Tuesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 4, Brewers 1
By Rob Rains
With one run in, runners on second and third and nobody out in the third inning, Tuesday night’s game could have gone sideways for Miles Mikolas in a hurry – as so many games have this season.
Instead, Mikolas retired the next three Brewers hitters to get out of the inning and then he and relievers Drew VerHagen and Ryan Helsley kept them from getting another hit the rest of the game to secure the win for the Cardinals in Milwaukee.
Mikolas allowed only one additional runner to reach base, on a one-out walk in the fifth, as he retired 15 of the final 16 hitters he faced before coming out of the game after the seventh inning.
Originally scheduled to start on Wednesday night, Mikolas’ start was moved up a day following Monday’s day off so he will also be able to start the final game of the season at home on Sunday.
The win temporarily delayed the Brewers from celebrating winning the NL Central, but only until the Braves completed a win over the Cubs in Atlanta. The Cardinals are assured of finishing no better than in a tie with the Pirates for last place in the division.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: After Mikolas got out of the third-inning jam, the Cardinals’ offense manufactured two runs in the fourth. Tommy Edman led off with a single, Lars Nootbaar walked with one out and both scored on a double by Richie Palacios … A leadoff walk in the fifth started another two-run inning, with Masyn Winn delivering a sacrifice fly and Tommy Edman hitting his 13th homer of the season … Jordan Walker had a pair of singles, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Walker is the only rookie in the majors this season to have three hitting streaks of 10 or more games.
On the mound: Mikolas also stranded two runners in the second inning en route to winning for only the second time in his last 13 starts. He walked two and struck out five. From the fourth through the seventh he allowed only two balls out of the infield … VerHagen worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Helsley struck out the side in the ninth, earning his 13th sav.
Key stat: The double for Palacios left him 7-of-14 with runners in scoring position, including three doubles, and nine RBIs.
Worth noting: Adam Wainwright will not pitch again, meaning the final game of his career was his 200th win. There is still a chance that Wainwright will get at least one at-bat during the final series of the season this weekend against the Reds … Thomas Saggese, one of the prospects the Cardinals acquired in a deadline trade with Texas, was named Tuesday as the MVP of the Double A Texas League.
Looking ahead: Zack Thompson will get the start on Wednesday night in the second game of the series.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
