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Fateful 3rd inning sinks Cardinals vs. Giants
- Updated: September 17, 2016
SAN FRANCISCO — What finished as an 8-2 loss that dropped the Cardinals further behind in the National League Wild Card standings was all but decided in a third inning that saw momentum sapped by replay and another error start an avalanche of trouble.
Not only did a pair of overturned calls create a two-run swing in the inning, but the Cardinals surrendered six unearned runs for the first time in five years to dig a hole from which they couldn’t emerge. With their fifth loss in six days, the Cardinals dropped three games behind the Giants and two back of the Mets in the Wild Card race.
“We just have to play better,” manager Mike Matheny said afterward. “That’s all there is to it. The standings are the standings, and we know what they are.”
The night began to unravel as soon as catcher Yadier Molina sailed a throw into center field. What should have been one out — and potentially the start of an inning-ending double play — on a weak bunt by opposing starter Matt Moore instead kickstarted San Francisco’s game-changing frame.
It was the second error of the season for the perennial …
