While it was the last home game of the 2015 season, it was one the St. Louis Cardinals would love to forget.
Despite their lead heading into the ninth, the Brewers scored seven runs in the ninth to win 8-4.
The starting pitchers for the evening’s game were John Lackey (13-9, 2.74) for the Cardinals and Tyler Cravy (0-8, 6.21) for the Brewers. Milwaukee put their first run on the board when Khris Davis hit a solo home run to lead off the top of the second.
It remained a 1-0 game until the bottom of the fourth inning. With Matt Adams on third base, Tony Cruz grounded out, which scored Adams to tie the game up at 1-1. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Matt Carpenter hit his 42nd double of the season, making him the National League leader in that category.
On the mound, Lackey had his biggest moment in the sixth inning, when he struck out his seventh batter of the game, this time with the bases loaded, to keep the game tied. His final line for the afternoon: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks.
In the seventh, Carpenter and Stephen Piscotty sent the crowd into a frenzy when they hit back-to-back home runs to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead.
But in the ninth inning, it all went downhill. And fast.
With the bases loaded for Jason Rogers with Cardinals’ closer Trevor Rosenthal on the mound, Rogers launched a grand slam over the wall in center field, suddenly sending shock waves across the Busch Stadium crowd, seeing it become a 5-3 game. But Davis struck again later with Seth Maness on the mound, making it 8-3 Brewers. And while the Cardinals scored one run in the bottom of the ninth, it wasn’t enough as Milwaukee beat St. Louis 8-4.
On Monday, St. Louis faces Pittsburgh in the most important series: the one that will most likely determine the National League Central Division winner. Lance Lynn gets the start.
(AP Photo/Bill Boyce)
