BOSTON — Friday’s Game Report: Red Sox 6, Cardinals 5
With two outs and nobody on base in the ninth inning, trailing the Red Sox 6-1, apparently the only people who didn’t think Friday night’s game was over were in the Cardinals dugout.
Five batters later, the score was 6-5 and the Cardinals had the tying run on second with Paul Goldschmidt, the NL’s leading hitter, coming up to bat.
What would have been a storybook ending wasn’t meant to be, however, as Goldschmidt struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the opener of the three-game series at Fenway Park in Boston.
The rally began with a double by Dylan Carlson, followed by a triple by Harrison Bader. Andrew Knizner was hit by a pitch before Tommy Edman singled to cut the lead to 6-3.
Brendan Donovan, one of the hottest players in the league this month, doubled to drive in the next two runs and bring Goldschmidt to the plate.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals only run through the first eight innings came on Nolan Arenado’s homer leading off the second … That came off former Cardinal Michael Wacha, who allowed six hits but didn’t allow another runner past second base as he pitched into the sixth inning in his first career start against his former team… Arenado’s homer was his 12th of the year, only the second which did not come with at least one runner on base. in his
On the mound: Adam Wainwright gave up three runs before he was pulled with one out in the seventh, although he was charged with another run with T.J. McFarland allowed an inherited runner to score. The big hit off Wainwright was a two-run single by Trevor Story on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth … McFarland allowed two more runs to score in the seventh, which turned out to be the difference in the game, as he gave up three consecutive hits and didn’t retire a batter … Nick Wittgren finally got out of the inning … McFarland’s ERA rose to 7.71.
Key stat: In 16 games in June, Donovan has 25 hits, the most by any player in the National League.
Worth noting: Wainwright was making his first start of the season without Yadier Molina behind the plate. Molina was placed on the injured list on Friday because of sore knees, and the team has not said how long it expects him to be out. The combination of Wainwright and Molina has started 316 games together in their careers, now just nine starts away from setting the MLB for most starts by a pitcher and catcher … Ivan Herrera was recalled from Memphis to take Molina’s spot on the roster, and he is expected to split the catching duties with Knizner while Molina is out … Knizner caught Wainwright in two games last season … The Cardinals signed another catcher, Austin Romine, to a minor-league contract on Friday and assigned him to Memphis. He has played in the majors with the Yankees, Tigers, Cubs and Angels.
Looking ahead: Dakota Hudson will get the start on Saturday night in the second game of the series.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains.
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