Brewers better hope this was the low point because they need to reverse course very soon

ST. LOUIS – It can be dangerous to label any one particular game the low point of the season for a team, because you never know if something worse lies ahead.

But the Brewers better hope Saturday night was their low point, and that it can only get better from there.

That’s how disheartening their 7-2 loss to St. Louis was at Busch Stadium. The Brewers gift-wrapped most of the runs for the Cardinals with mistakes, miscommunications, failed strategy and general sloppiness.

By losing for the 10th time in 15 games this month, the Brewers fell out of playoff position for the first time since the early weeks of the season, allowing the hard-charging Cardinals, winners of 10 of 11, to move into the second wild-card spot in the National League behind Philadelphia.

Manager Craig Counsell was ejected by home plate umpire Cory Blaser in the first inning for objecting to warnings being given both teams after Lorenzo Cain was drilled by Miles Mikolas for the second time this season and Wade Miley skipped a low pitch behind the feet of Tyler O’Neill.

THE GAME: Box score | 5 Takeaways

RELATED: Reliever Hader has seen workload reduced in recent weeks

HAUDRICOURT: After great start, Brewers' pen suffered injuries, hiccups

MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

Counsell was furious because he said Blaser told him, “Coming into this series, we knew there were going to be problems.” If that were true, an infuriated Counsell asked him why he didn’t do something after Cain was hit for the third time this season by the Cardinals.

As if the on-field issues weren’t bad enough, on the FS1 national broadcast of the game, Ken Rosenthal said an unnamed Brewers player criticized moves not made by general manager David Stearns before the July 31 deadline. The broadcast showed charts showing how dismal the Brewers’ pitching has been this month.

So, beyond the losing and poor play, there was some mutinous behavior added to the mix. As noted, this better have been the low point.

“Obviously, the mood is probably not where we want it to be,” Miley said. “We kind of got our tails kicked the last couple of nights, even in Chicago. We’ve got to realize it’s now or never. We’ve got to go. Not to put a lot of pressure on us but we’ve got to play better baseball.”

Miley was involved in the mix-up that led to three unearned runs in the third inning, when the Cardinals took charge. On a 3-2 pitch to Yadier Molina, catcher Erik Kratz called for a cutter but Miley threw a fastball up and away that Molina flailed at, only to reach base on a passed ball by Kratz.

It’s my fault. I crossed up Kratzy on that pitch,” said Miley. “That’s on me. I have to do a better job getting the sign.”

To his credit, Kratz took the blame for missing the pitch, cross-up or not.

“That happens sometimes but you’ve still got to make the play,” Kratz said. “I didn’t do it and it cost us a lot of runs. It’s unfortunate because you got a guy like Wade on the mound who has been throwing the ball really well. I feel like I’m a pretty good catcher. You’ve still got to come up with it.”

It didn’t take long for things to go afoul for the Brewers. The second batter of the game, Cain, was drilled by Mikolas, and because it had happened before, he none too pleased. When Cainheard some woofing from the St. Louis dugout as well, he became more irate.

“That team has hit me a few times,” Cain said. “I definitely don’t like getting hit.

“I don’t know who was jawing at me. But I looked over there and, I don’t know if you read my lips, but I had a few choice words of my own. I heard somebody saying something over there.”

With two down in the bottom of the inning, Miley skipped a first-pitch cutter behind the feet of O’Neill, and Blaser issued his warning, which led to Counsell’s early departure to the visiting manager’s office.

“Everybody can speculate what they want to speculate,” Miley said. “I’m not trying to hit O’Neill in that situation. That’s a free ticket out of the game. I’m not trying to get ejected and put nine innings on our bullpen. I told Cory, ‘You need to have a better feel.’”

Asked if he thought the Cardinals were throwing at Cain intentionally, Counsell said, “Obviously, Major League Baseball and the umpires do. So, why didn’t they do anything about it when he got hit?”

So, the beat went on for the Brewers, who aren’t the same team that forged the best record in the NL just before the all-star break. They are banged up now and not playing well in any facet of the game, including offense, which they hoped to fix by trading for two hitters, Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop, instead of bolstering their pitching, a failure for which they now are getting blistered.

"Nobody feels sorry for us," Kratz said. "Nobody feels sorry for us today; nobody will feel sorry for us tomorrow. It's time to go. It's August and it's time to win ballgames."