A Tough Day at the Plate 
Well, folks, it was a challenging afternoon for our beloved St. Louis Cardinals as we went up against the Cincinnati Reds. Despite a few shining moments, we couldn’t quite get the bats going, resulting in a tough 1-4 loss.First Inning Hope 
The top of the first didn't kick off as we hoped, with a Masyn Winn pop-out, followed by Alec Burleson striking out. But then, Willson Contreras gave us a breath of fresh air with a beautiful double to right. Unfortunately, Nolan Arenado couldn’t bring him home as he grounded out to first. The Reds got on the board in their half of the inning after Tyler Stephenson singled, followed by TJ Friedl walking and Spencer Steer delivering an RBI single. Reds 1, Cardinals 0.
France’s Homer 
The second inning saw the Reds extend their lead with Ty France's homer to right—brought us to Reds 2, Cardinals 0. Despite the Reds' growing edge, our boys kept fighting, but righty luck wasn’t on our side.Missed Opportunities 
The innings moved swiftly, but no major offensive bursts came from our lineup. Contreras struck out in the third; Lars Nootbaar battled with a walk in the fifth but was left stranded.Never Gonna Give You Up, Arenado! 
Finally, a glimmer of hope! Our guy Nolan Arenado smashed a homer to left in the seventh inning, giving us our lone run. We trailed 4-1 then, and sadly, couldn’t capitalize further.Pitching Highlights 
Matthew Liberatore and Zac Armstrong stepped in for relief duty, holding the Reds scoreless through their innings. Every little bit helped as we scrapped to stay in the game.Final Push, Not Enough
In the last innings, JoJo Díaz came in for the save for the Reds. We managed to get Brendan Donovan on base with a walk, but Paul Goldschmidt grounded out to end our hopes of a rally.Looking Ahead 
While today was not our day, let's not lose faith in our Redbirds. There were moments of promise and resilience, and you can bet they'll be back stronger next game. Keep your heads up, Cards Nation! Let's get 'em next time! 
Scoreboard for Cardinals @ Reds (August 13th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |