SAN FRANCISCO — Dylan Carlson has not had a lot to cheer about so far this season, but he finally had a moment he could enjoy on Friday night.
Carlson’s one-out single in the ninth inning drove in pinch-runner Brendan Donovan from second base to break a 2-2 tie and give the Cardinals their second win in a row over the Giants in San Francisco.
The hit also gave the Cardinals their third consecutive win, their longest streak of the season.
Carlson entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement, then came to bat following a double by Juan Yepez.
The hit gave Carlson five hits in his last 11 at-bats over his last five games after hitting just .184 in April.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals only had four hits through the first eight innings, one of which was a two-run homer by Harrison Bader in the fifth, following a single by Corey Dickerson, who got the start in right field … Tommy Edman gave the Cardinals a chance to take the lead in the eighth when he tripled with two outs, but following a walk to Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado grounded out … Yepez now has three doubles in the first three games of his career … Carlson’s hit was the only one for the Cardinals in six at-bats with a runner in scoring position.
On the mound: Jordan Hicks pitched 4 1/3 innings and did not allow any runs while he was in the game. He left with two runners on base, however, and Genesis Cabrera allowed both of the inherited runners to score so those runs were charged to Hicks. Hicks walked two and struck out five … Ryan Helsley continued his dominant start to the season, retiring all five batters he faced, four on strikeouts, and earned the victory … Giovanny Gallegos allowed a one-out single in the ninth but then got a game-ending double play to finish out the save.
Key stat: Helsley has now worked 10 innings in eight games and has allowed one hit and no walks. He has struck out 20 of the 31 batters he has faced this season and has retired the last 20 hitters that he has faced.
Worth noting: Adam Wainwright tested positive for COVID and was placed on the injured list, but he said in a message posted on Twitter that he had no symptoms, felt fine and was hopeful he can make his next scheduled start on Tuesday night. Wainwright will need two consecutive negative tests before he can be activated … He was replaced on the roster by Steven Matz, who came off the bereavement list. Tyler O’Neill had his salary arbitration hearing on zoom on Friday. A decision is expected next week … Jack Flaherty is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session on Saturday since being shut down in spring training because of a shoulder injury.
Looking ahead: Matz will get the start in Saturday’s game.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains.
