Friday’s Game Report: Twins 9, Cardinals 8
By Rob Rains
Twice the Cardinals gave the ball to Ryne Stanek and asked him to protect a late-inning lead on Friday night in Minnesota.
He wasn’t able to do it.
Stanek came into the game in the seventh with two runners on base and the Cardinals up 7-4 thanks to a bases-clearing double by Jordan Walker in the top of the inning. Kody Clemens hit Stanek’s third pitch for a game-tying three-run homer.
After the Cardinals regained the lead in the eighth, Stanek went back to the mound in the bottom of the inning and Royce Lewis hit Stanek’s first pitch for another home run that once again tied the game.
Two batters later, Brooks Lee hit the Twins’ third homer off Stanek in the span of five batters and this one gave them the win in the opener of a three-game series in Minnesota.
It was the first time Stanek allowed more than two homers in any of his 496 career games in the major leagues.
He wasn’t the only Cardinals’ reliever who had a bad night as the Twins scored seven runs in the final three innings.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Alec Burleson homered for the fourth consecutive game, extending his hitting streak to 12 games … Blaze Jordan, called up from Memphis before the game, started at third base in his major-league debut and had an RBI single in his first at-bat. Jordan later added a second single and also struck out twice … The Cardinals took advantage of three walks to score four runs in the seventh, the big blow Walker’s three-run double that gave them a 7-4 lead after Burleson drew a bases-loaded walk … After the Twins tied it, an infield single by Jose Fermin in the eighth once again gave the Cardinals a temporary lead.
On the mound: Kyle Leahy pitched into the sixth inning and had only allowed two runs through five innings, but he failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in the sixth and George Soriano allowed an inherited runner to score and tie the game at 4 … A pair of walks from Gordon Graceffo put two runners on base with two outs before Stanek allowed the game-tying homer in the seventh … He then gave up the two homers in the eighth that tied the game and then gave the Twins the lead.
Key stat: The two RBIs from Burleson increased his season-total to 50, joining Walker, with 55 RBIs, to become the first pair of Cardinals’ teammates to each have 50 or more RBIs in the first 67 games of a season since Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen in 2003.
Worth noting: A struggling Nolan Gorman was optioned to Memphis before the game. Gorman had been in a massive slump with only three hits in his last 50 at-bats over his his last 17 games since May 20. During that stretch he struck out 27 times … To make room for Jordan on the 40-man roster, Ramon Urias was moved to the 60-day injured list because of elbow discomfort … In another roster move announced before the game, Hunter Dobbins was optioned to Memphis and Chris Roycroft was recalled, giving the Cardinals a fresh arm in the bullpen … Joshua Baez hit his 19th homer for the Redbirds in Friday night’s game at Norfolk.
Up next: Matthew Liberatore will get the start in the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon.
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