Goldy Slam in the 10th pushes Cards past Bucs in game-one, 6-5
Well, let’s recap really quick what transpired at PNC last night. It’s early, I’m running late for work, but last night was too good, so work can wait a bit.
Ponce and Trevor Williams started the game, but both would be out of the game so early that I forgot both even pitched tbh. 4 hour games will do that to your brain.
Ponce would labor thru 3 innings, pitching 34 pitches in the 1st and 3rd, while tossing 18 in the 2nd. Not the most efficient way to go deep into a ballgame. Ponce did have a little Houdini in him the 1st inning, stranding the bases juiced– a situation he put himself in. After allowing walks to Frazier and Bell, and a single to Marte, Ponce would face Moran and Dickerson, striking them both out to escape the jam.
Trevor Williams wouldn’t crack until the top of the 3rd, when Daddy Wieters decided to take him yard to RF, putting the Cards on the board with a 1-0 lead.
The Bucs had a quick response in the bottom half of the 3rd, evening things at 1-1. After Reynolds was erased on a 1-6-3 double play to begin the inning, the next three Pirates would reach base safely: Marte single, Bell walk, and a Moran rbi single to CF to tie the game.
Daddy Wieters would put the Cards back on top a run in the 4th. The inning started with a Deez walk, followed by a KoWo single to RF, a fielding error from Reynolds allowed Deez to move up to 3B on the play. Muñoz then would strikeout to bring in Wieters, who connected with a sac-fly to RF, scoring Deez to make it 2-1.
But, with Ponce now out of the game after 3 innings, the Pirates would even things up in the bottom half, naturally. Michael Wacha would be summoned from the pen, tasked with throwing at least 3 innings to save needed bullets for the rest of the series. Díaz would line a one out single to Dex, and Williams followed that with a sac-bunt to move Díaz into scoring position for the top of the lineup with two outs. Frazier walked (he did like a million times), and Bryan Reynolds brought Díaz home with an rbi double to RF, making it a 2-2 game.
From this point, the game hit a lull until the 10th. Williams would be relieved to begin the 6th, lasting 5 innings while striking out seven.
Daddy Wieters kept having a game, though. He’d gun down Newman trying to steal 2B after he hit a leadoff single to open up the bottom of the 6th.
Feliz, Liriano, Rodríguez, and Crick would throw scoreless outings for the Pirates pen before handing things over to Clay Holmes for the 10th.
Webb (2IP) and Brebbs would toss 2.2 scoreless before handing things over to Shreve for 0.1 of an inning. Shreve would plunk Frazier with a two strike pitch to put two runners on for Reynolds (batting from the right-side), who would whiff at a splitter to take things to extras.
Wieters got the rally started vs Holmes in the 10th, drawing a leadoff walk. After Cafecíto struck out, Tommy Edman would drop in a single into shallow LCF. Dex followed that up getting hit by a breaking pitch on his back foot, the foot he’s had problems with before. Oh, and it happened at PNC Park too, he just can’t catch a break in Pittsburgh. Goldy would come to the plate with the opportunity to break this game wide open with one swing of the bat, and did he do that. Goldy would absolutely demolish a Holmes sinker out of the park to RCF (I’ve heard that it possibly was a river shot) to give the Cards a 6-2 advantage. The Cards would load the bases again in the 10th, all for not, but Chasen Shreve had to bat and he worked a walk to load the bases, so that was pretty hysterical.
But it’s never easy in Pittsburgh, is it? Shreve remained in the game and immediately gave up back-to-back doubles to Marte and Bell to make it a 6-3 game, forcing Shildt to go to Carlos, who has been used in like every game for the past week and half it seems like. Kang greeted Carlos with a two-run tater to LF to make it a one-run game, still with nobody out, 6-5.
Dickerson then singled to RF, Newman would reach on a DeJong fielding error, and Díaz would bunt ground out back to Carlos who fired it to Edman at 3B to get the lead runner Dickerson. And this play was close, as Edman had to stretch his body out to make sure his foot remained on the bag. Stallings (pinch-hitting) then singled to Cafecíto in RF, who came up firing a cannon to gun down Newman at the plate, getting help with a sweet tag from Knizner for a BIG second out. But, there’s still an out to go, with the tying run 90 feet away.
Frazier would fly out to Cafecíto on Tsunami’s first offering, closing out another nail biting win for the Cardinals.
Side note: the Cubs and Brewers both lost in pretty dramatic fashion last night, thanks Giants and Reds. The Cardinals are now just 1.5 games back of the Cubs for 1st in the division. Dakota Hudson (9-4, 3.57) takes the mound in game-two, matching up with Chris Archer (3-6, 5.36). First pitch from PNC 6:05pm c/t.
Cheers, Stew