Friday’s Game Report: Reds 12, Cardinals 1
The Cardinals have been able to win games of late despite giving up a lot of home runs, but that wasn’t the case on Friday night.
The Reds hit five homers en route to the win at Busch Stadium which snapped the Cardinals’ five-game winning streak.
The homers helped the Reds build a 7-1 lead before they blew the game open with six runs in the ninth inning. The Cardinals brought infielder Jedd Gyorko in to pitch to get the final out.
The five homers tied the record for the most home runs allowed by the Cardinals in a home game since Busch Stadium 3 opened in 2006. It was the fifth time that has happened, including once previously against the Reds in 2006.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals’ lone run came on an RBI single by Paul DeJong in the seventh inning … All eight hits for the Cardinals were singles, including two by Matt Carpenter. Carpenter also walked twice, reaching base four times … Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Cardinal this season, while Paul Goldschmidt got a hit for the 12th consecutive game.
On the mound: Miles Mikolas took the loss, giving up four runs in five innings, including the first three Reds homers … One of the homers was hit by Joey Votto, his 13th at Busch 3, tying him with the Brewers’ Ryan Braun, Jay Bruce and Ryan Howard for the most hit by an opposing player since the stadium opened in 2006 … The other homers came off Tyler Webb and Dominic Leone, who allowed six hits and six runs in only two-thirds of an inning … Gyorko got the final out by striking out Phillip Ervin, the first position player to record a strikeout for the Cardinals since Rob Johnson on Aug. 7, 2013 against the Dodgers.
Key stat: The Cardinals have now allowed at least three home runs in four of their last five games and 28 homers total in their first 14 games at Busch Stadium. They did not allow their 28th home run at home last year until June 28.
Worth noting: In a pre-game ceremony the Cardinals announced that former third baseman Scott Rolen and former closer Jason Isringhausen will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame later this summer. The two were elected in a fan vote and will be joined by a third player, former pitcher Mort Cooper, elected by a veteran’s committee. This year’s induction ceremony will be on Aug. 24 … The Cardinals activated outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the injured list before the game and returned Lane Thomas to Memphis. O’Neill had only one hit, a home run, in three games on a rehab assignment in Springfield … Votto batted in the leadoff spot on Friday night against the Cardinals for the first time in his career … Top prospect Nolan Gorman hit two home runs on Friday, one in each game of a doubleheader for Peoria, giving him six in the first 21 games.
Looking ahead: Dakota Hudson will get the start in the second game of the series on Saturday, scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
