Thursday’s Game Report: Marlins 7, Cardinals 6 (11 innings)
When Yadier Molina doubled in a run in the 11th inning Thursday night at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals found themselves with a chance to pull off another rally in a game that looked lost only minutes earlier in the top of the inning.
Instead it was Jack Flaherty who was lost.
Flaherty came in the game to pinch-run for Molina, representing the tying run, but before Sergio Romo threw a pitch to pinch-hitter Matt Wieters, he whirled and threw back to second and picked Flaherty off base to end the game.
The move totally caught Flaherty by surprise as we was standing a few feet off second and could not get back to the base in time to beat Romo’s throw. The call was reviewed but was confirmed.
It’s the second time in the last six games the Cardinals saw a game end with Flaherty making an out on the bases when he represented the tying run. On Saturday night in New York he was thrown out at the plate in the ninth inning trying to score from first on a double by Kolten Wong.
The Marlins had taken a 7-5 lead in the top of the 11th on a two-run homer by J.T. Riddle off Andrew Miller.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The game got to extra innings because of a two-run homer by Tommy Edman, his first in the majors. Edman came into the game in the eighth as part of a double switch and followed a single by Harrison Bader with the game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning … The Cardinals trailed 4-1 before scoring twice in the seventh when they got four consecutive hits, including RBI hits from Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna … Jose Martinez and Molina each had three hits in the Cardinals’ 16-hit attack … Matt Carpenter was 0-of-6, the sixth time he was hitless in six at-bats in a game in his career, the first time that had happened since 2015.
On the mound: The Marlins took their early lead with three runs off Adam Wainwright, including one which scored after Giovanny Gallegos relieved Wainwright in the sixth … An error by Ozuna led to an unearned run off John Brebbia in the seventh before Brebbia gave up a home run to Brian Anderson in the eighth that put the Marlins up 5-3 … Jordan Hicks worked a 1-2-3 ninth and John Gant pitched around a walk in the 10th before Miller took over in the 11th. He issued a one-out walk before giving up the homer to Riddle, the Marlins’ eighth place hitter. It was the third homer Miller has allowed to a left-handed batter this season, tying the most in any season in his career.
Key stat: In the four games against the Marlins, the Cardinals scored a total of three earned runs (four total) in 23 2/3 innings against the opposing starters, who posted a 1.14 ERA for the series. They scored one run in five innings on Thursday night against Zac Gallen, a former Cardinals’ prospect who was making his major-league debut.
Worth noting: The Cardinals top prospect, third baseman Nolan Gorman, was promoted from Peoria to Palm Beach on Thursday, where the 19-year-old becomes the youngest player in the Florida State League … To open a roster spot for Wainwright, Daniel Ponce de Leon was optioned to Memphis, one day after he allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. The move was made because Ponce de Leon will not be available to pitch for five days and the Cardinals also have two days off coming up next week … Yairo Munoz was moved to the restricted list after he was unable to get back to St. Louis from the Dominican Republic on Thursday because of travel issues. He had gone on paternity leave, which lasts for three days, on Monday. He is expected back on Friday.
Looking ahead: Albert Pujols makes his long-awaited return to Busch Stadium on Friday night as the Angels make their first trip to St. Louis since 2010. Michael Wacha will get the start in the opener of the three-game series.
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