*Photo from SFGATE*
When facing a pitcher who hits triple digits in speed regularly, the key is to work at bats. Lars Nootbaar singled in a run, Paul Goldschmidt drove in another two runs, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-2 victory on Friday night in Cincinnati.
After winning their midweek series against the Miami Marlins, the Cardinals picked up their 3rd win in 4 games with this series opening win against the Reds. Conversely, the Reds have been in free fall since beating the Atlanta Braves on opening day, now with 10 straight losses, dropping to 2-12 this season.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that "I think we prepared for Greene's high velocity. And then it’s always easier to adjust down than up, right? So we were prepared for the velocity and his mix of that with the slider, but early on, you could tell the velo was a tick down, and guys made an adjustment."
Goldschmidt got the Cardinals going right away, with an RBI single and an error scoring Dylan Carlson, putting St. Louis ahead 1-0 in the first inning. In the 4th inning, Goldschmidt hit another RBI single, advancing to second base with Nootbaar and Edmundo Sosa scoring to make it 3-0 Cardinals.
In the top of the 5th inning, it was Nootbaar's turn, hitting an RBI single of his own to right field, with Corey Dickerson scoring to make it 4-0 Cardinals. In the bottom of the 5th, Aramis Garcia scored on an RBI single from Brandon Drury, getting the Reds on the board to make it 4-1. An RBI groundout by Kyle Farmer in the 9th made it 4-2, sealing the win.
Marmol said of starter Steven Matz that "He’s established the inside part of the plate. He’s commanded it well there, and it’s allowed all his other stuff to play a little better. That changeup underneath the zone is good for him. The curveball today was a really good pitch for him. He stole some strikes early on Votto, threw some underneath the zone that were strikes early. He did the same thing to Farmer, but the curveball was a big player for him."
It was Matz who got the start for the Cardinals, improving to 2-1 on the season after allowing one run on 7 hits, striking out 6 hitters in 5 innings pitched. Nick Wittgren, Ryan Helsley, and Genesis Cabrera had scoreless appearances, with Giovanny Gallegos getting the save despite allowing one run.
Fireballer Hunter Greene didn't have it in his start for the Reds. He got the loss after lasting just 3 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, striking out 3 hitters. Jeff Hoffman allowed a run in relief, with Luis Cessa, Dauri Moreta, Alexis Diaz, and Buck Farmer having scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.
Greene said of his shaky start in the loss that "I knew going into the game that it wasn't there, but you can't say, 'Oh guys, today's not a good day, I can't go in and compete.' Nobody wants to hear that. You just fight through and look on the positive side and attack the guys."
The Cardinals and Reds play the second game of their series on Saturday afternoon, with Dakota Hudson taking the mound for the Cardinals, and Tyler Mahle starting for the Reds.
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