Boy, what a difference a week makes. The birds were swept by Atlanta and worked to take two from Kansas City. This week back to back sweeps on the road at Pittsburgh and Kansas City. What's that? Yes, I know it was Pittsburgh and Kansas City, But given the way the season has gone, I will take a sweep when I can get it and if I can get two in a row. Well, count me as all in for it. As if that were not enough, captain Jack Flaherty's 1st game of the IL was like he never left town. The week featured offense defense and solid pitching from the rotation and the pen.
Game 1 August 10, @ Pittsburgh Cardinals 4 - Pirates 1
J. A. Happ was throwing balls of Kryptonite at the Pirate hitters, and almost no one had the antidote. The residual effect carried over to the 3 relievers who followed him to the mound. Happ gained his first win as a Cardinal.
Happ set down the first nine batters he faced on 37 pitches 25 were strikes. He gave up one run then retired the next 7 batters he faced. he ended the day with 6IP, 1H, 1R, 2BB, 5SO. Throwing a total of 86 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Ryan Helsley started the seventh and struggled to get two outs but did not allow a hit going 2/3IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 2SO.
Genesis Cabrera finished the seventh and pitched a hitless eighth. 1.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0SO
Alex Reyes would finish the contest in the ninth and need only 7 pitches to earn his 26th save. 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1SO
The offense was paced by Dylan Carlson, who went 3-4 with a run scored. RBIs from Tommy Edman, Paul DeJong, and Harrison Bader.
Edman led off the game with a home run to left that seemed to jump off the bat.
In the second inning, with one out Paul DeJong took a 3-1 pitch to left field as well.
Hon Joy Park got the Pirates on the board with what turned out as the only Pirate hit. A leadoff home run in the fourth inning. Making the score 2-1. in the sixth, with two on and one out, Yadier Molina hit reached on a fielder's choice by the pitcher, but a fielding error by the SS would allow Carlson to score. Bader would then drive the final cardinal run home with a single.
The win puts the Cards 1-0 for the week and 56-56 overall.
Carlson - It was his 28th multi-hit game, tying him with Nolan Arenado.
Helsley - Has given up 5 runs since July started (14 games) 12 2/3 innings. 3.57 ERA
Game 2 August 11, @ Pittsburgh, Cardinals 4 - Pirates 0
A J Happ was impressive the night before Adam Wainwright said HOLD MY BEER! Then they went out and threw a complete game shutout in just 88 pitches. He wasn't satisfied there. He added not just one but TWO base hits and drove in a run!
Adam Wainwright looked every bit the ace he has been this year. Especially since the injury to
Jack Flaherty. Waino gave up a lead-off single in the second he was erased in a double play. By the end of the fourth, he had faced the minimum 12 batters recording 5 strikeouts. He gave up a leadoff single in the fifth. Then retied the next FIFTEEN even get the last batter to ground out to him. His line was outstanding. describing the game as a Maddox. (complete game shut out under 100 pitches). 9IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 7SO 88 pitches -58 strikes. Wainwright is now 11-6 for the year.
Along with Adam having two hits and an RBI. Paul DeJong 2-4 with two RBIs. Yadier Molina 2-4 and one RBI. Paul Goldschmidt was on base four times.
The Cardinals opened up the scoring in the fourth inning on a Molina single.
In the 6th inning, DeJong would double to deep right-center, scoring two.
Then with runners on first and second, Wainwright would single to center, bringing in the fourth run.
The win puts the Redbirds 2-0 for the week and 57-56 for the year.
Wainwright - 27th complete game of his career, 11th shutout of his career. It also marked 6 games in a row. The right-hander has gone 7 innings or more.
DeJong - His 10th multi RBI game. He has also hit safely in 4 of his last 5 games.
Game 3 August 12, @ Pittsburgh Cardinals 7 - Pittsburgh 6
This game could have got away from St Louis early. Wade LeBlanc suffered from some elbow soreness, The bullpen picked up some slack, and the offense responded full team effort on this one.
A rookie gets his first homer.
Wade LeBlanc gave up one out, two-run homer to Colin Moran in the first inning. he retired the next 5 in a row. LeBlanc was then was pulled from the game for elbow soreness. He would go 2IP, 3H, 3R, 1BB, 1SO. T J McFarland pitched the 3rd. He gave up a walk, then, with one out, coaxed a double-play ball out of Jacob Stallings after an 8 pitch at-bat which included 3 pick-off attempts.
Five more pitchers would follow McFarland.
Andrew Miller - 1IP, 1H, 1R, 0BB, 3SO.
Luis Garcia 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0SO
Genesis Cabrera 1.2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2SO
Giovanny Gallegos 1.1IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 3SO
Alex Reyes 1IP, 2H, 1R, 0BB, 2SO
McFarland got the win his second and Reyes the save his 27th
The Cardinals had production up and down the lineup. RBIs by Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Paul DeJong, Andrew Kinzer, and pinch hitter Lars Nootbaar.
The Cardinals started scoring in the first on an Arenado Double for the early 1-0 lead.
After the Pirate 3 run first, the Birds came back in the fourth. A two-run shot by DeJong tied the game at 3. Then with a runner on and two outs, lars Nootbaar pinch-hitting for McFarland took an 0-1 pitch to right field for his first Cardinal home run. It gave the birds a 2 run lead.
The Pirates got one run back in the bottom of the fourth when Moran leads off with a home run against Andrew Miller. It would be Moran's second of the game and cut the Cards lead to 1.
In the sixth, Andrew Knizner drove in a run with a ground out, giving the birds a two-run lead.
Goldschmidt would add another RBI in the ninth with an RBI double, proving to be the game-winner. In the bottom of the ninth, Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run ho\me run before Reyes end the game with back-to-back strikeouts. The Cardinals go to 3-0 for the week and 3 games OVER .500 at 58-56
DeJong - Has hit safely in 5 of his last 6 games.
Arenado - Has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games
Goldschmidt - Has hit safely in 7 of his last 10 games.
McFarland - Has not been scored on in his last 5 games, dropping his ERA from 4.15 to 3.00
Garcia - Has worked 9 1/3 scoreless covering his last six games.
Happ - In three games with St Louis, he has a 1.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and opponents are hitting .196 against him.
Game 4, August 13, @ Kansas City Cardinals 6 - Royals 0
Friday marked the return of Captain Jack Flaherty. He took the mound and picked up where he left off.
He had good offensive support. Seven of the Cardinal starters had hits. It would be the second shut-out of the week.
Flaherty had complete control going six innings, allowing only two hits striking out five, and NO WALKS. He threw 81 pitches, 52 for strikes.
A trio of Cardinal relievers kept the Royals off the scoreboard.
TJ McFarland 1IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 0SO.
Giovanny Gallegos 1IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1SO.
Ryan Helsley 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1SO.
Five of the Cardinals 10 hits were extra-base hits. 2 doubles, and 3 home runs.
The first two Cardinal runs came in the fourth. It was back-to-back Home runs, Nolan Arenado his 23rd and Tyler O'Neill his 19th. They got a second run in the fifth on an Arenado sac fly for his second RBI of the game.
In the eighth, Yadier Molina singled home a run. He was followed by Paul DeJong, who drove in a run with a sac fly. In the ninth, Lars Nootbaar entered the game at the bottom of the seventh when Dylan Carlson left the game with wrist pain. Took a 3-1 pitch over the centerfield wall for his second home run in consecutive days.
The win was the fourth in a row for St. Louis, making them 4-0 for the week and 59-56 overall.
Arenado - Has hit safely in 7 of his last 10 games.
Goldschmidt - 27 multi-hit games.
Flaherty - Has pitched at least 6 innings in 8 of his 12 games this year.
Game 5 August 14 @ Kansas City Cardinals 9 - Royals 4
Good pitching and top-of-the-order production was the theme of this game.
Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado went 5-16 with four runs scored and ALL 9 Cardinal RBIs.
John Lester went 5 2/3 with help from 4 arms out of the pen. Given that he was following the return of Flaherty, it is easy to overlook Lester's performance 5 2/3IP, 7H, 1R, 2BB, 2SO. he kept the Redbirds in the game. At the same time, the offense did its damage.
He was backed up by;
Ryan Helsley 1.1IP, 1H, 0R, 1BB, 3SO
Luis Garcia 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2SO
Andrew Miller 1/3IP 4H, 3R, 0BB, 0SO
Genesis Cabrera 2/3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1SO
In all, the Cardinals banged out 12 hits. Edmundo Sosa batting 8th as the DH went 4-4 and scored 2 runs. Harrison Bader, batting eighth, went 2-4 with a run scored as well. It was the top of the lineup that did the damage.
The Royals opened the scoring in the fourth on a Michael Taylor single.
St Louis answered in the 5th with a two single by Tommy Edman to take a 2-1 lead.
In the seventh, Paul Goldschmidt drove in a run with a Sac fly. Then Nolan Arenado doubled home two more, making it 6-1.
In the ninth inning, it was the same duo again in almost the same way. A Goldschmidt sac-fly and an Arenado double made the score 9-1. Andrew Miller started the ninth with a line out, then back-to-back singles followed by a two-RBI Double by Witt Merrifield and a single by Carlos Santana made the score 9-4. Genesis Cabrera came in and got the final two outs.
The Cards are now 5-0 for the week and 60-56 overall.
Garcia - Scoreless streak has now reached 10 1/3 innings, 13 strikeouts 1 walk!
Bader, Since July 1st (35 games), he is hitting .305/.362/.477, 5HR and 19RBIs
Sosa - Since Aug 1 .429/.455/.667
Goldschmidt - Since Aug 1 .311/.370/.400 1HR, 12RBIs
Cabrera - Has not been scored on in 12 2/3 innings dating back to July 10
Game 6, August 15, @ Kansas City Cardinals 7 - Royals 2
Just like the day before, it hits up and down the lineup, but it was the top 3 who did the most damage. The top three went 6-15, six runs scored, four RBIs. J A Happ threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. He walked two and struck out two, and Luis Garcia extended his scoreless streak.
J A Happ followed up his last outing against Pittsburgh by posting an equally impressive 5 2/3 innings giving up NO runs on just five hits. Walking two and striking out 2.
Luis Garcia would follow with an inning and a third of shutout baseball.
Justin Miller would pitch the eighth and give two runs on three hits.
T J McFarland pitched a scoreless ninth giving up one hit and striking out one.
Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado each went 2-5 with 2 runs scored. Arenado would drive in 3. Arenado and Tyler O'Neill would go back to back for the second time in a week. The Cardinals unloaded in back-to-back innings then coasted. Arenado drove home a run in the first inning with a single to take the early 1-0 lead.
After two outs and a walk, Jose Rondon hit a double, bringing home two more, making the lead 3-0.
In the fourth, Goldschmidt would double home a run. The Arenado would hit a two-run homer to the left(25th). That would be followed by a Tyler O'Neill solo shot giving St Louis 4 runs in the inning and a 7-0 lead.
The Royals would get a two-run homer in the eighth by Salvador Perez to make the final 7-2.
The double sweep makes the Cardinals 6-0 for the week and 61-56 overall. St Louis is in 3rd place 10 games behind the Brewers and 2 games behind the Reds.
As for the Wild Card, they are third in the Wild Card race.
San Diego 67-53 --
Cincinnati 64-56 2.5GB
St Louis 61-56 4.5GB
Philadelphia 61-57 5GB
Garcia - Scoreless streak has now reached 11 2/3 innings.
Happ - In his two starts 2-0 11 2/3IP, 6H, 1R, 4BB, 7SO 0.77ERA, 0.86WHIP. Opponents are hitting just .159 against him.
Arenado - Vs. the Royals this weekend hit .417/.467/1.250 3 HR 9 RBIs
Up next is a showdown with the Brewers in St Louis.
The Milwaukee Brewers
dates and probable starters
August 17, Adam Wainwright 11-6 vs. Corbin Burns 7-4
August 18, Jack Flaherty 9-1 vs. Freddy Peralta 9-3
August 19, Miles Mikolas 0-0 vs. Brandon Woodruff 7-6
Then Pittsburgh comes to town.
dates and probable pitchers
August 20, John Lester 4-6(1-1) vs. Mitch Keller 3-10
August 21, J A Happ 7-6(2-0) vs. Dillon Peters 0-1
August 22, Adam Wainwright 11-6 vs. Steven Brault 0-1
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment or hit me on Twitter @BigD_GCS.
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