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It wasn’t just that the Cardinals’ depleted lineup had difficulty producing hits Friday night, it was also how many hits the pitchers allowed.

The Cardinals trailed by six runs before they got their first hit of the game, and by the time they managed to get two runners on base in the same inning they were behind by seven runs. The San Francisco Giants laced the Cardinals for 18 hits on their way to a 8-2 victory Friday at Busch Stadium that kept the home team from tying their guests with 71 wins.

With members of the charismatic 1985 Cardinals in town to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their National League pennant, the heat was on quickly. Rafael Devers and Willy Adams hit solo homers in the first inning of rookie pitcher Michael McGreevy to stake the Giants to an early lead. Throughout the game, so many of the things that the 1985 Cardinals did well – run and defense – the 2025 Cardinals did not. The defense was ragged at times and failed to turn two double plays that would have shortened innings.

The baserunning was stalled.

Mostly because that requires baserunners.

What the ’25 Cardinals managed that the ’85 Cardinals could relate was also a lack of home runs. Ivan Herrera changed that with a solo homer in the eighth that traveled an estimated 413 feet to center field for the Cardinals’ fourth hit of the seven second run.

The Cardinals will spend the entire series with four members of their opening day roster. Willson Contreras, the team’s home run lead, is suspended for all three games due an ejection in August. Brendan Donovan (toe), Nolan Arenado (shoulder), and Alec Burleson (wrist) are all on the injured list – deleting an All-Star, a Silver Slugger-winner, and the team’s top batting average from the lineup.

In Friday’s infield, only shortstop Masyn Winn was at his usual position, and he was the only player not on the outfield grass who was in the opening day lineup.

McGreevy (6-2) allowed six runs on nine hits through four innings.

Giants starter Carson Seymour (1-2) took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning, and that was his last inning as he held the Cardinals to a run on two hits and struck out two.

That earned Seymour his first big-league win in his 12th appearance and second start.

The Giants became the second team this season with at least 18 hits against the Cardinals, threatening to match the 21 the Red Sox pelted the Cardinals with at Fenway Park during the first road series of this season. The 18 hits were the most allowed by the Cardinals at home this season.

Six of the Giants’ nine starters had at least two hits, ranging from two for the leadoff spot to three from the No. 9 spot. Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee had four of the Giants’ hits. His triple in the seventh was part of a two-run burst that just added distance to the score the Cardinals already did not have the Clydesdales to catch.

Cards crack no-no, zero in 5th

In addition to going the first half of the game without a hit, the Cardinals also didn’t have many baserunners. Seymour walked Thomas Saggese with two outs in the second inning, and that was the only runner to reach base – and the only Cardinal to throw off Seymour’s otherwise perfect run through his first dozen outs.

A Cardinals’ lineup thinned by injuries appeared vulnerable to Seymour’s mix of fastballs that could reach 98.1 mph and sinkers that touched 97.6 mph and cutters at 95.3 mph.

He struck out Jordan Walker on four fastballs in the second to push the young outfielders slump to 0 for 18. That called strikeout on a 98-mph fastball started a stretch of seven batters when only of them got the ball out of the infield against Seymour.

That streak ended when the no-hitter did.

Rookie Crooks led off the fifth with a single to right field.

He would shatter the shutout three batters later.

Crooks took second on a groundout, and when a fly ball to center didn’t bring him home, a groundball single to center did. Crooks raced around third to give Victor Scott II an RBI single and wipe two zeroes off the scoreboard in the same inning.

The Cardinals trailed 6-1 when Crooks tapped home.

Giants flex in 1st

Thirteen pitches into his evening and McGreevy had already allowed three extra-base hits and drawn pitching coach Dusty Blake to the mound for a meeting.

The inning came undone fast.

And it happened on different pitches.

Devers, the Boston All-Star the Giants acquired earlier this season, tagged an 80.9-mph curveball for a solo homer. Devers’ 31st home run of the season took a 1-0 lead for San Francisco immediately after McGreevy got his first out. Three pitches later, Adames ripped an 84.4-mph sweeping slider for a back-to-back homer. Dominic Smith followed with a double on a cutter. Three different pitches to three consecutive Giants and three similar outcomes – they all found the barrel of a bat and took flight.

McGreevy settled after Blake’s early meeting and was able to strand Smith.

The young right-hander struck out three of the seven batters he faced after Smith’s double, and he was able to hold the Giants to those two runs through his first three innings.

Game comes apart in 4th

It could have been worse if not for a spectacular catch by Scott in center.

The Giants began the fourth inning a lot like they began the game – just with fewer souvenirs. Lee singled for the first of his hits in the evening, and he dashed for third on Casey Schmitt’s single. McGreevy had yet to get an out when he already had two runners in scoring position for the bottom portion of the Giants’ lineup.

Right fielder Drew Gilbert appeared to have ripped the line drive into the left-center gap that would bring both of his teammates home.

That was until Scott entered the frame.

Sprinting from center field, Scott tracked the liner down and dove to complete the catch. Respectful of his ability in center and his speed, the Giants held close to their bases. When Scott completed the plus catch, Lee scored from third to turn Gilbert’s liner into a sacrifice fly. That out was an island in a series of hits that would ultimately produce four runs.

Five of the first six Giants of the inning reached base, and the only one who didn’t was the hit Scott stole with his diving catch.

Devers added an RBI single that effectively chased McGreevy from the game.

The young right-hander would get two more outs but not see the start of the fifth inning as the Cardinals turned to their bullpen before their lineup had its first hit.