C-Mart's rebound not enough for Cards

CHICAGO -- The ingredients were not set up in Carlos Martínez’s favor. He was coming off two of his worst performances on the season, allowing 15 earned runs in those starts. He was playing in a venue where he has found little success, with a 5.28 lifetime ERA in 17 games at Wrigley Field entering the series finale.

Martínez was not set up to bounce back on Sunday evening. Yet, even as he provided the club the exact kind of start it needed, the rest of the dugout couldn’t pick up their starter.

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Nicked for only two unearned runs -- both of which scored after a third-inning error -- and without any support in the way of offense, with just two hits off Cubs right-hander Zach Davies and two Cubs relievers, Martínez was forced to stomach his third consecutive loss, while St. Louis, swept by Chicago, endured its 11th setback in its past 13 games, this time on the national stage of Sunday Night Baseball.

The Cardinals are below .500 for the first time since April 23 and in fourth place for the first time since April 22.

“The team is a little frustrated,” Martínez said. “But I think we're going to win a lot of games -- we’re going to the playoffs.”

That’s a belief that the Cardinals have held firm over the course of June, playing catch-up amid a rash of injuries, and now with three teams ahead of them. Manager Mike Shildt proclaimed this past week that he thought his team is just around the corner from getting hot, stressing that the sticktoitiveness to the internal process gives credence to a turnaround.

But it also feels reassuring to hear one of his players say it, both adamantly and publicly.

“Very important. I’m glad he says it. We all feel it, and it's good to declare it,” Shildt said. “I also, obviously, feel strongly about it as well. This is one of those stretches.”

Martínez did his best to try to right the course, with only four hits, one walk and two unearned runs allowed across seven innings. Moments that could have ballooned were instead shut down -- moments that became excruciatingly familiar after his past two outings.

“He wasn’t pleased with those last two outings,” Shildt said. “But this guy showed up to get after today, typically does. He was electric today.”

But as a result of the Cards’ listless offense, the one moment that the Cubs did break through proved to be the difference. Ranging to his left on an overshift, shortstop Paul DeJong couldn’t come up with a grounder hit 104.3 mph by Joc Pederson. Eric Sogard scored, then Anthony Rizzo scored Pederson with a single two at-bats later.

Martínez, who blamed no one but himself for his past two outings, instead had to just throw his hands up in exasperation.

It’s been that sort of reality for the Cardinals over this stretch. When they get some bursts of offense, the ailing pitching can’t hold up its end of the bargain. When the arms put up zeros, the offense tends to do the same -- or on Sunday, it was the defense that made some uncharacteristic miscues.

“We haven’t been able to overcome, and we haven't been able to get in sync with putting together our best baseball,” Shildt said. “We played a lot of good baseball this year. We just have to be more consistent, be able to put it all together. We’re going to be better, and when we do that, watch out.”

There were a couple of defensive gems made behind Martínez, though. Both were by Nolan Arenado, as the third baseman cut down a pair of Cubs runners while off balance and ranging to his right.

Despite seeing ingredients of Martínez's potential turnaround come to a positive end result, horrors of the Cardinals' skid overpowered.

The loss continued a stretch Martínez and Shildt know well. The 2012 Double-A Springfield club, with Martínez one of Shildt’s aces on staff, endured a 10-game losing streak that Shildt recalled on Sunday.

That club rebounded and went on to win the Texas League. Martínez pitched to a 2.90 ERA in his second professional season stateside.

“There's valleys in this game that we endure, but there's also peaks,” Shildt said. “We're going to hit a nice peak and then we're going to keep climbing. So I’m glad [Carlos] declared it.”