as he carried a no-hitter into the sixth. But then… nothing. The offense stayed flat until its lone All-Star, Brendan Donovan, dropped a pinch-hit two-run double in the eighth. The St. Louis Cardinals took the opener in this three-game set, 3-2. 

Let’s start with Monday’s 3-2 victory. Yes, the Cardinals won. Yes, Miles Mikolas was excellent — he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. 

But the offense? Practically absent when it mattered until Brendan Donovan saved face with a two-out, pinch-hit two-run double in the eighth.

It was a win. But one that almost felt like a warning.

If Monday was passive, Tuesday was nonexistent. Shut out cold in a 3-0 loss. 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and a total of six runners left on base, grounding into multiple double plays, and couldn’t punch an inch past the Rockies' arms — even with just three earned runs from the four Redbird arms setting the stage.

The brutal truth: when the pitching gives you a window, especially against a Rockies team hurting for wins, it's time to swing the bat. 

The St. Louis Cardinals' embarrassing loss against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday continues to shine a light on their glaring issues.

A Rockies team that entered the series with a seven-game losing streak had lost five separate stretches of seven games or more this seasonand whose pitching staff routinely ranks near the bottom of the National League in every meaningful category. 

Shut out by Kyle Freeland, who entered with a 5.66 ERA and hadn’t thrown a scoreless outing in over two months. The Cardinals didn’t just get beat — they got neutralized. Six runners left on base and 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. 

Matthew Liberatore gave the Cardinals four shaky innings, but this game wasn’t lost on the mound. It was lost at the plate — over and over and over again. In the Rockies' second shutout performance on the mound, both coming against the Cardinals,

Donovan and Ivan Herrera each connected on a pair of singles beginning in the bottom of the first. A rally-killing double play by Contreras ended the scoring threat, and the trend of the bats being stifled continued the rest of the night.

In the sixth inning, Victor Scott II and Donovan both connected on singles to put one of the National League's best base stealers in scoring position with nobody out. Herrera's double play once again snuffed out another opportunity to put runs up against Freeland on the mound.

Gorman's double to begin the ninth was the last case of an early spark, but a missed offensive opportunity. Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik retired the ensuing three batters to punch in the 31st victory of the season for the Rockies.

This team is coming off series victories against the two divisional leaders, the Dodgers and Cubs. The now four-game deficit in the wild card race makes the rubber game critical for a team that believes its playoff chances aren’t dead.