Carp and DeJong power Cards past Marlins in game-two 3-2, Mikolas tosses seven strong to earn win number 12
Déjà vu for the second consecutive game. Pablo López would retire the Birds in order to begin the game, striking out Carp on a good looking changeup for the first out. López ended his first inning striking out Yadi looking on a fastball. I mentioned déjà vu because the Marlins would get on the board early, much like the way they did last night to take an early advantage. Derek Dietrich would leadoff the inning with a single off the Lizard King, but Miles would bounce back to get Anderson (1-3 putout) and Realmuto (flyout to Cafecíto) to bring in the cleanup man, Philip Seymour Hoffman lookalike, Justin Bour. Bour, with a shift on, hit an RBI single back up the middle to plate Dietrich to make it 1-0 Marlins. Mikolas ended his inning on pitch 23, getting Castro to fly out to Bader.
Swags, like last night, got the Cardinals in the hit column, ripping a single into RF. López set down the next three (Trap House, DeJong, Wong) he faced, ending the inning after 15 pitches. The Lizard King wouldn’t even toe the rubber for longer than 3 minutes in the bottom half of the 2nd, recording three groundouts on 5 pitches to take things to the 3rd. Trap House would end the inning taking away an infield single from the speedster, Mags Sierra, barehanding the slowly hit ball for the final out.
Mikolas would pick up a single with one down in the 3rd, getting stranded on 1B after Carp and Yadi were retired to end the inning. López brushed Carp off the plate with a high and tight fastball, before throwing a fastball down the pipe to get him looking. Carp looked like he was ready to fight, so he held it in until the 8th inning...to be continued.
Mikolas would work another quick, efficient inning in the bottom of the 3rd, tossing 8 pitches. Dietrich (3-4) picked up his second single of the night, reaching after a ground out off the bat of López. The Lizard King would get Anderson in on the hands, on a second pitch fastball, to ground into the inning ending 1-6-3 double-play.
Both starters would work 1-2-3 innings in the 4th, both picking up a strikeout while recording two ground outs a piece. Rojas would take away an infield single from Cafecíto to open up the top of the 4th, barehanding a slow chopping ball for the out. Trap House would strikeout looking on a fastball to end the inning. Mikolas matched López, throwing a 10-pitch inning, picking up his first k on Castro, getting him to offer at a slider.
The Cards would waste a golden opportunity to tie the game in the top of the 5th, letting a Pauly D leadoff double go by the wayside. López worked around the double, retiring the next three in-a-row, ending the inning getting Mikolas to strikeout on a curveball, stranding the tying run at 3B.
The Marlins added to their lead in the bottom of the 5th, getting the ball rolling with a leadoff triple into the RF corner from JT Riddle. Rojas then drove him in with an RBI single to LF, making it 2-0 Marlins. Mikolas limited the damage to just that, getting the next three to end the inning.
López kept dominating the Cardinals bats in the 6th inning, recording three ground outs to retire the top of the order on 14 pitches. Mikolas kept the efficiency up, recording another 1-2-3 inning, this time on 8 pitches, recording three ground outs on the middle of the Marlins order.
The Cardinals would break the shutout in the 7th. Swags would be robbed of extra-bases to begin the inning, just missing a hanging breaking pitch from López, flying out to the LF warning track to Dietrich, who leaped up to take extra bases away. Trap House then worked a walk to bring in Pauly D, who looks to have his swing coming back to normal. Pauly D would club his 10th HR of the season into the LF corner, barely clearing the wall to tie the game 2-2. DeJong got a hanging breaking pitch from López and didn’t miss. Dietrich would end the inning robbing Harry Bader of extra bases, as well. Dietrich would dive to his right to take a liner away from Bader to end the inning tied at 2-2.
The Lizard King tossed his last inning in the bottom of the 7th, retiring the side in order on 10 pitches. Continuing the quick and efficient trend.
Matthew Martin Lee Carpenter: The Cardinals leadoff guy/salsa provider wouldn’t let this one be tied up for long. Carpenter continued his NL MVP push with a one-out solo HR to RF off newly entered reliever, Elieser Hernandez, for his league-leading 30th HR of the season #scoopdasalsa. I can hear the “M-V-P” chants in my head, specifically from @alexcards79. Hernandez ended the inning getting Cafecíto to fly out, with the Cardinals now on top 3-2.
Dakota Hudson would take the mound in the 8th for the Cardinals bullpen, getting some top notch defense to back him up. Yadi would take away a bunt single from Sierra to open the inning, hopping up to his feet quickly to nail the quick-footed CF’er. Martin Prado would pinch-hit for Hernandez, getting robbed of a bloop single from Harry Bader, who would lay out full extension, sprinting in towards the infield to take away the possible base-hit, and potential tying run. Dietrich kept being Adam Frazier and lined his third single of the night into RF for a two-out base runner. Hudson ended the inning getting Tim McCarver’s NL ROY, Brian Anderson, to ground out to Trap House Gyorko.
The Cardinals would strand two on base in the 9th vs Javy Guerra, who picked up his first save of the season last night. Swags and Wong would hit singles, but both would be stranded as Bader would ground out to Castro to take things to the bottom of the 9th.
Bud Norris closed the door for his 22nd save of the year, allowing a one-out walk to Bour after Realmuto grounded out to DeJong. Rivera would pinch-run for Bour, advancing to 2B on a wild-pitch from Norris, who appeared to cross up Yadi. Castro would ground out to Trap House for the second out, bringing in Riddle for the final hope. Norris would strikeout Riddle on an excellent slider in the dirt for the final out, securing the 3-2 win for the Birds to tie the series at a game a piece.
The Cardinals will look to win their fourth-straight series tomorrow evening, sending John Gant (3-4, 4.12) to the mound. Gant will be countered with a Drury graduate, Trevor Richards (3-6, 3.92). First pitch 6:10 c/t.
Thanks for reading, cheers!
Game 114 is in the books
by Stew/@StewStilez
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