Sometimes. there's nothing else one can do but tip their cap and just say it wasn't their night. St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Steven Matz had to do just that after a subpar outing against the Atlanta Braves, but that will probably be an unsatisfactory consolation prize for a fan base hoping to see a 2023 resurgence from the southpaw.

Matz allowed four earned runs on 10 hits, including a home run each to Austin Riley and Orlando Arcia, in 5 1/3 innings in the 4-1 loss Tuesday. There were positives, as the 31-year-old struck out seven and was not hit particularly hard despite all the base runners. But it was still an unsuccessful night overall. Matz did not shirk responsibility postgame.

“A couple of home runs really hurt me. Willson {Contreras} called a good game there. I shook him off twice, and those were the two homers. I look back and kick myself about that,” he said, per Bally Sports Midwest.

Surely, catcher Willson Contreras will appreciate his pitcher taking the full blame for the game-altering mishaps. It might be a no-brainer approach to take, but Matz showed grace nonetheless in a game in which he was not the sole culprit (Cards left seven on base). And at the very least, that is the mark of a good teammate.

Matz entered the league with much fan fare, being a part of the renown starting pitching rotation that helped lead the New York Mets to the World Series in 2015. There has been a lot of unfulfilled potential to come out of that staff, and the lefty unfortunately is no exception. Injuries have hampered him throughout his eight-year career, including his first season in St. Louis in 2022 where he recorded a 5.25 ERA in just 10 starts.

There have been glimpses of Matz' promise- he had a solid 3.82 ERA with the Toronto Blue Jays a couple years ago. St. Louis will be banking on him to regain that form going forward in what is a very deep National League.

Matz and the 2-3 Cardinals will have to pick themselves up and try to salvage this three-game series on Wednesday.