Down five runs from tying things up in the bottom of the ninth, the Cards put forth a solid effort to come back.
But …
They fell just short of making that come back.
OK, let’s do this together. On the count of three … let’s all sigh and just get it over with. That loss? Incredibly frustrating.
Just a few things to discuss:
* The ninth inning? David Carpenter, a former Cardinals minor league prospect, was on the mound for the Astros. Matt Adams got on board right away with a single to center. Pinch hitter Steven Hill struck out swinging. Tony Cruz then singled, moving Matt Adams to second. Adron Chambers then tripled to center, scoring Adams and Cruz. That makes the score 9-6.
Brett Myers then takes over in relief for the ‘Stros. Rafael Furcal launched his fifth home run of the season to right field, scoring Chambers. Now the score is 9-8 and, as Dan and Al noted, we had a ourselves a game. … Or did we?
Carlos Beltran popped out and then Allen Craig grounded out. And THAT was it.
Yeah, let’s do that collective sigh again …
* Jaime Garcia. He is now 3-4 after a two-inning stint in which he only threw 43-pitches. He gave up six runs on five hits.
According to the Post Dispatch:
A second look at the the more specific speeds shows that Garcia was lacking velocity, and as he pitched into the game his velocity dipped further. He had a fastball clocked at 87 mph in the second inning. He also hasn’t had the best location or command. The two walks in the first inning became an issue when he also allowed a runner to score on a wild pitch. In the second inning, that 1-2 curveball to Justin Maxwell hung deliciously over the middle of the plate and up. Maxwell put it over the Crawford Boxes.
Garcia is winless in his career at Minute Maid Park and winless in his career against the Houston Astros.
He may be right physically.
It has not translated so far to being right with his production.
But, since it is coming after he missed his last start to return to St. Louis for an MRI … that is a little concerning. Just a little!
Manager Mike Matheny is a little concerned too. According to the P-D, “Matheny could not say whether he believed Garcia was bound for the disabled list because the answer he received from the lefty was vague. During the game, Garcia told Matheny he ‘isn’t right.'”
Isn’t right?? Doesn’t sound too great. As last night’s two innings weren’t great either. Here’s hoping the Cards find out what’s wrong and he becomes right. Again.
* Matt Adams. You deserve a little good news! He has been pretty good. Last night he hit a homer to center field. Yeah. At Minute Maid Park. He drove in Allen Craig and David Freese.
Let’s hope tonight they continue the good hitting that was taking place in the ninth inning. Adam Wainwright will take the mound against Bud Norris. Yeah. That Bud Norris. OK, stop panicking! Let’s go Cards! The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at MMP.
Miranda Remaklus is lead St. Louis Cardinals contributor to Aaron Miles’ Fastball. She’s also lead writer at Aerys Offsides in the NFL section. Follow her on Twitter, @missmiranda.
Aaron Miles' Fastball 
Just know if there is something wrong with Garcia that would necessitate a significant loss of playing time, Shelby Miller in Memphis is not the answer. I watched Miller pitch yesterday in his start against the Omaha Storm Chasers and his fastball was in the low 90s — a high of 93, which was as straight as an arrow — and he still has problems with his temper. When he gave up the first homer of the game for Omaha, I watched him walk back to the dugout and slam his glove against the wall. He also kept missing with what otherwise would have been a tremendous breaking pitch.
If anyone should replace Garcia temporarily, my vote would be Brandon Dickson. I have seen him start twice for Memphis against Omaha, and he struck me as cool, calm and collected with a more impressive toolkit.