“We were yelling and jumping with my hand in the ice”.
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The St. Louis Cardinals look to build on their big 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins yesterday as they meet up again in Florida on Friday.
The returning Dee Gordon, did not provide any special lift for Marlins, went 0-4. Manager Don Mattingly had no apologies about playing his 42-year-old fourth outfielder sparingly. St. Louis is coming off a nice win yesterday but the Marlins had all of the momentum late and I think they carry that over into a big win today and even the series. “I think that’ll come out as we get down the road a little bit”.
“This guy wants to hit it 10,000 feet”, Fernandez said.
“It’s such an honor and a privilege to be a part of the history he’s making”, said Fernandez, who told reporters he was cheering in the clubhouse while watching Ichiro’s double. “When you watch him it’s like watching a god come up to hit”.
Jose Fernandez (12-5) gave up five runs in five innings and is now 26-2 at home for his career.
The Cardinals opened up a 5-0 lead on the Marlins’ best pitcher, and still Miami is starting to threaten with the same kind of comeback the Cardinals had a day ago in NY.
Steady closer Jeurys Familia stumbled for a second straight game, allowing two runs in the ninth inning as Colorado beat host NY for its seventh win in eight games. Seung Hwan Oh pitched around a one-out single in the ninth for his seventh save.
Diaz and Fernandez, born two years apart in the city of Santa Clara, played for the same youth baseball team in Cuba, Diaz’s father and uncle encouraging Fernandez’s mother to bring him to the ballfield as a youngster. Fernandez walked Jeremy Hazelbaker to start the third inning, and Diaz followed with his 14th homer.
Two batters later, Holliday hit his 18th home run just inside the right-field foul pole, prompting a rueful grin from Fernandez. The outing was his shortest since May 4.
Martin Prado’s two-run home run in the sixth inning made the game a lot closer.
Marcell Ozell hit comebackers off Wacha (right leg) and Oh (left buttocks). Both stayed in the game. He was originally called for a run-scoring balk, but it was then overturned after a conversation among the umpires. Fernandez protested, and after the umpiring crew conferred, second base umpire Bill Welke waved off the balk. He struck out Wacha on three pitches to keep the game scoreless until the third inning.
With runners at second and third and two outs, Fernandez was about to intentionally walk No. 8 hitter Kolten Wong when third base umpire D.J. Reyburn called a balk. I honestly thought I had some good pitches going. “He was right, I was wrong”. St. Louis starts LHP Jaime Garcia on three days’ rest Saturday. Garcia threw 77 pitches Tuesday, when he gave up two earned runs in five innings and lost to the Mets.
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Tomorrow night the Marlins are sending Jose Urena (1-2) to the mound while the Cardinals are sending up Mike Leake (7-8). Leake is 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA versus Miami, holding Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Adeiny Hechavarria to a combined 4-for-36.Urena has acquitted himself well in two starts since he was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans, but has nothing to show for it.
