CINCINNATI — The Cardinals’ offense, one of the most robust in baseball over the past month, has spent August extinguishing uncertainties about its depth, its looks, its leadoff spot, and its dexterity beyond the twin powers of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
One serene night along the Ohio River with so few ripples on the scoreboard isn’t going to resurface questions.
The same cannot be said for Dakota Hudson.
Less than a week after his assertive start against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Hudson could not complete the fifth inning and spent most of his start swarmed by hits. The Cincinnati Reds rapped nine of them against the right-hander on their way to a 5-1 victory Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. A four-run third inning against Hudson (7-7) overwhelmed the Cardinals’ brief lead provided by Tommy Edman’s solo homer, and the Cardinals offense did little from there.
A night after facing eight different Reds pitchers, the Cardinals struggled to muster four hits against five Reds pitchers, only one of whom they saw the night before.
Five of Hudson’s past six starts have been five or fewer innings, and his quicker pace to Tuesday’s out only seemed to accelerate the Reds’ offense. Where that leaves Hudson as the Cardinals look to rewrite their rotation in the coming weeks will be clearer as Jack Flaherty arrives Monday.
