Alex Reyes received the news that he was selected as one of the relievers for the All-Star game. It is Alex's 1st MLB All-Star appearance. He will join fellow Cardinal Third Baseman Nolan Arenado in Colorado. For Arenado, it is his sixth All-Star game. Arenado won the fan vote for third basemen in the NL.
The Cardinals started the week in Oracle Park in San Francisco, California overlooking the bay. Three games there, then three games vs. division rival Chicago before the All-Star Break. Coming off a mixed bag week was sweeping Arizona then losing 3 of 4 in Colorado, you were unsure what to expect. The Giants owned the League's Best Overall Record at 52-31. They were coming off of taking 3 of 4 games in Arizona.
Game 1 July 5, @ San Francisco Cardinals 5 - Giants 3
Kwang Hyun Kim turned in arguably his single best performance of the year.
Giovanny Gallegos pitched the eighth, allowing one run on, one hit, no walks, and struck out three. Alex Reyes pitched the ninth, giving up two runs on two hits, walking one, and striking one out. The performance was much needed, considering the way things went in Colorado. Giants Kevin Gausman was dealing as well. (7IP, 3H, 2R, 2BB, 8SO. He had a no-hitter for 6 1/3 until Nolan Arenado broke it up with a single. Arenado would have two hits in the game. Like the Cardinal pen, the Giant relievers gave up three runs as well.
In the seventh, with runners on first and second, Matt Carpenter Went the other way for Triple into Left-Center, clearing the bases. That was the first RBI for Carpenter since June 11, the first multiple-RBI game since June 9. The Giants would get one back in the eighth on an Alex Dickerson solo home run.
In the ninth, Harrison Bader gave the Cardinals all the runs they would need with an RBI single. At the same time, he extends his hitting streak to 4 games, going 5-16 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. Two batters later, Jose Rondon would add insurance with a pinch-hit sac fly.
The Giants get two runs o a Donovan Solano single And a Steven Duggar ground out. Tommy Edman had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 7 games. The Cards start the week 1-0 and go to 42-44 for the season.
Game 2 July 6 @ San Francisco Cardinals 6- Giants 5
Nolan Arenado came up big for St Louis in Tuesday's contest, showing why he started the 2021 All-Star game.
The Cardinal third sacker went 3-5 a home run, with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs To pace the Cardinal offense. It was his second multi-hit day in a row. The home run was his 17th of the year. To go along with 55 RBIs.
Yadier Molina and Edmundo Sosa also had 3 hits for St. Louis. Sosa would hit a solo home run as well. The Cardinals would score in the First, Fourth, Seventh, and Eighth innings. They would use 6 pitchers for the game, with Adam wainwright Getting the win and newcomer Justin Miller getting his First save as a Cardinal.
In the first inning, with one on and one out, they turned on a 3-2 pitch sending it over the Left Field wall for the early 2-0 lead. In the 3rd, with two out All-Star selectee, Brandon Crawford singled to Center, tying the game at two apiece. The Cardinals struck again on a two-out, two-RBI single from Paul Goldschmidt to get a two-run lead in the fourth. In the Fifth, Crawford struck again with an RBI single with one out. Then in the seventh, Yadier Molina came up with a two-out RBI single, giving the Cardinals their two-run cushion back. In the eighth, Edmundo Sosa added to that in what would prove to be the winning run with a two-out solo shot in the eighth.
The Giants would mount a comeback in the eighth with an RBI single by Mike Yastrzemski and an RBI Double by Wilmer Flores. Cabrera started the ninth, Justin Miller finished the last two batters to earn his 1st Cardinal save. The win puts St Louis at 2-0 for the week and 43-44 for the year.
Game 3 July 7, @ San Francisco Giants 5 - Cardinals 2
The Cardinals, winners of the first two games in San Francisco, were thinking of a sweep. Naturally, the Giants had other ideas.
The Cardinals started the game with a run in the first on a Nolan Arenado double-off of starter Alex Wood. The only run he would allow the entire game gave the Cardinals only three hits, 2 walks, and six strikeouts over seven innings.
The Giants tied it up in the first when
Jason Vosler was hit by a pitch from Cardinal starter Johan Oviedo. They took the lead in the second on a Mike Yastrzemski to double off the Cardinal starter. Oviedo would only last four innings in this game allowed two runs on three base hits. He issued four walks while only striking out three.
Brandon Waddell was relieved in the fifth and gave up the Giants third run on a Donovan Solano's double to left. The Cards got their second and final run in the eighth when Paul Goldschmidt singled to left. Of relief pitcher Tyler Rogers. The Giants countered in the eighth when Darin Ruff, who came in a double switch in the sixth, hit a solo shot off Justin Miller. The loss drops the Redbirds to 2-0 for the week and 43-45 for the year. There were some positive notes:
Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 8 games.
Nolan Arenado hit his Team, leading 26th double and 56th RBI.
John Gant, in seven relief appearances, has only given up one run.
Game 4 July 9 @ Chicago NL, Cubs 10- Cardinals 5
Dylan Carlson was 3-4 with two runs scored and Paul Goldschmidt 2-4 with an RBI. Paul DeJong even added a home run. But it was not enough.
Chicago put up a Three Run first and kept adding behind solid pitching from Kyle Hendricks, who notched his 11 wins of the season. Hendricks would go six and a third, scattering seven Cardinal hits allowing only two runs along with one walk and one strikeout. Wade LeBlanc, Solid in his two previous starts, could only go three innings giving up three runs on five hits, walking three strikings out.
The Cubs jumped in front early on a bases-loaded two-out double by Joc Pederson that plated three runs. The Cardinals came back in the third with back-to-back RBI singles by Tyler O'Neill and Yadier Molina that cut the Chicago lead to 3-2.
In the fourth, with Luis Garcia on the mound for St. Louis, Ian Happ singled home the fourth Cub run of the night. In the seventh with Genesis Cabrera left the game with the bases loaded and one out. Kris Bryant cleared the bases with a double on the first pitch. one out later, Patrick Wisdom put the cap on the 5 run inning with a two-run shot. The Cubs would get their tenth and final run on a single by Jason Heyward in the eighth.
St Louis would mount a small rally in the ninth With Kyle Ryan on the mound. Paul Goldschmidt would hit an RBI single to Center. Paul DeJong would put a charge into an 0-1 pitch for a two-run homer. Ryan would retire the next three in a row. The loss makes the Cardinal mark at 2-2 for the week and 43-46 overall. Paul Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 9 games.
Game 5 July 10, @ Chicago NL. Cardinals 6 - Cubs 0
After the shellacking the night before at the hand of the Chicago Cubs. The St. Louis Cardinals showed up for game two of the series and said, "our turn."
They scored a single run in the first, and A three-home run, five-run, fifth cemented the deal—St. Louis starter Kwang Hyun Kim Three Cardinal relievers combined for the shutout win.
The Cardinals started in the first With a Matt Carpenter triple off of Zach Davies to bring in the first Cardinal run. It was a one-nothing game until the fifth. When Paul Goldschmidt hit a solo home run onto Waveland Ave off of Cubs starter Zach Davies. After two were out, Davies gave way to LHP Adam Morgan. Mike Shildt countered by sending Tommy Edman to pinch-hit for Matt Carpenter. Edman responded with a deep two-run home run to the left. Two batters later, with two out and a man on Cubs turned to Dan Winkler Paul DeJong on a 0-1 count then hit a two-run home run of his own that would be all of the scorings.
KK turned in another quality start with 6IP, 5H, 0R, 1BB, 7Ks he was followed to the mound by Genesis Cabrera 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K; Giovanny Gallegos 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, and John Gant 1IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1SO.
The win put the Redbirds at 3-2 for the week and 44-46 for the season.
The shutout was the ninth by Cardinal pitching this season.
Game 5 July 11 @ Chicago NL postponed due to weather and unplayable field conditions.
The game will be made up in September.
The Cardinals have now won or split three of the last four series they have played.
Paul Goldschmidt now has 17 multi-hit games. 3 of his last 4 have been multi-hit games, and he has a 10 game hitting streak
Paul DeJong has back-to-back days of two-run home runs. He is also 8-30 in his last 10 games(.266).
Kwang Hyun Kim has pitch 13 consecutive scoreless innings in two games. He also has three wins in a row for the first time this season.
While the fifth spot in the rotation after the break is unknown, Wainwright, Kim, and Leblanc are the scheduled starters for the first series after the break. Unless there is a move during the break, Johan Oviedo and Jake Woodford could likely be the "back end" of the rotation.
Up next!
At St. Louis
July 16 Adam Wainwright 7-5 vs. Kevin Gausman 9-3
July 17 Kwang Hyun Kim 4-5 vs. Anthony DeSclafani 10-3
July 18 Wade LeBlanc 0-1 vs. Johnny Cueto 6-5
Thanks for reading. See you after the All-Star break.