STL Post-Dispatch: Astros deliver knockout at Busch

The Cardinals found rock bottom Wednesday night at half-filled Busch Stadium. On the same night that the defending world champions achieved their league’s worst run differential with an 18-1 loss to the Houston Astros, an organization boasting of “Baseball’s Best Fans” declined to say how many stayed home.

The beating became so bad that the Astros began declining extra bases during a six-run eighth inning. And infielder Aaron Miles pitched the ninth inning and gave up three hits, including a two-run home run.
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The Cardinals announced a sellout crowd of 42,171 but declined to provide actual attendance, a policy changed at the start of the season’s final homestand.
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Catcher Justin Towles started the year at Class A Salem and on Page 451 of the Astros’ media guide. By late Thursday night, he was a leading cause of the Cardinals’ 13th loss in 15 games… He entered Wednesday with three hits in 13 major-league at-bats. He more than doubled that total while jacking his RBI total from one to nine.

J.R. Towles went 4-4 with 8 RBIs…