The St. Louis Cardinals suffered two devastating losses to the Miami Marlins over the weekend, and looked for new ground to begin gaining momentum when they faced the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium on Monday night.
Cardinals starter Mike Leake struck out a season-best 11, one shy of his career high, and allowed one run and six hits in six innings of work. He also fanned 10 over seven innings in a victory at Milwaukee on July 10.
He became the second pitcher in Cardinals history to strike out ten batters while walking none in two straight starts. Hall of Famer and baseball legend Bob Gibson accomplished the feat in his final start of the 1968 regular-season and his first in 1969, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Padres starter Christian Friedrich (4-6) gave up four runs, with three of them earned, and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Leake is also the first Cardinals pitcher with 10 or more in consecutive starts since Lance Lynn in 2012.
Pinch-hitter (a position in which the Cardinals have been great at all season long) Matt Adams hit a two-run double keyed a four-run sixth inning. Randal Grichuk and Jedd Gyorko connecting in consecutive at-bats in the seventh, and Stephen Piscotty homered into the Big Mac Land section of Busch Stadium in the third deck in left in the eighth. The power-hitting Adams is now 9 for 21 with two home runs and eight RBI’s as a pinch hitter.
During the game, Aledmys Diaz added an RBI triple, and Piscotty hit an RBI single in the critical bottom of the sixth-inning rally that put St. Louis ahead 6-1. Diaz also singled and walked and has reached safely in a team-high 22 consecutive games.
The bullpen also pitched phenomenally, as Trevor Rosenthal pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the win for St. Louis.
On Tuesday, Carlos Martinez will be the starter for St. Louis. Colin Rea will get the start for San Diego.
