Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 4, Pirates 3
By Rob Rains, STLSportsPage.com
The Cardinals were in desperate need of a bounce-back win on Friday night following their bullpen meltdown the night before, and the last-place Pirates helped them get it.
Tommy Edman was credited with a sacrifice fly when his fly ball to center brought in Paul DeJong in the seventh inning with what turned out to be the winning run. A big assist, however, has to go to outfielder Ben Gamel, who either forgot DeJong was on third base or thought he had caught the third out.
Gamel made no attempt to throw out DeJong, just lobbing the ball back to the infield, and his mistake prevented the Pirates from being able to tie the game in the next inning.
The Cardinals’ bullpen, after allowing eight runs in the seventh inning on Thursday night, wobbled in Friday night’s game but was able to protect the gift-aided lead and get the team the victory.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Edman got full credit for his other two RBIs as he hit his eighth homer of the season to cap the Cardinals’ three-run fifth inning. The first run of the inning came on back-to-back doubles by Edmundo Sosa and Harrison Bader … With one out in the seventh, DeJong lined a triple to right field. Edman followed with his fly ball to center to increase the Cardinals lead to 4-2 … Paul Goldschmidt had a triple, single and double, but struck out in the seventh in his bid for the first cycle of his career and the first by the Cardinals since 2005. He was on deck to hit again when Edman lined out to end the top of the ninth.
On the mound: J.A. Happ pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one run on his own before the runner he left on in the sixth later scored when Luis Garcia issued a bases-loaded walk. The walk was the team’s 28th with the bases loaded, tying the 1999 Mariners for the most in the majors since pitch-data records began being kept in 1974 … The Pirates also scored a run in the eighth off Giovanny Gallegos, but he got out of the inning when Bader threw out Colin Moran trying to score from second on a single by Kevin Newman … Alex Reyes was able to pitch around a leadoff single and stolen base in the ninth to close out the game and earn his 29th save.
Key stat: In the 13 games since Edman moved back into the leadoff spot after Dylan Carlson suffered a sprained wrist, he has 19 hits in 56 at-bats, a .339 average, with 12 runs scored and nine RBIs.
Worth noting: Dakota Hudson, who has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday night at Class A Palm Beach. Hudson has been throwing to hitters the Cardinals complex in Jupiter and is hopeful that he will be able to get into at least a few major-league games before the end of the season, working as a reliever … Also at Palm Beach, Michael McGreevy, the first-round pick in this year’s draft, made the start on Friday night and allowed one run in one inning. He previously had made two appearances for the Florida Complex League team.
Looking ahead: Adam Wainwright will get the start on Saturday night in the third game of the series.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
