Tyler O'Neill Started this week, where he left off last week, busting home runs. The bullpen continues to be inconsistent. Two more starters hurt in Flaherty and Kim, an ineffective C-Mart. No support for Uncle Charlie, and Houdini can't escape All this and more as we review the past week.
West Coast swing vs. the Dodgers
Game 1, 5/31 @ Los Angles Dodgers 9 - Cardinals 4
Trevor Bauer vs. Jack Flaherty
This was the marquee pitchers duel fans wanted to see in this series between the Dodgers and Cardinals.
In some ways, they got a good show but not the one they were hoping for.
Flaherty 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks
Bauer 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB 5Ks.
Flaherty was solid, mixing pitches confusing the LA hitters except for Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor. Both would touch Flaherty for the long ball in the second inning.
Bauer had his own Home Run issues, as Justin Williams and Dylan Carlson would both Homer in the 6th for St Louis, giving the visitors a brief 3-2 lead. In the Dodger half of the 6th, Ryan Helsley took the mound. Flaherty left the game with tightness in his back after an At Bat. It was revealed that he had felt tightness while pitching the 5th inning.
When it flared during the AB in the fifth, he mentioned it to Schildt, who took him out of the game as a precaution and to get checked out. Helsley would only last 3 batters, getting Mookie Bets to ground out. Then a double by Max Muncy and a single by Justin Turner chased Helsley. Genesis Cabrera was called on to stem the tied. Back-to-back walks allowed the tying run to score(charged to Helsley). Then in an epic 14 pitch, at bat, Taylor hit a double into deep right-center field, scoring 3 runs(1 charged to Helsley). In all, the Dodgers scored 4 times. Giving them a 6-3 lead.
In the 7th Tyler O'Neill would unload on Bauer for his team-leading 12 Home Run of the year and his 4th in the last 5 games. Daniel Ponce De Leone pitched a scoreless 7th inning but could not make it through the 8th, giving up a solo home run to Lux and an RBI single to Matt Beatty. Seth Elledge would give up a Mookie Betts double scoring one and closing the book on Ponce before getting the final out. The loss starts the Birds off 0-1 for the week and 30-24 for the season 1/2 game behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Flaherty's injury appears to be a strained or torn oblique muscle. Currently on the 10day IL return date of early to mid-August.
Game 2 6/1 @ Los Angeles Cardinals 3 - Dodgers 2
Houdini takes the hill.
Nicknamed the Houdini of the rotation, John Gant, despite his penchant for walks (almost 4 per game), has been very stingy when it comes to runs. Coming into Tuesday's game against LA, the 6'4" 200lb Gant was sporting a 4-3 record with a 1.81 ERA in nine starts. Teams have scored 3 runs off of John Gant in the four starts before this game.
Houdini did not disappoint and put on a show.
6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 Ks. He benefited from some eye-popping defense from Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, and Tyler O'Neill. O'Neill would also make the play of the game to end it.
The Dodgers made this game a bullpen start with David Price as the opener, followed by the entire bullpen. All things considered, they put up a solid line against St. Louis. 9 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 13 Ks.
The pen for the Cardinals was fairly stingy as well, with Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes combining for 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 Ks. Gallegos got the win and Reyes his 16th save ONE behind Mark Melancon for the Major League lead.
The birds started scoring in the first on an RBI double by Paul Goldschmidt to bring home the first run. Then in the second, Dylan Carlson singled home a run. It stayed 2-0 until the seventh inning when Matt Beaty hit a two-run shot to right field to tie things up. In the ninth after, O'Neill singled and stole second. Edmundo Sosa singled to the left, scoring O'Neill.
In the bottom half of the ninth, after two outs, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo walked, Cody Bellinger singled, bringing up Mookie Betts. He turned on a two-ball 1 strike pitch, and this was the result.
The win makes the Cardinals 1-1 for the week and 31-24 overall.
Game 3 6/2 @ Los Angeles Dodgers 14 - Cardinals 3.
On a night when the Cardinals needed a strong start. They did not get one. Carlos Martinez was beaten like a rag doll. After Paul Goldschmidt started the game with a solo shot in the first, the Dodger lineup collectively said, hold our beers. They proceeded to pull off an 11 run first inning in which Tsunami was tagged for ten of them. He surrendered 6 hits, walked 4, and only got through 2/3 of an inning. The first 8 batters reached base, which included 5 hits, 3 walks, and a throwing error. Seven runs were platted before the first out was recorded! After a strikeout by the pitcher Walker Buehler, a single by Mookie Betts, his second hit of the inning, a fly out by Max Muncy, and a walk to Justin Turner, the bases were loaded for Cody Bellinger, Who singled earlier in the inning, driving in two Dodger runs. Schildt finally pulled Martinez and brought Jake Woodford, Who threw 3 straight balls to Bellinger, who then belted the next pitch for a Grand Slam home run. Capping off the scoring in the first.
The Cards came back in the third, scoring one run on a Nolan Arenado double.
the Dodgers would get two more in the fifth on a Buehler double and a Betts single
Dylan Carlson would hit a solo home run in the 5th for the final run of the game.
While Cardinal pitching was not stellar in the first 4 innings, Seth Elledge and Junior Fernandez each threw 2 scoreless innings for the beleaguered Cardinal bullpen.
Cards go 1-2 for the week 31-25 overall.
Game 4 6/3 vs. Cincinnati Reds 4 - Cardinals 3
Coming back home, the Cardinals put hopes on Adam Wainwright to stop the skid and bring stability back. As he has done so many times, Old Uncle Charlie answered the call. 7IP, 8H, 3ER, 0BB, 4Ks. The Reds scored in the first after 1 out a pair of singles and back-to-back hit batters. The Reds had their first run. The birds would counter with two in the first on a single by Yadier Molina and Tyler O'Neill. That would be all that the cards would get for the game.
In the second inning, Jessie Winker would hit a two-run shot to put the reds ahead. They added an insurance tally in the eighth on a Tucker Barnhart double.
Daniel Ponce de Leone had a shaky inning of work, giving up one run on one hit and two walks, but all three outs were via the strikeout.
Ryan Helsley pitched a one-hit scoreless 9th.
Tommy Edman recorded his 16 multi-hit games. It was also the eighth time in ten games he has had at least 1 hit. The cards are 1-3 for the week 31-26 overall.
Game 5 6/4 vs. Cincinnati, Reds 6 - Cardinals 4
One day after a stellar performance by Adam Wainwright, it was Kwang Hyun Kim's turn to take up the slack. It didn't quite go that way. In the second inning, Kim gave up two home runs. A solo shot to Tyler Stevenson and a two-run shot to Johnathan India. After a 1,2,3 third, Kim went out to warm up in the 4th, and on the first warm-up pitch, he felt tightness in his back and had to leave the game. Jake Woodford came in and pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 innings. The Cardinals would come back with a run in the 5th off Edmundo Sosa's first career home run. The Reds would score a run in the 6th off of a double by the pitcher Louis Castillo. in the ninth, the Reds padded their lead. A Stevenson single and a fielder's choice and Shogo Akiyama reaching on a fielder's choice gave the Reds two more runs. The Cardinals would mount a comeback in the ninth. Matt Carpenter would double home a run, and later Tommy Edman doubled home two. Then with two on and two out, Paul Goldschmidt struck out swinging on 3 straight pitches.
Andrew Miller, freshly recalled from the IL, came in with two outs in the 6th to get the final out and then pitch two more scoreless innings surrendering only three hits, walking one, and striking out one. (To make room for Miller on the 40 man roster Tyler Webb was designated for assignment).
Tyler O'Neill made another highlight-reel catch sliding into the Left Field wall, and Dylan Carlson would go 3 for 5 in the game. His 15th multi-hit game.
The loss was the third in a row for the Redbirds, making them 1-4 for the week and 31-27 overall.
Game 6 6/5 vs. Cincinnati Reds 5 - Cardinals 2
Nolan Arenado would go 3 -4 with two RBIs
Johan Oviedo would only last 4 innings would give up two runs in four innings. Ryan Helsley would give up two more over the next inning and two-thirds. A throwing error by catcher Andrew Knizner would give the Reds their fifth run.
Tyler Mahle kept the Cardinal bats bewildered for seven innings giving up an RBI single in the first and then again in the bottom of the 4th. The Cardinals' fourth loss in a row made them 1-5 for the week and 31-28 overall.
Game 7 vs. Cincinnati Reds 8 - Cardinals 7
The Houdini of the Cardinal staff John Gant could not pull off his latest act vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Jesse Winker hit home runs in back-to-back innings. A two-run shot in the first and a three-run blast in the second. In the third, Eugenio Suarez doubled home two more in the third to give the Reds a 7-0 lead. Gant would only go four innings. Andrew Miller, Angel Rondon, and Giovanny Gallegos combined for four innings of shut-out baseball.
The Cardinals would make a comeback in the sixth, started with a two-run homer, Matt Carpenter doubled home two more. An in-field single by Tommy Edman plated another run. Nolan Arenado singled to center, scoring two more(he would go 4-4 in the game), tying the ball game. In the ninth, Jesse Winker would strike again in the ninth with a solo home run. The Cards would try to mount a rally in the ninth on a Paul Goldschmidt single(3-5 in the game), and Arenado double had second and third no outs. Reds reliever Lucas Sims induced a short fly ball by O'Neill, then struck out Edmundo Sosa, and Jose Rondon( who was 2-3 before that at-bat) ended the game. The loss was the fifth in a row, leaving them with a 1-6 mark for the week and a 31-29 overall record.
*With his double, Matt Carpenter has hit safely in 3 of his last 4 games
* Andrew Miller in back to back appearances 3 1/3IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks
* Kwang Hyun Kim is scheduled to pitch in the Miami series.
* Tyler O'Neill, in his last 7 games, is 8-26(.307) with two doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs and has made some outstanding defensive plays in the outfield.
The Birds have Monday off to regroup. Paul DeJong may be back this week, but the starting pitching is still in a quandary. It looks like a four-pitcher rotation this week with a day off on Thursday as well.
First, up will be the Cleveland Indians at Busch on June 8th and 9th
Game one will be Carlos Martinez vs. Shane Bieber.
Game two will be Adam Wainwright vs. Jean-Carlos Mejia.
Then the Cards travel to the Friendly confines in Chicago to take on the division-leading Cubs for a weekend series.
Game one will be Johan Oviedo vs. Kyle Hendrick.s
Game two John Gant vs Adbert Alzolay
Game three Carlos Martinez vs. Zach Davies