ST. LOUIS — Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 4, Brewers 2
This has been quite a month for the Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt.
His two-run homer into the visiting bullpen in the third inning sent the Cardinals to the win over the Brewers on Friday night at Busch Stadium as he continues to enjoy one of the best months of his career.
The home run, Goldschmidt’s ninth of the season, extended the second longest-hitting streak of his career to 18 games, and he has now reached base by either a hit or walk in 32 consecutive months.
Goldschmidt is hitting .400 so far in 23 games in May (36-of-90) with four games left in the month. Fifteen of his last 24 hits have been for extra bases. He has eight homers, 12 doubles and 26 RBIs so far in the month.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Goldschmidt’s two-out homer followed an infield single by Harrison Bader, the first hit of the game for the Cardinals. Goldschmidt struck out in his other three at-bats … The Cardinals were able to add to their lead with two runs in the seventh. Juan Yepez led off the inning with a single and scored on a pinch-hit triple by Edmundo Sosa. Sosa then scored on a fielder’s choice grounder hit by Lars Nootbaar … The Cardinals only had five hits in the gamer … Harrison Bader stole two more bases, increasing his league-leading total to 13.
On the mound: Dakota Hudson fell one out short of qualifying for the win, leaving the game after 4 2/3 innings. Two walks and a hit in the fifth loaded the bases and denied him the chance for the win, having thrown 97 pitches when he was pulled … Drew VerHagen got a ground ball to get out of the inning and was credited with the win after throwing only three pitches … Genesis Cabrera allowed just one hit over two innings before the Brewers finally scored on a two-run homer off Kodi Whitley in the ninth … Ryan Helsley got the final two outs for the save. He has not allowed an earned run in 16 1/3 innings this season, recording 27 strikeouts.
Key stat: Goldschmidt’s homer was his 20th extra-base hit for the month, the most by any Cardinal in May since Albert Pujols had 22 extra-base hits in the month in 2003.
Worth noting: Matt Holliday and Julian Javier will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, the team announced before Friday night’s game. Holliday was the winner of this year’s fan balloting while Javier was selected by a veteran’s committee. The two, along with former Browns player and manager Charles Comiskey, an organization pick, will be enshrined during a ceremony on Aug. 27 … Former Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, currently a free agent, was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performancing enhancing drug. Martinez has been released by both the Giants and Red Sox in the last three months. His suspension will begin if he signs with another team … Research by the Elias Sports Bureau found that the last time the Cardinals hit seven pop fouls out in a game before Thursday night came in a game in 1957.
Looking ahead: Matthew Liberatore will make his second career start in Saturday’s 1:15 p.m., taking the spot of injured Steven Matz in the rotation.