Randal Grichuk showed off his impressive ability at a key moment for the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Matt Carpenter and Stephen Piscotty hit two-run homers in the fourth, Carlos Martinez pitched seven solid innings and the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Friday night in St. Louis. St. Louis, which dropped to 30-38 at home, now trails the New York Mets by a half-game for the second wild card and San Francisco by a game for the first. Jimmy Nelson gave up all four runs to take the loss for Milwaukee. Matt Adam drove in the tying run with a grounder to second and Grichuk scored on Kolten Wong’s single, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.
“That gave me the extra energy to make it through and get the win for the team”, Martinez said of the long balls.
Joey Votto celebrated his 33rd birthday with four hits, including a home run, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the collapsing Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 on Saturday night.
Martinez gave up nine hits and hit two batters in seven innings but was helped by three double plays.
Given that nearly all of these players will be strong considerations for the starting lineup next year – plus the soon-to-be addition of Lewis Brinson, who hit.382/.387/.618 with four home runs, 20 RBI, and four stolen bases in only 23 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs – the picture of Milwaukee’s future offense is becoming much clearer and more than all else, much more exciting. “Carlos has been so consistent we’ve begun to anticipate he’s going to have that strong outing”. Since his return August 19, Santana has made this point almost self-evident, batting.311/.396/.533 with three home runs, eight runs batted in, and two stolen bases in 18 games – only 11 of which he actually started. “When you make mistakes to those guys that’s what’s going to happen”. Since then, the numbers have suggested they had a big hill to climb and with a four-game deficit in the Wild Card, it’s just too much. “You don’t want to think there’s something wrong and start overanalyzing stuff so you just try to keep it simple”.
That game was Wainwright’s best start of the season, a three-hit shutout of the Marlins, but the veteran is 0-2 in three starts at home since, struggling to win there just as badly as the rest of the Cardinals. Martinez walked Scooter Gennett with one out, and with two outs, hit Chris Carter with a pitch.
After the first-inning error, the Cardinals’ defense later stopped two potential rallies.
Wong reached base three times by walking twice and getting hit by a pitch.
“I went back and looked at the pitch to Braun, it was a good pitch”. “I believe in myself to the fullest”. Kevin Siegrist worked a flawless eighth inning to turn the one-run lead over to Seung Hwan Oh, who pitched around a leadoff walk to earn his 17th save.
“I thought he was good”, said Matheny.
Martinez gave up 9 hits and hit 2 batters in 7 innings but was helped by 3 double plays. SS Aledmys Diaz (right thumb fracture) went 0 for 5 in Double-A Springfield’s season-ending loss to NW Arkansas.
Cardinals: RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right shoulder inflammation) threw live batting practice.
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Jhonny Peralta beat out a hit to deep short to start the Cardinals’ eighth and Grichuk, extending his hitting streak to a career-high nine games, doubled to right center off righthander Corey Knebel, sending pinch runner Tommy Pham to third.
