The results have been evident this season, and never more so than Tuesday night when Wainwright’s career-high four RBIs helped the Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 10-5, spoiling the final start of the season for Jorge De La Rosa and most likely his last in a nine-year run with the Rockies.
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Determined to be a better hitter and aware that his knowledge of the strike zone was lacking, Wainwright moved closer to home plate.
As he’s only recently discovered, crowding it is a pretty good approach for hitting, too.
Their win Sunday at San Francisco enabled the St. Louis Cardinals to split a four-game series with the Giants and not fall back in the National League wild-card scramble.
“My whole career, I’ve fought trying to pull the ball and tried to stay up the middle and hit the ball to right field”.
Wainwright’s 18 RBIs this season are the most for a Cardinals starting pitcher since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson drove in 19 runs in 1970.
“The only thing I was disappointed about tonight is I got a big lead and I let that affect the way I was finishing some pitches”, Wainwright said.
Wainwright recorded a two-run double in the second and a two-run single in the fifth – both three-run innings for the Cardinals as they built an 8-3 lead. Matt Adams and Jedd Gyorko homered for the Cardinals, now even with the Mets and Giants in the race for the final two NL playoff spots. Ten of Wainwright’s 13 hits this season have gone for extra bases – seven doubles, one triple and two homers. He has pitched at least six innings in 12 starts and has pitched seven or more four times. The 26-year-old rookie was terrific in his previous two starts, allowing two runs over 13 2/3 frames.
Anderson allowed five runs – two earned – in seven solid innings. His contract expires after this season.
“I think in a lot of ways he’s well beyond his years, his experience level”, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. They will send Luke Weaver to the mound here as he looks for his second win of the season and will be out to lower his impressive 3.21 ERA as he will face off against the recordless German Marquez who is 0-0 with a 5.07 ERA.
Martinez was cruising until one out in the fourth, when Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny came out to check on him. It’s hard to miss, since the scores are posted on the right-field fence and he stares at it from the dugout. “Just go ahead and let it fly and see what happens”.
“There’s always a reason to be motivated to play well, no matter what, and that’s the way it always should be”, Weiss said. Their only chance to steal the spotlight down the stretch is to play the role of spoiler, like the kid who agrees to play a nonspeaking part as a tree in the school play so he can get experience on the stage. RHP Adam Wainwright will start Tuesday for the Cardinals. LeMahieu extended his career-high on-base streak to 35 games.
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LeMahieu finished 2 for 4 to run his average to.349 and take a slight lead over Washington’s Daniel Murphy in the NL batting race. Murphy is hitting.348. Cardinals LF Matt Holliday (right thumb fracture) took batting practice after a two-day layoff and will try to do so again Tuesday.
