The St. Louis Cardinals struggled to get anything going at the plate Friday night, and that lack of offense opened the door for a Cincinnati Reds win. A quiet approach for most of the game left St. Louis chasing from behind and unable to change the momentum.
Dustin May did not appear to have his sharpest outing of the season, but he was steady enough to keep the Cardinals from capitalizing. When a pitcher can work through an imperfect night without facing much sustained pressure, it usually points back to the opposing lineup, and that was the story here.
For St. Louis, the bigger issue was not just the result but how little the offense threatened for long stretches. The Cardinals failed to build consistent rallies, and their bats remained largely silent as the game moved along. That made it difficult to answer Cincinnati or create any late-game tension.
In the end, the Reds benefited from a game in which the Cardinals never found much rhythm offensively. Friday night became another example of how even a merely solid start can be enough when the opposing lineup offers very little resistance.
