Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Athletics 1
By Rob Rains
Back when they were kids growing up and playing on the same team in Arizona, Matthew Liberatore and Nolan Gorman often had nights like they enjoyed on Wednesday night.
Liberatore shut down the Athletics on the mound, allowing only four hits as he pitched into the sixth inning, while Gorman went 3-of-3, including a home run, in the Cardinals’ victory at Busch Stadium.
Liberatore had seven strikeouts in his 5 1/3 scoreless innings and ended a streak of nine starts without a win that dated back to June 29.
Gorman snapped a 0-of-15 streak when he singled in his first at-bat in the second. He singled again in the fourth before hitting his 14th homer of the season in the seventh.
Willson Contreras drove in the other four runs for the Cardinals with a two-run single in the third and a two-run triple in the eighth.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Contreras’ first two RBIs in the third followed a single by Masyn Winn and a walk to Ivan Herrera, the runs scoring when Brent Rooker lost his two-out fly ball to right field in the lights … The two-run triple also came with two outs after a walk to Winn and an intentional walk to Lars Nootbaar. His fly to left was misplayed by Tyler Soderstrom … Contreras also had a three-hit day, adding a single in his first at-bat in the second.
On the mound: Liberatore turned in his best start since June 29, when he worked six scoreless innings against the Guardians. The seven strikeouts was one shy of his season-high … Liberatore had been 0-5 with four no-decisions in his last nine starts … Kyle Leahy gave up a home run to Nick Kurtz in the eighth … JoJo Romero stranded two runners to get out of the eighth before completing his seventh save.
Key stat: The Athletics were 1-of-10 with a runner in scoring position and had a combined 36 at-bats with a runner on second or third in the three-game series but only managed eight hits in those at-bats.
Worth noting: Lefthander Liam Doyle, the Cardinals’ first-round pick in this year’s amateur draft and the fifth overall selection, will make his professional debut on Saturday night for Class A Palm Beach. He is expected to work two innings … Nolan Arenado is scheduled to meet with the Cardinals’ medical personnel on Thursday as he tries to work his way back to the field following a shoulder injury. Arenado is expected to participate in pre-game work with the Cardinals on Friday and could then begin a minor-league rehab assignment within a few days … Stefan Caray, the son of TV broadcaster Chip Caray, made his major-league debut by calling the play-by-play of the third and fourth innings. Caray’s twin brother Chris is a TV broadcaster for the Athletics.
Up next: The Cardinals have Thursday off before hosting the Giants in a three-game series this weekend. Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter in Friday night’s opener.
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