Well, this is the second night in-a-row which the game ended a little later than anticipated and I have to work early. So here’s another kick ass recap, get your salsa ready.
Poncedeleon and Ryu would face off against each other tonight, both retiring the side in order in their 1st innings of work.
Ponce would strikeout the side on 18 pitches in his inning, freezing Machado on an inside heater to end the inning.
Ponce found himself in major trouble in the bottom of the 2nd after Ryu worked a 1-2-3 inning. Bellinger opened the inning with a single to LF, Muncy struck out, Grandal singled to RF, Taylor singled to RF, and Puig was hit by a fastball to bring in Bellinger to make it 1-0 Dodgers.
Grandal and Taylor’s singles were not the greatest of plays from Tyler O’Neill, I don’t even want to talk about it, so let’s just put it in the past, deal? Deal.
Poncedeleon worked around the bases loaded jam, striking out his fifth batter, getting Ryu to whiff at a fastball. Ponce ended the inning on his 36th pitch, getting Pederson to fly out to Bader.
The Cardinals answered back in the 3rd, plating 3 runs to take the lead. Harry started the inning with the first hit of the night for the Cards, hitting a single to RF. Wong then grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice, and Ponce would sac him up to 2B with a bunt, 2-3 on the putout.
Leadoff guy, Cafecíto, wait.......what?!? Yes, that’s right, José Martínez was the Cardinals leadoff hitter tonight, and he delivered, ripping an RBI single back up the middle to score Wong.
Yadi, the goat, did goat things, ripping his 16th HR of the season next, sending a two-run shot to RCF to give the Cardinals the 3-1 lead.
Ponce would add three more k’s to his line over the 3rd and 4th innings, yielding two hits, stranding three Dodgers.
Ponce had another Houdini act up his sleeve in the bottom of the 4th, giving up a leadoff walk to Grandal. Taylor followed that with a double into the LF corner to put runners in scoring position with nobody out. Ponce then picked up back-to-back k’s, getting Puig and Dozier (pinch-hitting) to bring in Pederson. Pederson would fly out to Harry, ending the evening for Ponce.
Poncedeleon’s final line: (4IP, 5 hits, 1r/1er, 1 bb, 8 k’s)
Floro came in to pitch the 5th for the Dodgers, stranding the bases loaded after striking out Cafecíto to begin the inning. Yadi walked and Swags and Pauly hit singles to bring in Gyorko, who would fly out to Pederson in LF with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Luke Weaver would throw the next 2.1 innings from the Cardinals bullpen, giving up 3 hits while striking out 1.
After Floro pitched his second inning, a 1-2-3 6th, Weaver would escape a big jam. Grandal opened the inning with a single to RF. Taylor followed that lining out to Pauly Deez. Puig then grounded a ball back to Weaves on the mound and he would overthrow Wong, covering 2B for the force play, for the error, putting two runners on with still only one out. Weaves then picked up his lone strikeout, getting Kemp (pinch-hiring) looking at a painted fastball on the inner half. Pederson then ended the inning with a ground ball to DeJong.
The Cardinals added two more runs, courtesy of that two-out rally thingy that they do all the time. With Daniel Hudson pitching, Harry Bader would get hit by a pitch to bring in Swaggy O.
Swags did what cleanup hitters do, make you regret putting runners on base for them to drive in, ripping a two-run shot to LF for the 5-1 Cardinals lead.
Weaves went back out for the 7th, retiring Turner on a fly ball to O’Neill. Machado ended Weaver’s night with a mammoth blast to LCF, making it 5-2 Cardinals. Chasen Shreve would come in to relieve Weaver, striking out Bellinger on the first three pitches he threw, getting him to swing and miss at a splitter. Shreve then walked Muncy to bring in Grandal, and Shildt would go to his pen, turning to Tsunami (coming off the DL today) for the final out. Carlos would get Grandal to ground out to the new 1B, part of the double-switch, Carp.
Carlos would throw the 8th inning, allowing a leadoff walk to Taylor to bring in Puig. Carlos picked up a ginormous double-play, getting the 5-4-3 twin killing to bring in Hernández (pinch-hitting). Hernández drew a two-out walk to bring in the top of the order in Pederson. Joc lined a screamer back to Tsunami on the mound, hitting him directly in the chest/ribs area, dropping him to the ground. The ball ricocheted to Carp at 1B, and he threw it to DeJong covering 2B, who would tag out the overly aggressive Hernández for the final out. But that wasn’t on the mind for fans, as the concern was turned to the well being of Carlos Martínez.
Ferguson worked a 1-2-3 9th inning for the Dodgers, striking out the side, getting things started with Carp (first at bat), then getting the pinch-hitter (Mikolas), and ended the inning getting Yadi on a fastball.
With the sudden injury to Carlos, Bud Norris would have to come in for his 26th save of the season, after throwing 29 pitches last night to secure the save. KoWo opened the inning with the best defensive gem of the season, given the circumstances, ranging all the way to the left-side of the 2B bag in the OF grass, diving to keep the ball in front of him, throwing the ball from 110+ feet for the emphatic first out!!!!!! Screw a Gold Glove, give him the Platinum.
Norris then got two more ground outs, getting Machado and Bellinger to end the game for his 26th save of the season, the Cardinals 70th win of the season.
With the win, the Cardinals have now won 8-straight series in-a-row. What we are witnessing is poetic, be sure to enjoy it before it’s too late.
Tomorrow’s pitching matchup is one you won’t want to miss, as two NL ROY candidates battle it off. Jack Flaherty (7-6, 3.05) and Walker Buehler (6-4, 3.19) line it up for game-three as the Cardinals aim for the series-sweep.
First pitch 9:10 c/t.
Get your naps in.
Thanks for reading, cheers!
Game 127 is 'in the books'