Cardinals back in Windy City after 18-inning loss to Mets; Piscotty to join ballclub

A marathon contest against the New York Mets on Sunday has altered the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching plans for their brief two-game interleague set in Chicago against the White Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday.

St. Louis lost 3-1 in 18 innings to the Mets in a game that lasted 5 hours, 55 minutes. The Cardinals’ scheduled starter Tuesday, All-Star Carlos Martinez, pitched four innings and absorbed the loss by permitting two 18th-inning runs.

“We were trying to stay away from Martinez, but it got to the point where it was not possible,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “We needed him to come in and pitch some tough innings.”

With Martinez likely out of the picture until Friday against Cincinnati at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals (58-34) will likely turn to Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn against the White Sox (42-48).

Piscotty called up

Before the series opener at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, the Cardinals will purchase the contract of outfielder and first baseman Stephen Piscotty from Class AAA Memphis. Piscotty, one of the team’s top prospects, isn’t on the 40-man roster, so it will require two transactions to get him on the 25-man roster in Chicago.

Piscotty is batting .272 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 87 games with Memphis.

As important as the pitching plans are, the Cardinals also must set the alarm for a slumbering offense that never fired Sunday with Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday and Jason Heyward reduced to pinch-hitting roles. Each was 0-for-1.

St. Louis was 13-for-62 (.210) against seven New York pitchers, and was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Its only run was a home run by Kolten Wong, his 10th of the season, that tied the game at 1 in the 13th.

The Cardinals were unable to overcome offensive ineptitude by the Mets, who were 1-for-26 with runners in scoring position and stranded 25 runners. Not since at least 1974 had a team executed so poorly with runners in scoring position, and the 25 runners left on base tied for the third-most in major-league history.

Coming up

Monday was the Cardinals’ final off day in July. The two games against the White Sox will begin a stretch of 13 consecutive games.

Thursday originally was to be an off day, but the Kansas City Royals will be at Busch Stadium to make up a June 14 rainout and kick off an 11-game homestand that also has three against Atlanta, three against Cincinnati and four against Colorado. The Cardinals are a major league-best 33-12 at home.

The Cardinals won’t have to face White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, who struck out 12 in eight innings of Chicago’s 2-1 win over St. Louis on June 30. Sale pitched Sunday, taking a 4-1 loss against Kansas City.

Instead, rookie Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.80 ERA) will oppose Wacha (10-3, 2.93 ERA) on Tuesday in Wacha’a first career assignment against the White Sox. Rodon has walked 41 in 66 1/3 innings. John Danks (5-8, 4.98 ERA) will work for Chicago on Wednesday, most likely against Lynn (7-5, 2.79 ERA), who would make his third career start against the White Sox.

Wacha hasn’t pitched since July 8 in Chicago, against the Cubs, when he allowed five runs (earned) on seven hits in six innings. The Cardinals won 6-5 when Jhonny Peralta hit a two-strike, two-out, two-run homer against Pedro Strop in the ninth.

Wacha has surrendered five earned runs in two of his last four starts. He allowed five earned runs just once in an injury-riddled season last year. His career-high for earned runs allowed was six in 2013, his rookie season.

Holliday, who still is not running at maximum output since returning from his right quadriceps injury, could be the Cardinals’ designated hitter against the White Sox.

Holliday, batting .297 with three homers and 26 RBIs, has played in three games and is 1-for-7 with a double. He never has hit fewer than 14 homers in a season.

Deadline approaching

With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the Cardinals could be searching for an offensive upgrade at first base and perhaps some help in the bullpen.

Veteran Adam Lind, 32, has been linked to the Cardinals in trade rumors. Lind, a left-handed-hitting first baseman, is batting .285 with 15 homers and 53 RBIs in 87 games, with a .370 on-base percentage, in his first season with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Matt Adams is out for the season with a torn right quadriceps, which has left the bulk of the playing time to Mark Reynolds.

Reynolds had three hits Sunday, but is batting just .229 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 82 games. Reynolds has 86 strikeouts in 249 at-bats, fanning at least two times in 25 games.

Piscotty’s arrival could ease the need for a first baseman.

Cardinals relievers have been productive this season. But the bullpen has missed the injured Jordan Walden and, more recently, Matt Belisle. The Cardinals have used a reliever on back-to-back days on 93 occasions, which leads the major leagues.

Walden, sidelined since April 30 with a right biceps strain, is close to beginning a minor-league rehab. Belisle, out since June 30 with right elbow inflammation, has improved but isn’t ready to return. Closer Trevor Rosenthal, meanwhile, has been battling arm fatigue. Rosenthal, whose 27 saves are tied for third in the National League, was not available to pitch Sunday.

This story was originally published July 20, 2015 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Cardinals back in Windy City after 18-inning loss to Mets; Piscotty to join ballclub."