Flaherty vs Quintana. I wish we could’ve got more innings with these two battling it out like they did the first 4-5 innings before the rain entered the downtown St. Louis area.
Flaherty and Quintana were racking up the strikeout totals like no one’s business. Jack would strikeout 2 batters in each of the first 3 innings, also surrendering two solo HRs to Rizzo (two outs in the 1st) and Heyward (leading off the 2nd).
But the Cards wouldn’t let the early runs hurt Flaherty, as they were able to match the Cubs two runs quickly.
Goldy put the Birds on the board with a solo HR to RCF with two down in the bottom of the 1st, his 12th of the season. Quintana would eventually strikeout the side, stranding Swags at 1B after lining a single to RF.
Speaking of Swags, the man himself would knot this game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the 3rd. In fact, Goldy and Swags were the only contributors to the Cards offense the first 3 innings, combining to go 4-4 (all 4 Cards hits) with 2 rbi.
Quintana walked Flaherty to open the inning, the biggest no-no of all time. Goldy would then line a single up the middle with two outs to extend the inning to Swags. Ozuna would muscle off an inside fastball from Quintana into shallow LF, bringing in Flaherty to tie things up 2-2.
Flaherty tossed back-to-back 11 pitch frames in the 4th and 5th, retiring the side in order, while striking out Bote and Quintana on heaters.
Heading into the bottom of the 5th............
But wait.............
.................. (watch the Blues get smoked) ..........
..............because we got a 3 hour and 37 minute rain delay
AND WE BACK, at around 11:20pm c/t.
Tyler Chatwood would come in from the Cubs pen to pitch the 5th and 6th, working a quick 5th with an inning ending DP off the bat of DeJong, 4-3 on the play.
Johnny G-Spot Gant entered from the Cards pen to pitch the 6th, still remaining the biggest badass of all time with the sick nasty gold chain hanging loose. Gant would strikeout Contreras and Heyward on filthy vulcan changes to take things to the bottom half of the inning.
The bats woke up vs Chatwood this time around, collecting three consecutive one out hits: Swags single to LF, Wieters rbi double to RF, Dex rbi single to RF to make it 4-2.
But they weren’t finished. With two outs, KoWo would deposit an rbi double down the LF line, dropping it perfectly on the muddy warning track down the line, making the ball essentially die and allowing Dex to score easily, extending the lead to 5-2.
The Cubs would make things interesting vs Brebbs in the 7th, as the first and only three batters he faced all reached base: biggest POS with a single to LF, Bote rbi double to RCF, Almora walk.
Andrew Miller would relieve Brebbs, trying to hold the lead. Descalso (PH for Chatwood) would greet him with a hard bunt past him on the mound for a single. Miller would Houdini his way out of the inning, striking out Babe Ruth and Rizzo on sliders to end the inning with the lead still intact.
Gallegos was assigned the 8th inning tonight, retiring the side in order on 14 pitches, striking out Contreras and the biggest POS.
The Cards answered in the bottom of the 8th with a little two out devil magic. Facing the lefty, Kyle Ryan, Dex (from the right side) and Haaaaaaaarry would send back-to-back oppo taco shots to make it 7-4 Cards.
Tsunami, working in his third consecutive game, shut the door for his 1st save on the season. Tsunami would work a 10 pitch, 1-2-3 inning, inducing two grounders to KoWo to end the game.
Uncle Charlie (4-5, 4.94) takes the mound tomorrow afternoon looking to complete the sweep of the Cubs, matching up against another veteran lefty, Cole Hamels* (4-1, 4.02). First pitch 1:15pm c/t.
Cheers, Stew
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