Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 10, Rangers 1
By Rob Rains
Over the last 30 years, the Cardinals have had 34 pitchers make their major-league debut as a starter, the latest Michael McGreevy in Wednesday’s game against the Rangers at Busch Stadium.
Only one of those previous 33 pitchers did what McGreevy accomplished.
McGreevy, promoted from Memphis to get a spot start to give the Cardinals’ starters an extra day of rest during a stretch of 16 games in 16 days, allowed one run on five hits over his seven innings of work to get the victory.
The only other Cardinals’ starter to do all of that in his major-league debut since 1994 was Tyler Lyons in 2013 in a start against the Padres.
The Cardinals’ first-round draft pick in 2021, McGreevy had started 20 games this season for Memphis; only twice had he worked seven or more innings and allowed no more than one run. For the season he had compiled an ERA of 4.45.
Other than a rousing celebration from his teammates after the game, McGreevy’s reward for his performance likely will be a trip back to Memphis as the Cardinals have to open a roster spot for new starter Erick Fedde before Friday.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
At the plate: After his pinch-hit grand slam on Tuesday night, Tommy Pham got his first start since returning to the Cardinals and again was a big part of the offensive attack with a three-hit day. He had one of three consecutive singles in a three-run second inning, then drove in two runs with a double in a five-run fifth before he singled again in the seventh, when the Cardinals scored their final two runs … Brendan Donovan drove in three runs with two singles and a sacrifice fly and Alec Burleson chipped in with a two-run single … Every Cardinal starter had at least one except catcher Pedro Pages, who saw his 13-game streak come to an end … Michael Siani extended his streak to 10 games and also drove in two runs, one with a sacrifice bunt and the other on an infield single.
On the mound: McGreevy threw 99 pitches as he walked one and struck out three. He threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of the 27 hitters he faced and induced 12 groundball outs … After allowing a two-out double to Marcus Semien in the first inning, McGreevy retired 11 batters in a row before a one-out walk in the fifth. The Rangers only run came when they bunched three consecutive singles in the sixth.
Key stat: Since 1994, the only Cardinals to work seven or more innings in their MLB debut other than McGreevy and Lyons were Daniel Ponce de Leon in 2018 (seven no-hit innings in a no decision against the Reds), Michael Wacha (one run in seven innings in a no decision in 2013 and Jason Simontachi, two runs over seven innings in 2002.
Worth noting: The Cardinals placed Lance Lynn on the injured list because of inflammation in his right knee, which likely means he will miss at least two starts. Lynn worked five innings with what was described as a “barky” knee but still got the win, giving him a victory over all 30 major-league teams in his career … The move will keep Andre Pallante in the rotation even with the addition of Fedde, who is scheduled to make his Cardinals’ debut on Friday … Their other addition to the staff, Shawn Armstrong, is scheduled to join the team on Thursday when they get to Chicago … The Cardinals also optioned Chris Roycroft to Memphis and recalled Ryan Loutos, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning … To make room for McGreevy on the 40-man roster, Memphis reliever Jacob Bosiokovic was designated for assignment. He was on the major-league roster from June 30 to July 5 but did not get into a game before being optioned back to Triple A.
Looking ahead: Sonny Gray will get the start on Thursday night as the Cardinals open the four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
