Cardinals' Michael Wacha: Takes tough luck loss to Phillies

Wacha (2-2) allowed one run on five hits and three walks and struck out eight but still took the loss Tuesday against the Phillies.

Analysis:

Wacha made one mistake, a home run allowed to Ryan Howard, and that was enough, as Aaron Nola threw seven shutout innings to saddle Wacha with an extremely tough-luck loss. After allowing four runs in 4.1 innings in his first start, Wacha has rattled off five consecutive quality starts to lower his ERA to 2.65. He has been especially nasty over his past two starts, with 17 strikeouts in just 15 innings.