Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 1
By Rob Rains
When the first three batters for the Diamondbacks reached base in the first inning on Wednesday, it looked as if it could be another long day for the Cardinals.
Instead, Chrisian Walker’s bid for a grand slam died on the warning track in center field, granting Kyle Gibson and the Cardinals a reprieve.
Even though one run scored on the sacrifice fly, that turned out to be Arizona’s only run of the game and the Cardinals were able to manufacture runs late to earn the victory at Busch Stadium.
It was the first win for the Cardinals this season in the final game of a series, coming after they started the year 0-7.
Gibson got a double play to end the first-inning threat, then allowed only three more hits through the sixth inning, when the Cardinals scored twice to take the lead.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Held to only two hits through the first five innings by former Cardinal Jordan Montgomery, Nolan Arenado followed a single by Brendan Donovan and a double by Willson Contreras with an RBI single that tied the game. A wild pitch gave the Cardinals their second run … It was the first run scored by Donovan, the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter, in the last 11 games … Nolan Gorman’s single in the seventh drovd in Masyn Winn, who had reached on an error, and the Cardinals picked up two insurance runs in the eighth coming on a bases-loaded double by Lars Nootbaar … That was only the third hit for the Cardinals with the bases loaded in 26 plate appearances (18 at-bats) this season.
On the mound: Gibson has worked at least six innings in all five starts this season, the first Cardinal to do that since Michael Wacha (7 games) and Mike Leake (11 games) in 2017. He struck out six and walked two in getting his second victory, stranding five runners in scoring position … JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley finished off the win, with Helsley pitching the ninth even though it was not a save situation.
Key stat: The win left the Cardinals with a 5-7 record at Busch Stadium this season, where they have a combined average of just .211 with 40 runs scored, an average of 3.33 runs per game.
Worth noting: The Cardinals optioned struggling outfielder Jordan Walker and left-hander Zack Thompson to Memphis before the game. Walker, who was sent down on April 26 last year, was hitting just .155 (9-of-58) with only four RBIs. The Cardinals said he will likely have a couple of workout days at Memphis before getting into the lineup for a game … Thompson would have been unavailable for several days after throwing 66 pitches on Tuesday night. He will be used as a starter for Memphis … Jose Fermin and John King were recalled from the Triple A club … Victor Scott II had a single in four at-bats for Memphis on Wednesday.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will have the day off on Thursday before beginning a six-game trip to New York and Detroit. Mile Mikolas wll get the start on Friday night in the opener of the three-game series against the Mets.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
