Friday’s Game Report: Giants 7, Cardinals 2
By Rob Rains
The fresh start the Cardinals hoped to get from their offense following the All-Star break will have to wait at least one more day.
In a game that looked eerily familiar to a lot of their games before the break, the Cardinals were held to two runs in losing the opener of the three-game series to the Giants Friday night at Busch Stadium.
The two biggest hits of the game were a pair of three-run homers by the Giants, one of which came from Mike Yastrzemski, who also hit a solo homer.
The Cardinals, by comparison, have had just one three-run homer, and one grand slam, since May 11.
Yastrzemski is the first Giant to hit two homers in a game at Busch Stadium since Aubrey Huff’s three-homer game on June 2, 2011.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Ten of the Cardinals 11 hits were singles. The only exception was a home run from Paul Goldschmidt, his 14th of thre season, leading off the seventh … Their other run came with two outs in the fourth when a bloop single by Tommy Edman to short left field drove in Nolan Arenado … Leadoff hitter Dylan Carlson was 0-of-5, striking out four times … The Cardinals twice left the bases loaded, when Adam Wainwright struck out in the fourth and Harrison Bader took a called strike three to end the seventh.
On the mound: Wainwright allowed the solo homer by Yastrzemski in the fourth and a three-run shot by LeMonte Wade with two outs in the fifth. The first two hitters that inning reached on a single and a walk before Wainwright retired the next two hitters … Yastrzemski’s three-run homer came in the seventh off reliever T.J. McFarland, who was making his Cardinals debut.
Key stat: The Cardinals were just 2-of-11 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base, including eight on either second or third.
Worth noting: The Cardinals reached a contract agreement with their pick in the first round of this week’s amateur draft, right-handed pitcher Michael McGreevy from UC-Santa Barbara. He was in town on Friday to sign the agreement before heading to the team’s Jupiter, Fla., facility on Saturday. No decision has been made on where he will begin his pro career … The team swapped out left-handed relievers before the game, purchasing McFarland’s contract from Memphis and optioned Brandon Waddell. Waddell was then placed on the COVID-19 injured list, opening a spot for McFarland on the 40-man roster. The 32-year-old McFarland had signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on July 1 after being released by the Nationals … Miles Mikolas threw live batting practice on Friday and the Cardinals are hopeful that he will be able to begin a rehab assignment before the end of July. They believe both Mikolas and Jack Flaherty (oblique) can return to the rotation in August … The organization’s top pitching prospect, Matthew Liberatore, allowed five runs in six innings for Memphis on Friday night, giving up two home runs.
Looking ahead: Kwang Hyun Kim will get the start on Saturday night in the second game of the series. He has not allowed a run in each of his last two starts, covering a combined 13 innings.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
