After exiting in the top of the 1st inning last night due to right shoulder tightness, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak announced to reporters today that Martinez is shut down for the year with a shoulder strain.
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NOTES: St. Louis clinched a postseason home game with Saturday night’s win over Milwaukee, even if it can’t hang on to win the Central Division over Pittsburgh.
Trevor Rosenthal absolutely bombed in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 8-4 loss to the Brewers, allowing four runs on two hits without recording an out in the ninth inning.
Chris Hrabe of KMOX Sports says this comes as a big blow to the Cardinals heading into postseason play, “If you look at his record, his ERA, Martinez was about the best starting pitcher the Cardinals had”. Jaime Garcia (10-5) started and went eight innings for St. Louis, striking out eight and walking none. Smith then retired Piscotty on a flyout to end the inning.
While the Cardinals get to be concerned with momentum as the playoffs draw ever closer, the Brewers get to throw in some prospects at the Major League Baseball level and see what they have to work with going into the offseason and beyond.
Piscotty followed up third baseman Matt Carpenter’s tie-breaking solo homer with one of his own in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Cardinals (98-58) a 3-1 lead.
Lackey is 5-1 in seven career starts against the Brewers with a 3.38 ERA and 1.146 WHIP in 48 innings, fanning 39. The Brewers scored their first run when Schafer’s double tipped off Jason Heyward’s glove in right. With one of the most patient eyes on the team, he could definitely get some starts there as well. In the sixth, one runner on, two outs on the board, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny makes a switch bringing in LHP Randy Choate to face Johnathan Lecroy.
“It seems like there was a period where we were just as good on the road, too”, Matheny said. I run into people all the time who have just bought in to the daily excitement of this team and this season.
“Every loss has the same feeling, we’re not going to dwell on it”, Carpenter said. “We have a lot of people, but there’s certain eyes we want to get on it. Some of them are accessible, some aren’t”. Martinez is 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA this season.
“I think whenever we’re done with this year, I’ll have time to sit back and think about everything that’s happened”, Garcia said.
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Holliday added another RBI double in the second as Wagner worked four innings, allowing five runs on six hits with four walks and no strikeouts in his second big-league start.
