Cardinals Ensure Series Win with a 10-5 Victory!
Today at 12:17 AM
Cardinals defeat Pirates Sept 18, 2024
Well, well, well. What have we here? The Cardinals win a series vs a team that they should beat. My internal narrative maker wants to tell a story of a 2024 squad that gets beat by mediocre or even bad teams, but can win against good teams, sometimes. Or something like that.
The St Louis Cardinals defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium 10-5. That feels really good to say. Before I recap this game, I want to see if that narrative is true... do the 2024 Cardinals hold their own against good teams, and falter against lesser teams?
Braves are 2-4 vs the Cardinals in 2024. Orioles 0-3. Twins and Yankees 1-2. Padres 3-4. But the Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, and Brewers all had no problem with the Cardinals. The more I look at it, there is a slight semblance of a narrative there, but it's pretty even overall. Strength of opponent just didn't matter too much to this team. But one thing I can say for sure: the Cardinals used the Pittsburgh Pirates as a bit of a whooping bag this year. Even if the Pirates win tomorrow.
Sonny Gray pitched tonight and was charged with 4 runs in 5.2 IP. This didn't matter since Gray's 2024 statline is still an incredible 166 IP with a 3.13 FIP, a 2.82 xFIP, and a 3.84 ERA, and more importantly, the Cardinals won tonight by scoring runs.
And score runs they did: Brendan Donovan kicked things off in the 2nd inning by hitting his 13th home run and driving in Arenado. Woodford got walloped! 2-0 Cardinals. In the third Paul Goldschmidt TRIPLED and knocked in Alec Burleson! Arenado who reached his flow state weeks ago singled and knocked in Goldschmidt. 4-0 Cardinals.
Sonny Gray cruised through the first 3 innings of this game but the wheels fell off in the 4th inning: back to back doubles to McCutchen and Gonzalez, a sac fly by De La Cruz and a RBI pop fly hit from Yorke made it 4-2 Cardinals. Gray actually locked down and made it through the rest of the inning and the fifth, but in the sixth he gave up back to back singles and then some guy named Billy Cook hit a home run to center right making it 5-4 Pirates. Sonny's day was done.
Luckily for the Cardinals the Pirates removed Holderman for David Bednar, who gave up a solo home run to Masyn Winn! The Cardinals then loaded the bases through a series of gifts from the Jolly Roger. An error and two walks. Ivan Herrera reaped a reward with an RBI single, Nootbaar took another gift with an RBI line drive single, but it was Jordan Walker who got to the gold with a bases clearing 3 RBI double that was plastered to the left field corner!
Cardinals 10-5 after a monster 7th inning! And that is how this game ended with a five run lead. This one felt good.
- Sonny Gray's 200th K of the year amongst his 8 K tonight
- Arenado 1.000 OBP (3-3 with 2 BB)
- Donovan the Cardinal win probability leader with 2-4, a BB, and a home run
- Cook the WPA player of the game with his leverage-y home run
- Liberatore had about as bad of a WPA as you can get tonight, giving up a home run in .1 IP
- Herrera 3-5
- Arenado, Donovan, Goldschmidt, Herrera, Nootbaar, Walker, and Winn all knocked in at least one run tonight. Only Burleson and Siani produced 0 RBI.
- Yes, we defeated THE Jake Woodford who has a 7.97 ERA in 35 IP this year
- Michael McGreevy somehow did this and he was good tonight to end the game with 3 IP
Tune in for the series finale tomorrow Thursday September 19, 2024 where we will see Ortiz take on Fedde and this is real strange but they both have a 3.45 ERA this season. It's another night game at 6:15pm. The Cards are back to two games over .500 for now. They will go for the series sweep in a 4 game series!
