The St. Louis Cardinals entered Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers leading Major League Baseball with a 1.92 team ERA. The pitching match-ups for the evening were: ace Adam Wainwright on the mound for the Cardinals, who started the season 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA, facing Wily Peralta of the Brewers (considered the best pitcher on Milwaukee’s pitching staff as well).
Despite a series of late-inning drama and a worrisome injury, the Cardinals would maintain their position, winning the game and the series.
Game two of the three-game series started with a ground-out by Matt Carpenter, followed by a deep double to right field by Jason Heyward, who had a solo home run the night before. But neither Jhonny Peralta nor Matt Holliday would advance Heyward. Jean Segura led off the bottom of the first with a single, but Gerardo Parra struck out, and Ryan Braun grounded into a double play to end the first inning.
In the top of the second, first baseman Mark Reynolds walked, and second baseman Kolten Wong originally hit a triple. However, a throwing error by the Brewers led to a inside-the-park home run, although the circumstances it occurred make it dubbed a “little-league home run” (interestingly, Reynolds hit one against the Nationals during the last series).
The bottom of the second featured a lead-off double by Adam Lind, who arguably has been the best hitter on the Brewers so far this season. Khris Davis then grounded out, and Aramis Ramirez hit into the second double play on the evening for Milwaukee.
Neither team got a single player on base in the third inning, as both Peralta and Wainwright shut their opponents down 1-2-3. And aside from a single from Jon Jay in the top of the fourth, and a single from Segura in the bottom of the fourth inning, nothing changed either, as the game remained 2-0 in favor of the Cardinals.
Everything was looking great for Wainwright, as he had faced the minimum through the first four innings despite allowing three lead-off hits (the Brewers hit into three double plays).
But in the top of the fifth, Wainwright was up to bat, and after hitting a pitch to first, he stopped running only a few feet after leaving the plate.
He then started limping, as Mike Matheny and trainers would help him to the dugout, ending his day.
Enter Mitch Harris, a 29 year-old Navy veteran, as well as the first Academy Grad in 94 years to play in a Major League Baseball. Harris would strike out Lind, walk Davis, allow a single to Ramirez, but would get two straight outs from Hector Gomez and Martin Maldonado, to get out of the fifth inning.
The sixth inning would start with a lead-off double from Peralta on a ball right over Braun’s glove in right field. He would later steal third base after a high throw by Jonathan Lucroy. With two outs, Peralta would face Tony Cruz, after intentionally walking Jay. Cruz would ground-out to second base, as the Cardinals went to the bottom of the sixth inning still up 2-0.
Harris would continue to pitch, starting the bottom of the inning with a walk to Ellen Herrera. In the middle of the bottom half of the sixth inning, Harris was taken out after 1.2 innings: he allowed no runs, walked two, and struck out two. Matt Belisle then entered in relief and pitched strong through the end of the seventh, allowing no runs as well.
In the top of the seventh inning, with both Carpenter and Heyward on base, Holliday would take a pitch deep to center field for not only a three-run home run, but his first home of the 2015 season, and the Cardinals took a 5-0 lead.
Kevin Siegrist pitched the bottom eighth inning, and with one out, Segura would hit a double deep to left field, and then the pinch-hitter, Jason Rogers, hit a ball at the center field warning track caught by Peter Bourjos, playing for the first time since the birth of his child. Segura then advanced to third, with Braun up at-bat. Siegrist wound up walking Braun, bringing in Randy Choate, who on one pitch, allowed an RBI-single from Lind. Seth Maness then entered, and hit Davis with a pitch, loading the bases for Ramirez.
Known for playing particularly well against the Cardinals, Ramirez would drive a base hit out to left field, scoring two runs, cutting the score to 5-3. Maness would, however, get the last out in the inning, as the now 5-3 lead for St. Louis would head into the final inning of the game. Michael Blazek entered for the Brewers, and shut down the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the top of the inning, as Maness headed back out to do the same in the bottom half.
And he did just that, as the Cardinals got the hard fought 5-3 victory, putting them 10 games ahead of the Brewers in the National League Central Divison.
Lance Lynn will get the nod for the Cardinals tomorrow afternoon.
As for Wainwright, his injury (which was deemed a left ankle injury) will be re-evaluated when the team returns to St. Louis.
(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
