ST. LOUIS _ After a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies propelled the Cardinals back into playoff-contender conversation, the buzz around the Cardinals clubhouse centered on the infusion of energy and production brought to the team by players called up from Triple-A Memphis.
Thursday, another former Redbird was set to play a pivotal role, as pitcher Luke Weaver was called up to start in place of the injured Adam Wainwright.
Weaver _ and the entire Cardinals offense, for that matter _ couldn't recapture that spark. The Cardinals fell to the Diamondbacks 4-0.
Weaver's first trip through the D-Backs' lineup went smoothly. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, allowing just one single and striking out five in the first three innings.
In the fourth, however, Weaver's outing went south.
D-Backs center fielder A.J. Pollock led off the top of the inning with a double. Weaver then walked All-Stars Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases.
Center fielder J.D. Martinez, recently acquired in a trade from the Tigers, made Weaver pay. Martinez lined a 1-2 pitch an estimated 364 feet into the seats in right field. The grand slam provided the only runs of the game, but it was more than enough cushion for D-Backs starter Zack Godley.
Godley pitched seven scoreless innings, limiting the Cardinals lineup to four hits, all of which were singles. In two starts against the Cardinals this season, Godley has pitched a total of 14 innings and given up just six hits.
The Cardinals' lineup tallied 15 hits in their series finale against the Rockies. Thursday, it managed just five, all singles.
Without usual fourth and fifth-place hitters Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina in the lineup, the last six places in the Cardinals' lineup combined to hit 1-20.
The Cardinals did provide themselves a few opportunities to put runs on the board. In the bottom of the first inning, Tommy Pham and Paul DeJong hit back-to-back singles to put two men on with one out.
Randal Grichuk ended the inning with a double play.
Similarly, in the sixth, the Cardinals put runners on first and second with one out. Grichuk grounded out again, but Diamondbacks shortstop Ketel Marte stumbled and was unable to complete the double play, putting Pham on third base.
Rookie Harrison Bader struck out to end the frame.
With the loss, the Cardinals fall to four and a half games behind the division-leading Cubs. The team will need to win each of the three games remaining in this series to have a record above .500 at the trade deadline.
