Game 2 Recap:
Well, same stuff, different day for the second game of the Opening Series for the Cardinals.
The same frustrations we had in 2017, have somehow found a way to carry over these first couple games of 2018. (Strikeouts, fielding mishaps, pitchers walking batters, etc.)
Let’s break down the second game of 162 right here:
Michael Wacha found himself in trouble from the start, a 2 run 1st inning from the Mets started when Asdrubel Cabrera led the game off with a double into RF. Céspedes followed with a walk and later scored on a 2-run double from Todd Frazier. Wacha settled in the 2nd and 3rd innings, allowing no runs on one walk and a strikeout.
But then the problematic “third time” through the lineup came back to bite Wacha as Céspedes cursed a solo HR to LF. Two batters later, Wacha hit Frazier with a pitch and that drew the end of the day for the Redbirds hurler.
Bud Norris followed with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and recording 2 strikeouts. (d’Arnaud & Rosario)
Defensive lapses occurred on a couple occasions as well.
Jose Martinez losing a pop up in foul territory & the Wilmer Flores PH single off Tuivailala in the 8th inning that dropped in between DeJong, Wong, & Pham.
One defensive bright spot was Pham’s PO in the 6th inning on a Lagares single up the middle. Pham threw Adrain Gonzalez out at trying to snag an extra bag going from first to third on the base knock.
Offensive positives:
Jose “Cafecito” Martinez doesn’t know how to get out, literally. The first baseman went (2-3, with an RBI single in the 4th inning scoring Pham, and a walk).
Matt Carpenter hit his first HR of the season, a solo HR to RF in the 8th inning off Swarzak.
The Cardinals bats were once again overpowered by a dominate pitching performance. A 15 strikeout game on Opening Day was followed up with a 12 strikeout game two days later.
It seems as if the same struggles this team had in 2017, have followed us to 2018. (minus the base running mistakes, so far)
That being said, there’s 160 more games and we get to turn the
