Cards comeback twice with two 4 run innings, Big City sends game winning blast in the 8th for 8-7 win over Bucs
With Waino returning to the mound for the first time since mid-May, this game couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the veteran pitcher.
Waino struck out Frazier on three pitches to begin the evening, showing him three different pitches; sinker, cutter, curveball (the Uncle Charlie)
Waino ended the inning after 17 pitches, stranding Bell at 1B after hitting a two-out single.
Trevor Williams, who has been one of the best pitchers in the NL since August, matched up with Waino tonight, no-hitting the Cardinals thru the first 3 frames.
Waino started his 2nd inning how he ended his 1st inning, striking out Dickerson and Harrison back-to-back to bring in Moran. Moran decided to be a party pooper, sending a solo shot to RF to put the Bucs on top 1-0.
The 3rd inning is when the wheels started to fall off a bit. Trevor Williams opened the inning with a base knock into RF. After a Frazier lineout to Cafecíto in RF, Marte would blast a center cut sinker to CF for a two-run HR, making it 3-0 Pirates.
The next three Pirates would single; Bell singled to Bader and Cervelli singled to Swags. Dickerson continued the trend with a single into CF, plating Bell to make it 4-0 Bucs.
I assume this is about the time Bernie made his nostalgia tweet.
Actually, it was probably when Waino batted for himself with two away in the 3rd inning, bringing him back out to the mound for a 4th inning.
Waino had two 1-2-3 innings left in the tank, as he retired the next 6 Pirates in-a-row on 21 pitches.
4 Run 4th:
The Cardinals made this a ballgame in a blink of an eye, tying things up at 4-4.
Leadoff Guy, drove his 40th double of the season into the RF corner and Cafecíto would move him to 3B, hitting a single the opposite way to put runners on the corners for Big City.
Williams would strike out Adams, getting him to offer at a high fastball.
Swags and Paul Deez didn’t pass up the oppurtunity, as Swags delivered an RBI single into LF, bringing home Carp to make it a 4-1 game. Pauly Deez wasted no time, first pitch swinging, ripping a two-run double into LCF, scoring Cafecíto and Swags to make it 4-3.
KoWo kept the line moving, reaching on an infield single to the left-side, moving Deez to 3B on the play.
Harry came thru with a sac-fly to Marte, also swinging first pitch, to bring in DeJong to tie the game at 4-4.
Chasen Shreve and Dominic Leone worked the 6th inning for Shildt’s pen, allowing 2 runs, handing the lead right back over to the Pirates.
Shreve would face Dickerson, Harrison, and Moran. Shreve won the battle vs the two lefties, giving up a solo HR to Harrison in between the 2 outs. Shreve has struggled with serving up the long ball all season.
Leone relieved Shreve, allowing the first three he faced to reach base. Mercer singled, Kramer (pinch-hitting) walked, Frazier singled to Bader to score Mercer to make it 6-4 Pirates.
Crick and Rodríguez would retire the Cardinals in order in the 6th and 7th inning, as Webb worked a perfect 1-2-3 7th
inning, throwing 12 pitches. Webb picked up a strikeout on Cervelli, getting him on a high 90 mph heater.
Brebs would get the 8th inning tonight, striking out Harrison on 3 pitches, blowing him away with a 96 mph fastball. Moran then singled to LF, bringing in Mercer who would bounce into an inning ending, 6-4-3 double-play.
4 Run 8th:
Edgar Santana, one of the most reliable arms coming out of the Pirates pen, would blow it tonight, as the Cards feasted with a 4-run 8th.
Carp worked a leadoff walk and Cafecíto followed, lining a single back up the middle to put runners on the corners for Big City.
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the signature Big City moment in STL, and it was sweet. Also got me some more #bombsaway points, so it got me hyped.
Big City crushed a hanging slider from Santana 400 feet to RF for a 3-run shot, giving the Cardinals the lead back at 7-6.
Neverauskas would come in to finish the inning for Hurdle and the Bucs, serving up a single to Swags upon entering. After Deez grounded out to 3B, KoWo would walk and Swags moved to 3B on a passed ball by Cervelli who appeared to be crossed up on the pitch.
Harry then hit his second sac-fly of the evening, flying out to Frazier in foul territory down the RF line, scoring Swags to give the Cards a two run cushion at 8-6.
Enter Tsunami:
Tsunami came in for the second time in consecutive days to earn back-to-back saves, giving him 3 on the season.
Luplow (pinch-hitting) would strikeout to get things started, swinging and missing at a 95 mph 2-seamer. Frazier then reached on an error from Deez, moving to 2B on the play as DeJong’s throw went into the Cards dugout. Marte would work a full-count, whiffing at a beauty of a changeup, diving in on his hands for the second out. Josh Bell then came inches away from tying the game with a 2-run HR, sending a double off the LF wall in front of the Pirates bullpen, plating Frazier to make it a one run game at 8-7.
Pauly Deez made up for his error big time, ending the game with an exclamation point, ranging deep in the LF grass to snag a Cervelli grounder, planting his feet and firing it over to Carp to get Cervelli by an eyelash for the final out.
The Cardinals now have 80 wins. The Reds beat the Dodgers to extend the Cards lead on the 2nd WC spot.
The Lizard King (14-4, 3.06) toes the rubber tomorrow night and will be matched up with Joe Musgrove (6-8, 3.75). First pitch 7:15 c/t.
Thanks for reading, cheers!
Stew
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