The St Louis Cardinals were limited to three hits as the Cincinnati Reds avoided the sweep at Busch Stadium on Sunday, June 22, defeating the Cards 4-1.

The Cardinals’ only run came in the second when Yohel Pozo singled in Nolan Arenado. That turned out to be the final hit of the game, as Andrew Abbott proceeded to retire the remaining 18 batters he faced, claiming three strikeouts in his seven-inning start. Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas ran into trouble early, giving up a one-out home run in the first inning to Matt McLain, then giving up the go-ahead run with back-to-back doubles in the fifth. A passed ball and sacrifice fly made it 3-1 after five, completing the Mikolas score line with three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk, while fanning six. A groundout in the sixth scored Elly De La Cruz for the game’s final run.

The Cardinals see their five-game winning streak snapped and now trail Milwaukee for the third wild card spot by a game. They trail the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central by 4.5 games, just as the Cubs make their way to Busch Stadium for the start of a four-game series Monday. Matthew Liberatore gets the start for St Louis, with first pitch at 6:45 p.m.