Saturday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Reds 0
By Rob Rains
After being disappointed with his first two starts of the season, Dakota Hudson had a game he finally could smile about on Saturday in Cincinnati.
Hudson worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings and was helped out by his defense in the win for the Cardinals, who handed the Reds their 11th consecutive loss.
Hudson allowed just two hits but also issued four walks and hit a batter but saw his defense turn two double plays, cut down a runner at third base (by Harrison Bader) and throw out a runner trying to steal second (by Andrew Knizner).
The start matched the longest outing of the year for a Cardinals starter and was the first time Hudson had worked 6 2/3 shutout innings since Aug. 19, 2019 against Milwaukee.
Hudson had failed to pitch past the fourth inning in either of his first two starts this season, allowing a combined seven runs.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Paul Goldschmidt drove in two runs for the second consecutive game with a sixth-inning double … The Cardinals also RBI singles from Knizner, Corey Dickerson and Tommy Edman, who hit in the leadoff spot with Dylan Carlson moving to third as Tyler O’Neill got the day off … The Cardinals drew five walks and had a batter hit by a pitch, and four of those runners ended up scoring … Paul DeJong struck out in three of his four plate appearances, reaching base once on a walk.
On the mound: Hudson threw 92 pitches but only 53 of them were strikes. Nine of his 20 outs came on groundballs and he also struck out four … Andre Pallante had another impressive relief outing, retiring four of the five hitters he faced before Kodi Whitley worked a 1-2-3 ninth.
Key stat: The last time the Cardinals played consecutive games in the same series in Cincinnati without hitting a home run was a three-game series from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11, 2014, when they lost all three games. Since Great American Ballpark opened in 2003, they had never won consecutive games in the same seriers without hitting a home run.
Worth noting: Bader became the first Cardinal to steal three bases in a game since Carlos Beltran on Aug. 19, 2012 and the first to do it without getting at least one hit in the game since Eric Davis on May 21, 1999 against the Dodgers … Top pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore had his best start of the year for Triple A Memphis, allowing just two hits and no walks over seven shutout innings while striking out nine.
Looking ahead: Adam Wainwright will try to complete the series sweep on Sunday in the final game of the Cardinals’ 10-game road trip.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
