Scuffling at home, Cards happy to start road trip

ST. LOUIS — What in most years may have been a daunting 10-game road trip through the heart of September instead seems a welcome one for the Cardinals after they dropped yet another home series with Wednesday’s 7-0 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium.

It marked the seventh straight home series loss for the Cards, who have to go even further back than that to find the last series victory they secured against a team with a winning record. That came against the Giants, a team that will hold a one-game lead over the Cardinals in the National League Wild Card race when the clubs open a huge four-game series in San Francisco on Thursday.

“It’s time for us to either make or break at this point,” second baseman Kolten Wong said. “We understand the situation we put ourselves in. You either get it done or you’re going home early.”

One of the obvious contributors to this precarious NL Wild Card position is the way the Cardinals have played in St. Louis. Wednesday’s loss clinched the team’s first losing record at home in Busch Stadium III history and places the Cards with more home losses than any other team not in last place within its division. The last team to finish with a losing home record and still eke into the playoffs was the 2001 Braves.

The Cardinals lost all three home series against …

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