Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 6, Brewers 3
Michael Wacha gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed on Wednesday.
After seeing their starters in the last two games fail to last through the fourth inning, Wacha pitched into the seventh to help the Cardinals salvage the final game of the series against the Brewers.
Wacha allowed two runs over his six-plus innings, giving up five hits and walking one while striking out seven. He pitched to one batter in the seventh before coming out of the game.
No Cardinals’ starter has recorded an out in the seventh inning in the first 18 games of the season.
Wacha and Andrew Miller also managed to keep Christian Yelich from hitting a home run, snapping his streak of seven consecutive games with at least one homer against the Cardinals, including the first six games this season. Wacha did, however, give up a home run to the opposing pitcher.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Marcell Ozuna extended his home run streak to four consecutive games with a solo shot leading off the second. That ties the longest streak of his career, doing it previously in 2014 with Miami. Ozuna has five homers in those four games and eight for the season, seven coming in the last 10 games … Paul DeJong also had a big day as he matched his career high with four hits and also drove in a run … Kolten Wong had three hits and an RBI and Matt Wieters, starting in place of Yadier Molina, had two hits and a pair of RBIs … Matt Carpenter hit his third homer, a solo shot in the fourth, but that was his only hit in 14 at-bats im the series.
On the mound: Wacha raised his record against the Brewers to 6-0 in 13 career appearances (12 starts). He allowed just two hits through the first four innings before giving up a home run to relief pitcher Aaron Wilkerson in the fifth … John Gant relieved after a leadoff single by Travis Shaw in the seventh and got a double play and strikeout … Miller allowed two hits and a run in the eighth before Jordan Hicks pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth with a double play and strikeout to earn his fourth save.
Key stat: The Cardinals have allowed three home runs by a pitcher already this season after giving up just three all of last year. Two have come off of Wacha and two have come against the Brewers. It was the third homer allowed by Wacha to a pitcher in his career.
Worth noting: Yelich did extend one streak against the Cardinals with his RBI single in the eighth. That gives him at least one RBI in nine consecutive games against the Cardinals dating back to last season. He now has 19 RBIs in the first seven games this season. Since 2013, the only player who has driven in more than 19 runs in a complete season against the Cardinals was Adam Duvall, who had 20 for the Reds in 2016 … The Cardinals promoted outfielder Lane Thomas from Memphis after placing Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday. Thomas made his major-league debut by playing center field the final two innings but did not come up to bat … Umpire Ron Kulpa, who missed the last two games of the series while going through concussion protocol after he was hit in the head by a wild pitch, hopes to be medically cleared to work in Thursday night’s game in New York.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals have the day off at home on Thursday before opening a nine-game homestand on Friday night with the first of three games against the Mets. Adam Wainwright will get the start. The Brewers and Reds then follow the Mets into St. Louis next week.
