A slight reprieve: Sharp Mikolas, Burly bomb finish Cardinals shedding streak with 6-0 victory over Giants

The Cardinals got off to their worst start since 1973, losing seven of their last nine games before tonight’s game and trailing the first-seeded Pittsburgh Pirates by 8.5 games. To win an escape day, St. Louis was tasked with beating right-hander Logan Webb, who finished last season with a 2.90 ERA and won 15 games.

Here’s the St. Louis line-up without Willson Contreras.

1. Lars Nootbaar, CF
2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
3. Nolan Gorman, DH
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Alec Burleson, RF
6. Paul DeJong, SS
7. Tyler O’Neill, LF
8. Andreas Knizner, C
9. Tommy Edman, 2B

Miles Mikolas – SP

And for the giants:

1. LaMonte Wade Jr., L.F
2. Thairo Estrada, 2B
3. Joc Pederson, DH
4. Michael Comfort, RF
5. Wilmer Flores, 1B
6. Mike Yastrzemski, CF
7. Blake Sabol, C
8. David Villar, 3B
9. Brandon Crawford, S.S

Logan Webb SP

The Cardinals won a baseball game against the odds Thursday afternoon, led by Miles Mikolas’ best start to the season. The offense was boosted by Alec Burleson’s solo home run in the seventh inning, which came close to splashing into the bay.

The Cardinals hit all six runs starting in the seventh inning. The win improves the Cardinals’ series finals record to 6-2 this season. The Cardinals are 4-14 in games that aren’t the last game of a series.

But about the win…

1st inning

Easy first inning for Webb, who only throws 12 pitches to set up a zero. Strikeouts from Nootbaar and Gorman were pinched by Goldschmidt around a deep flyout to midfield.

Mikolas knocked out Wade to start the ballgame, but Estrada stabbed a one-out single into right field. However, Miles was able to pull Pederson back with a flyout and Conforto with a groundout to get out of the inning.

2nd inning

Arenado led the inning to left field with a line drive single. Burleson followed and ripped a sharp ground ball straight at Flores, which kept Arenado at first base. Flores stepped on the pocket for the first out and then tagged Arenado, who attempted to dunk back into the first for the second out of the inning (once the first out was made, Arenado was no longer forced to go for second, and tried to dive back first for sure). DeJong landed for our number three.

Flores made a full count against Mikolas and eventually pulled a leadoff walk. He was stuck there, however, with strikeouts from Yastrzemski and Sabol, followed by a right flyout from Villar.

3rd inning

After a groundout by Tyler O’Neill, Knizner hit the middle (actually putting him 3-9 in his last 9 at-bats). Edman struck, but Nootbaar achieved an infield single perfectly placed between the postponed Crawford and Estrada. Goldschmidt pulled a two-out walk to load the bases, but Gorman flapped out at the knees after a perfectly placed changeup to kill the Cardinal threat.

Brandon Crawford led at the bottom of the third and hit a flyball towards foul territory on which O’Neill made a fine sliding play for the first out. Wade landed just ahead of DeJong for our number two, but then Mikolas slammed Estrada right in the ribs with a 95-mile fastball. After standing by the coaches for a few minutes, he was finally able to go down first and stayed in the game. Pederson showed up in the infield, Edman made the catch and finished the third inning.

4th inning

A nine-pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Webb in the fourth. Arenado batted on three pitches (his ninth strikeout in his last 19 at bat), Burleson landed right back at Webb, and DeJong landed in second place.

It was also a fast inning for Mikolas, who retired Conforto (groundout), Flores (strikeout) and Yastrzemski (flyout) in 11 places.

5th inning

Leading from fifth, O’Neill put a good swing on a 2-2 shifter and sent it 384 feet into midfield, where Yastrzemski ran it down a foot or two short of the Warnbahn. Knizner ended up in first place and Edman in second place for outs two and three.

Sabol at-batted Mikolas on the second pitch and slammed Edman in flat right field. Villar chased Mikolas’ first pitch and took a knee-high fastball into right field for a base knock. Crawford followed with a base goal in midfield, Villar went from first to third.

While Wade was batting, Crawford stole second base (his third steal of the season) and put two runners in goal position for the Giants left fielder. Wade took a stroll to recharge them – and set up the doubles game if you’re one of those optimistic fans. Estrada swung and hit a dead helicopter about six feet from the plate — trouble is, both Knizner and Mikolas tried without both being on home plate to get the leading runner. Because of this, Knizner grabbed the ball and dove back towards home plate, knocking out a headfirst diving Villar before he could touch the plate.

Estrada made first base in the previous game, so Joc Pederson’s bases were still loaded. He hit a 109-mph line drive right at Burleson in right field for the final of the fifth inning – Mikolas escapes the jam.

6th inning

Nootbaar struck for the second time in the game, Goldschmidt’s 108.8 mph line drive was intercepted on Conforto’s right field wall and Gorman struck for the third time in the game – his first hat-trick of the year!

Conforto led at the end of the sixth, hitting a bouncer right back to Mikolas, who took his time with a flip to make the out for the first time. Flores hit a low ball into midfield which Edman repelled to catch the second out. With two outs, Yastrzemski hit a rocket off right fieldwall for a double, with Burleson’s throw hitting his leg at second base, giving DeJong no opportunity for a tag. Mikolas hit Sabol with a slider to end the inning and set the game’s potential on the first run in the second.

7th inning

After an Arenado groundout, Alec Burleson hammered a high fastball (like very high…no hit high) high and low into the San Francisco sky for his third homer of the year, overcoming the 24-foot wall on right field to take it 1-0 to make the Cardinals in the seventh.

DeJong followed up with a base hit into right field, which put him 7-for-16 since his return to the Cardinals. O’Neill hit essentially the same spot, putting on two for Knizner with an out. The Cardinals catcher hit a deep fly ball into left midfield, with Wade making the catch off the warning lane. Both runners moved up, with DeJong third and O’Neill second.

With two outs, Edman hit a ground ball down the middle. Estrada reached to his right, gloved it and made a two-hop throw to first base, calling Edman out on a bang-bang play. However, the Cardinals initially challenged the call and it was nullified — Edman had an infield hit and the Cardinals had another run on the board that saw DeJong cross the plate.

Gabe Kapler went to the bullpen and brought in former Cardinal John Brebbia against Nootbaar, who flew into midfield for our number three.

Mikolas hit Villar with a big curveball for the first out in the bottom of the seventh, and Oli Marmol went for the bullpen. When the left-hander struck Crawford and Wade, it was time for Genesis Cabrera.

Cabrera defeated Crawford, gave Wade a one-out double, but got Estrada to hit a groundball straight back to him to end the seventh inning.

Mikola’s closing line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (95 pitches)
Webb’s last line: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K (102 pitches)

8th inning

Goldschmidt worked a 12-pitch at-bat against Brebbia, including six fouls, but eventually landed. Gorman jumped on a 1-1 slider and put it into right field for a one-out hit, but was cleared on second base when Arenado scored in an easy 4-6-3 double play. However, Crawford’s throw back to first base was high and down the line, allowing Arenado to reach first.

Dylan Carlson, who came on as Burleson’s defensive back-up, hit a ground ball where the third baseman would have been had he not been shadowed to the right. The ball rolled all the way down the third baseline until it was finally picked up by Wade, and the relay didn’t make it home in time to reach Arenado, who scored to make it 3-0. Carlson ended up in second place with a double.

Kapler went into the bullpen again and brought in right-hander Tristan Beck for his third appearance of the season. DeJong greeted him with a bombshell and slammed a hanging breaking ball 369 feet into left field seats for a two-run homer — his second homer in five games since he was recalled. 5-0 Cardinals.

O’Neill pulled a two-out walk, but Knizner was called out on strikes for the number three.

Mitch Haniger pinched for Pederson and hit a 51 mph swinging bunt toward third base that Arenado simply picked up and pocketed for a leadoff single. Cabrera finished out Conforto with a flyout and Flores with a pop out before defeating Yastrzemski with two outs. He knocked out Sabol to strand both runners and send that play to ninth place.

9th inning

A double from Tommy Edman and a single from Nootbaar got Goldschmidt out with runners in the corners and nobody to start the ninth inning. He hit a ground ball to Villar in third, who went for second for the force out, but they initially failed to complete the doubles play. Edman scored to make it 6-0.

Gorman picked up a gold sombrero on that beautiful Thursday and Arenado landed on second base.

Drew VerHagen threw a clean ninth-place floor with two strikeouts to end the game. The Cardinals avoid the four-game sweep.

FINALS: Cardinals 6, Giants 0

Next

The West Coast road trip from Hell continues tomorrow for the Cardinals (10-16) when they fly a few hours south to face the Dodgers (13-13) in Los Angeles.

Redhead fireballer Dustin May (2-1, 3.07 ERA) will start for the Dodgers while Jack Flaherty (2-2, 3.29 ERA) will go for St. Louis. May earned a win over the Cubs on his last outing by hitting the sixth inning and giving up two earned runs. Flaherty beat the Mariners last weekend, giving up three earned runs over six innings while striking out nine.

The first pitch is scheduled for 9:10 p.m

around the headquarters

Pirates 6, Dodgers 2

Boy 5, Padre’s 2

Today’s pickle

MLB Pickle #414 – 5/9

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