This one may be among the most impressive. The Cardinals had to play those formidable opponents throughout the season and still have 100 wins on their 2015 resume. Wainwright pitched just an inning and surrendered a run, but his return from an Achilles injury in April could be a huge break for the NL Central champions.
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Back in spring training, manager Clint Hurdle preached a fast start to the season. Looking at the rest of the division, there is little doubt that the Cardinals have been dominant.
“I actually caught myself clapping for him when he came running out of the bullpen”, Hurdle said. “The game is about feel and timing (so) it makes sense to get him in when he feels up to it and I think we’ll do that”.
Certainly not the Pirates, who have spent the last four months breathlessly trying to track down the Cardinals only to come up short even though they have the second-best record in the majors.
Outfielder Austin Jackson helped keep Chicago’s winning streak alive by knocking in five runs while second baseman Starlin Castro launched a solo home run on top of making a fantastic defensive play.
Sean Doolittle got pinch-hitter Collin Cowgill to ground out with Mike Trout on third base to end it, completing a five-out save in a wild regular-season home finale for the Angels (83-75). The Royals are one back of Toronto for home-field edge throughout the AL playoffs. Tasked with forcing the Cardinals to wrap up the division in Atlanta on Friday, Morton faltered against his long-time nemesis once again. 310 with 15 homers and 84 RBIs in 137 games.
Morton (9-9) temporarily gathered himself only to unravel completely in the third.
In a frightening scene during the seventh, Piscotty lay motionless on the grass in left-center field for several minutes after his collision with Bourjos.
St. Louis (99-58) reduced its magic number to two with Monday’s 3-0 win over the second-place Pirates, scoring all its runs in the ninth inning and overcoming 10 walks by its pitchers and a frightening injury to Stephen Piscotty.
Lyons, who has struggled while starting this season, didn’t let the cushion go to waste.
Yovani Gallardo (13-11) threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, and four Rangers relievers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. The Birds on the Bat are now in a fight with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the Central Division lead. Martinez left his start September 25 against Milwaukee with a strained right shoulder.
It’s a busy day over on the North Shore as the Pirates play a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Opposing Morton will be Tyler Lyons (2-1, 3.96) in his eighth start of the season and first in four weeks.
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Unlike, say, the 1992 Sid Bream game or the 2014 Madison Bumgarner game, a glimmer of hope remains after this one: if Gerritt Cole and the Pirates can find a way to beat Jake Arrieta and the Cubs next week in Pittsburgh (or, as unthinkable as it seemed last Saturday, in Chicago), they may yet have an opportunity to avenge the humiliation that the Cardinals administered in the doubleheader nightcap today.
