ST. LOUIS — This was a game best forgotten.
Quickly.
The Phillies waited out a one-hour, 35-minute rain delay at the outset then played poorly — three errors — in rainy conditions in suffering a 12-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Friday night.
The loss denied the Phils a chance to move into first place in the NL East. They remain a half-game behind Atlanta. The Braves lost to the Marlins on Friday night.
The Phillies were out-hit, 15-7, by the Cardinals. Pedro Florimon, who started the game at shortstop, finished up on the mound for the Phillies. After pitching a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Florimon homered in the top of the ninth. It was his second homer in as many nights after not hitting one in the majors since September 2013 (see story).
The game did not end until 12:16 a.m. local time. The Phils have little time to brush off the loss. They play the Cardinals again Saturday at 1:15 p.m. local time.
MLB
Jake Arrieta lasted just three innings, a season low, and gave up four runs as the Phillies’ run of excellent starting pitching came to an end. Coming into the game, Phillies starters had given up just eight runs in 62 1/3 innings over the previous 10 games.
The Phillies have lost just three times in the last 11 games and all three defeats have come in Arrieta starts. He pitched well in the previous two only to see leads disappear in the ninth inning. This time, however, Arrieta was not all that sharp. The Cardinals batted around on him and scored four runs in the third inning. Two of the runs were unearned.
Arrieta pitched in steady rain in the third inning. The Phillies made an error behind him in the inning and he threw a wild pitch. Despite throwing just 64 pitches, Arrieta did not come out for the fourth inning.
Starting catcher Jorge Alfaro left the game with right knee soreness. He appeared to hurt himself chasing down a wild pitch in the fourth inning.
Odubel Herrera improved his on-base streak to 44 straight games with a two-run single in the fifth inning. Those were the only runs that Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha gave up in six innings of work.
Notes
• Jerad Eickhoff will make his next minor-league rehab start on Sunday. He will pitch for Triple A Lehigh Valley at Syracuse.
• The game was delayed in the eighth inning when home plate umpire David Rackley had to leave the game for an unspecified medical reason.
• After the game, reliever Yacksel Rios was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley. Reliever Victor Arano (shoulder) is in St. Louis and could be activated off the disabled list Saturday.