Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Twins 3
By Rob Rains
After being held to three runs or less in their previous five games, the Cardinals found a way to get their offense going on Wednesday night.
Joe Ryan was pitching for the Twins.
Ryan came into the game having allowed 21 home runs this season and it didn’t take long for the Cardinals to start adding to that total.
The Cardinals hit four home runs in the span of 11 batters in the second and third inning, accounting for all of their runs, to give Dakota Hudson more than enough support to beat the Twins at Busch Stadium.
Hudson did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and came out of the game after allowing only two hits over seven innings.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Tyler O’Neill led off the second inning with the first home run of the game and Jordan Walker followed two batters later with his 10th of the season. After a single by Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar hit the third home run in the inning and the flurry was capped by a three-run homer by Alec Burleson in the third … The Cardinals had only one hit after the third inning, a seventh-inning single by Willson Contreras … Despite the four homers the Cardinals were just 2-of-6 with runners in scoring position and in the first six games of this homestand are a combined 8-of-42, a .190 average.
On the mound: Hudson retired the first 11 batters he faced before issuing a two-out walk in the fourth. He also walked a batter in the fifth and then gave up a one-out single to Michael A. Taylor in the sixth … With two outs in the seventh Hudson issued his third walk and then hit a batter before giving up a three-run homer … Hudson struck out seven in only his second start of the season … Andre Pallante pitched the eighth and JoJo Romero the ninth, each allowing a hit.
Key stat: The last time all three Cardinals outfielders hit a home run in the same inning was on Sept. 19, 2002 at Colorado, when Eli Marrero, Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols (playing left field) did it, going back-to-back-to-back in the eighth inning.
Worth noting: Miles Mikolas decided to drop his appeal of a five-game suspension handed down for hitting the Cubs’ Ian Happ with a pitch. He began serving the suspension on Wednesday night, meaning he will not be able to make his scheduled start on Sunday. That will most likely become a bullpen game, with Mikolas starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay … Ryan Helsley threw live batting practice before the game and if he recovers well could begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon. He is eligible to return from the injured list on Aug. 9 … This was the fifth time this season the Cardinals have hit three home runs in an inning, the first time since May 28 in Cleveland.
Looking ahead: Matthew Liberatore will get the start in the series finale on Thursday night against the Twins.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
