ST. LOUIS — Saturday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Reds 4
The Cardinals and Reds had played 44 innings this season, going into the ninth inning on Saturday, without either team hitting a home run.
Tommy Edman did something about that – and it could not have come at a better time for the Cardinals.
Edman’s two-run, two-out homer into the St. Louis bullpen lifted the Cardinals to the win over the Reds at Busch Stadium after they had missed out on several scoring chances earlier in the game.
Trailing 4-3 going to the ninth, leadoff hitter Dylan Carlson walked, but he was erased when Yadier Molina hit into a double play on the first pitch. Juan Yepez, who entered the game in the seventh inning, then kept the inning alive with a single to right, bringing Edman to the plate.
He turned on a 2-1 pitch for his sixth homer of the year and the first walk-off homer of his career. It was the first walk-off homer by the Cardinals when they were losing and down to their final out since Dexter Fowler homered against the Cubs in 2018.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Tyler O’Neill drove in the first three Cardinals runs with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a two-run double in the eighth. Representing the tying run, however, be broke too early trying to steal third base and was caught stealing … The Cardinals only hit through the first five innings was a double by Nolan Arenado leading off the second, one of four runners they left stranded on either second or third … Paul Goldschmidt was hitless in four at-bats, ending his streak of reaching base by either a hit or walk at 46 consecutive games, tied for the 10th longest streak in Cardinals’ history.
On the mound: The Reds scored three runs off Adam Wainwright, all in the third inning, two coming on a double by former Cardinal Tommy Pham. Wainwright worked seven innings for the third consecutive start and fifth time in his last seven starts. He allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out seven … The Reds scored their final run with three consecutive singles off Drew VerHagen in the eighth … Nick Wittgren pitched around a two-out single in the ninth.
Key stat: Coming into the game it had been more than seven years – since April 19, 2015, that Wainwright had struck out Joey Votto, a span of 34 plate appearances, with Votto going 13-of-26 with three homers during that stretch. Wainwright struck out Votto in the first inning and then again in the third. The only other time Wainwright had struck out Votto twice in a game was on May 15, 2010.
Worth noting: Yepez entered the game replacing Harrison Bader, who manager Oli Marmol said was removed because of a lack of hustle. Marmol said Bader will be back in the lineup on Sunday … The only other walkoff homer by the Cardinals against the Reds at Busch 3 was hit by Albert Pujols on April 16, 2006, in the sixth game played at the now 17-year-old stadium … After throwing four innings and 59 pitches for Memphis on Friday night, Jack Flaherty’s next start will come on Wednesday night, probably again in Memphis. His targeted number of pitches will be about 75. It seems likely he will make one more rehab start after that before moving back into the Cardinals rotation.
Looking ahead: Dakota Hudson will get the start on Sunday in the series finale against the Reds.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
