Cardinals get in their work, but don’t score any runs in losses to Braves

ATLANTA _ The Cardinals clinched the division title on Wednesday and they’ll open the division series on Friday.tmpplchld That is also the length of time between runs scored.tmpplchld The Atlanta Braves blanked the Cardinals over the weekend, concluding the regular-season finale with a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon. The Braves outscored the Cardinals, 8-0, in the doubleheader Sunday, and they outscored the Cardinals, 12-0, in the three-game visit. The Cardinals had other priorities.tmpplchld In their first 26 innings at the plate, the Cardinals sent three or four batters up 23 times. They only got one runner to third base on Sunday.tmpplchld In 18 innings.tmpplchld It was an offensive walkout that reflected the getaway nature of the entire weekend in Atlanta. The games mattered little for the Cardinals other than to get pitchers needed innings and some hitters welcome at-bats. The A-lineup played, at most, four innings together, and then it was off to the bench, where so many of the regulars spent the weekend prepping for the coming postseason.tmpplchld The lackluster finish to the season will inevitably invite questions of whether the Cardinals can ramp back up to the same level they had for 159 games.tmpplchld They have four more days off this week.tmpplchld Following Shelby Miller’s eight shutout innings in the early game Sunday, Braves starter Matt Wisler threw 8 2/3 shutout innings against Cardinals in the final game of the season. Wisler held the Cardinals to three hits through eight innings. He had a chance to complete his first career shutout in less than 90 pitches before the Cardinals stirred in the ninth. Brandon Moss got a double as a pinch-hitter to get as far as any other Cardinal had in the game against Wisler.tmpplchld The young right-hander was lifted in the ninth with two on and the go-ahead run at the plate in Randal Grichuk. Edwin Jackson struck out Grichuk to end the Cardinals’ regular season and end the Braves’ 2015.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 St. Louis Post-Dispatchtmpplchld Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld