CINCINNATI — At least in the opinion of Adam Wainwright, there is nothing great about the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
Making what could be his final start in the ballpark where he has struggled more than at any other stadium in his career, Wainwright did not pitch great on Tuesday night – but it was good enough to get a rare win.
Wainwright allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings, earning the 197th win of his career thanks to a big night from the offense, led by a pair of home runs from Paul Goldschmidt.
The win was only the second for Wainwright in Cincinnati in his last 11 starts there, dating back to the start of the 2016 season. The other victory came in 2019, in a game when the Cardinals scored 13 runs.
In those 11 starts, Wainwright has allowed a combined 50 earned runs in 52 1/3 innings.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Goldschmidt had just one hit in his previous 21 at-bats before homering in the first inning. After the Cardinals scored twice in the second, Goldschmidt connected for his second homer in the third that gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead … Tommy Edman drove in three runs with a triple, double and sacrifice fly and scored two runs … Lars Nootbaar had two RBIs on a pair of singles … Nolan Gorman singled in the third to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
On the mound: Wainwright had only thrown 77 pitches before he was pulled from the game with two outs in the sixth and runners on first and second … Chris Stratton stranded the runners and protected the 7-5 lead through the seventh … After Giovanny Gallegos retired the Reds in order in the eighth, Ryan Helsley allowed a two-out single and back-to-back walks that loaded the bases in the ninth but got a groundout from Jonathan India to end the game.
Key stat: The two home runs by Goldschmidt increased the team’s total so far in May to 38, the most they have hit in the month since hitting 42 in May of 2012. They have seven games left in the month. The franchise record for home runs in May is 45 set in 2000.
Worth noting: Nolan Arenado and manage Oli Marmol were ejected by home plate umpire Will Little after Arenado grounded into a double play that ended the third inning. Arenado was upset by some calls during his at-bat, and was still mad about a checked-swing called by Little in Monday night’s game when Little was umpiring at first base … It ws Marmol’s third ejection of the season, the second time he has been tossed from a game by Little … Goldschmidt has 19 career homers in 54 games at the Great American Ballpark, the third most among active players, trailing Anthony Rizzo and Andrew McCutchen … The Cardinals released minor-league outfielder Trejyn Fletcher, their second-round pick in the 2019 draft. The high school outfielder had limited experience, playing in the northeast, and could never get untracked offensively. Fletcher, 22, was hitting .205 in 21 games at Palm Beach this season … The organization’s top pick in last year’s draft, lefthander Cooper Hjerpe, worked six no-hit innings on Tuesday night for Peoria.
Looking ahead: Steven Matz will get the start on Wednesday night in the third game of the series.
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