Lance Lynn entered Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals fresh off a pair of quality starts and having recently achieved his 1,000th career strikeout in a Cardinals uniform. However, his performance at Busch Stadium was far from successful.
Lynn struggled from the outset, giving up a leadoff home run to CJ Abrams in the first inning. The situation worsened when Keibert Ruiz hit a three-run homer later in the inning. The second inning saw rookie outfielder James Wood hit another three-run home run, followed by Luis Garcia Jr. driving in two more runs with a single.
The Cardinals briefly rallied to make it 9-4 in the third inning, but Lynn was hit hard again in the bottom half. Wood added a two-RBI double, prompting Lynn’s removal after he walked Jesse Winker. Lynn’s final line for the game was 2.2 innings pitched, nine hits, 11 runs (10 earned), four walks, and three home runs, causing his ERA to spike from 3.59 to 4.48 and his WHIP to rise from 1.300 to 1.406.
Lance Lynn is the first Cardinals pitcher since Darryl Kile on April 13, 2000 to allow 11+ runs in a start of 3 IP or fewer.
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Lynn took the loss as the Cardinals fell 14-6. According to Justin Havens of Underdog Fantasy, Lynn became the first Cardinals pitcher in 24 years to allow 11 or more runs in a start of 3.0 innings or fewer, with Darryl Kile last doing so on April 13, 2000.
Prior to this outing, Lynn had gone at least 4.0 innings in each of his 17 starts this season. He is not scheduled to start again until the Cardinals’ series opener against the Chicago Cubs next Friday, giving him extra time to recover during the All-Star break.
