What Did I Just Watch? Marlins Dominate Cardinals 11-3, Take Game Two
After last nights clunker, tonight couldn’t have been much worse, right? Wrong. The Cardinals, again, would let the NL’s second worst team walk all over them and secure a series victory on the road.
The organization would receive some bad news prior to first pitch tonight. Red Schoendienst, at the age of 95, passed away. I can’t think of a man who represented the Cardinals with a better attitude and such pride than Red. Spring Training sure is gonna be weird next year. Rest In Peace, Mr. Schoendienst, you’ll be greatly missed.
As for the game, it doesn’t deserve a lengthy recap, you all get the picture well enough, given the 11-3 final score notification you probably received on your phone.
Jack Flaherty never really had it tonight, his slider seemed sharp early and then fizzled out, he was throwing long counts, and he wasn’t missing many bats, although he did fan six Marlins. The Marlins scored the first 3 runs in the game in the top of the 3rd inning, 2 coming off the bat of Derek Dietrich, who took Flaherty deep to RF. Realmuto and Bour would hit back-to-back singles, Realmuto scoring on an Anderson fielder’s choice lined off of Flaherty. Flaherty escaped further damage, ending the inning getting Rojas to ground into a 6-4-3 double-play.
The Cardinals got one run back in the bottom half of the 3rd. After an infield single from Tommy Pham, Cafecíto would rip an RBI double to LF for his 32nd RBI of the season, making it 3-1 Marlins. Chen would strand Cafecíto and second, retiring Ozuna and Molina to end the inning.
Flaherty threw his best inning in the top of the 4th, striking out Brinson and Chen to end the inning on 12 pitches. Flaherty earned both strikeouts on fastballs getting both batters to go down looking.
Yairo Muñoz, who had a horrendous night in the field at SS with 3 errors, would bring the Cardinals within a run in the bottom of the 4th. Muñoz would drive in Bader, who hit a double to the gap in RF and advanced to third on a wild pitch, on a shallow sac-fly to RF. Bader would show off his wheels, testing the arm of Anderson, sliding into home safely, making it 3-2 Marlins.
All the wheels would fall off in the top of the 5th inning, not just for Flaherty, but the bullpen as well. The bullpen wouldn’t be called upon until an inning later, but Flaherty labored long in the 5th, tossing 26 pitches. Anderson would hit a two out RBI double to RF, scoring Dietrich (4-6), who singled. After Muñoz committed his second error of the game on a Rojas grounder, Riddle would drop an RBI single into RF, scoring Anderson, making it 6-2 Marlins.
Brett Cecil and Preston Guilmet would give it a go in the 6th and 7th inning, and neither reliever was good.
Cecil would face seven batters, throwing 29 pitches, giving up: (3 hits, 2 runs (1 er), 1 bb, 1 k). Dietrich would hit a one out RBI single to RF, scoring Castro who doubled to RF before him. Dietrich would be thrown out by Bader on the play, trying to turn the single into a double. Realmuto then ripped a triple off the wall in RF, bringing in Bour, who would reach base on Muñoz’ third error of the night, scoring Realmuto. Cecil looks like another DL stint could be in the works soon. Guilmet, coming off a brutal Cardinals debut last night, didn’t bounce back the best tonight either. Guilmet would give up: (4 hits, 2 runs (2 er), 0 bb, 3 k’s). Brinson connected on a monster, one out, solo HR to the Marlins pen. With two outs, Castro, Dietrich, and Realmuto would all get hits. Castro a double to RF, Dietrich an infield single, and Realmuto an RBI double to LF, making it 10-2 Marlins.
The Cardinals would make it respectable in the bottom of the 7th, just kidding, but Cafecíto would drive in Carp on an RBI single poked to RF for his team leading 33rd RBI.
The Cardinals would play some exceptional defense in the top of the 8th behind John Brebbia. Bader made a nice play in foul territory down the RF line amongst a family of moths, Gyorko made a sweet barehand play on a ball with some “English” as Danny Mac says, and Voit would dive to his right to rob Riddle of a single, ending the inning.
Trap House Gyorko would be given the 9th inning, as Matheny would attempt to save his pen for tomorrow’s afternoon game. Trap House would give up a leadoff bomb to Brinson. After hitting Realmuto with a pitch, Jedd would get out of the inning getting Bour to ground into the shift, 4-3. Statcast thought Gyorko was throwing changeups tonight, I would’ve called them meatballs.
All in all, crappy night.
Miles Mikolas (6-1, 2.49) looks to salvage a game for the Cardinals tomorrow afternoon as he will be countered with Trevor Richards (0-2, 4.94). First pitch 12:15 c/t.
Thanks for reading, cheers!
Game 59 is in the book
by Stew // @StewStilez
