Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 14, Pirates 8
It was a historic Wednesday night for Cardinals’ shortstop Paul DeJong.
DeJong became the first shortstop in team history to hit three home runs in a game as he led a big night for the Cardinals’ offense in the win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
He became the 12th player in team history with a three-homer game, the 21st time it has been accomplished. He also is the first Cardinal ever to hit three homers in a game in Pittsburgh.
DeJong started his big night with a two-run homer in what turned out to be a nine-run second inning. He got another at-bat in the inning and doubled, then hit another two-run homer in the fourth. After getting hit by a pitch in the fifth, he capped his night with a solo homer in the eighth.
The four hits and five RBIs both tied his career highs as he led the Cardinals to their seventh win in their last eight games. They are now 10-3 since the All-Star break and have moved within a half game of the division leading Cubs.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: DeJong hit one of three homers in the big second inning, with Paul Goldschmidt hitting his third homer in his last three games and Andrew Knizner connecting for the first of his career … The Cardinals tied a major-league record with eight extra base hits in the inning, collecting five doubles to go along with the three homers … They finished the game with 11 extra base hits, their most in a game since 2016 … Eight of the nine starters had at least one RBI, with Jose Martinez the only one who failed to drive in a run, and he lost his RBI chance when Dexter Fowler was thrown out trying to score from second on Martinez’s single to right in the second inning .., Yairo Munoz had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and Kolten Wong also doubled twice. Wong extended his streak to 39 consecutive at-bats without striking out, which dates back to July 13 … The Pirates used two position players to pitch the final three innings.
On the mound: The big night helped Adam Wainwright pick up only his second road in 10 starts this season. He allowed two runs in each of the first two innings but settled down to retire 10 of the last 11 hitters he faced to get through the fifth inning and qualify for the win … Mike Mayers relieved Wainwright in his first major-league appearance since April 15 and allowed two runs in his second inning of work … John Brebbia worked the final two innings, also allowing two runs in his last inning.
Key stat: The eight extra base hits in the second inning tied the major league record for most extra base hits in an inning. It was the fifth time it had been accomplished, and the last time also was done by the Cardinals on July 21, 2012. The Cardinals had a total of 23 total bases in the inning and finished the game with 36 total bases, their third highest total in a game in the last 10 years.
Worth noting: The five homers was a season high for the Cardinals and tied their most ever in a game in Pittsburgh … The last time they scored nine runs in an inning in Pittsburgh was on April 18, 2005 (ninth inning) and the last time they hit three homers and scored nine runs in an inning was on Sept. 17, 1999 against the Astros … Matt Carpenter was 0-of-4 and struck out twice in his second rehab game in Memphis on Wednesday night. He is 0-of-6 in his two games with three strikeouts and a walk.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will send Miles Mikolas to the mound on Thursday to attempt to complete a sweep of the four-game series. Game time is 11:35 a.m. St. Louis time. The Cardinals last swept a four-game series in Pittsburgh in 2004.
