*Photo from Sportsnaut*
If you're going to hit a walk off home run, what's better than a grand slam? Harrison Bader drove in the game tying run, Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays with a 7-3 win in 10 innings on Monday night in St. Louis.
Down 3-1 in the 7th inning, the Cardinals tied it, later sending the game to extra innings. That set the stage for Goldschmidt, who launched a walk off grand slam into the left field seats with two outs in the 10th, giving the Cardinals their 4th straight victory, and their 7th in the last 10 games, starting the series off the right way.
Goldschmidt said of his approach in the at-bat that "I was just trying to make sure I could put something in play. I was able to get enough of it to get it out of there. You don't have any other choice. I had five outs in four at-bats. That's not what you want to do. I was preparing for the at-bat. It was pretty cool."
The Cardinals got a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when Brendan Donovan hit an RBI double to right field, scoring Nolan Arenado. In the 6th inning, George Springer tied it for the Blue Jays with a solo home run. In the 7th, Springer and Santiago Espinal drew bases loaded walks to make it 3-1 Toronto.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, Juan Yepez started the comeback, lacing a solo home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in favor of Toronto. Donovan then scored on an RBI single from Bader, tying the game at a 3-3 mark. In the 10th, Goldschmidt delivered the slam, giving the Cardinals a win in walk off fashion.
Getting the start for the Cardinals was Miles Mikolas, who allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings of work. Andre Pallante finished the 7th inning in relief, followed by scoreless innings from Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, and Genesis Cabrera, with Cabrera getting the win.
Mikolas said of the rhythm of his start that "There were a couple innings I went down to get a drink or go to the bathroom and I came out, and it was like two outs, two strikes. I had to get my stuff and get back going again. As much as I’d love us to score a bunch of runs, I do like not having to sit down for a long time when I’m feeling good."
For the Blue Jays, David Phelps got the loss, being responsible for the winning runs that scored in the 10th. Jose Berrios started, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits over 6 1/3 innings. Adam Cimber, Trevor Richards, and Julian Merryweather had scoreless appearances, until Phelps and Ryan Borucki were responsible for the 10th inning.
Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said of the affect the loss will have on his team that "They're human beings. They're going to feel it. Every game is close. I believe in my guys. I know they're going to get hot. We're just not swinging the bats right now. We had a chance. We just didn't come up with the big hits again."
Up next, the Cardinals and Blue Jays continue their series on Tuesday night. The Cardinals send Jordan Hicks to the mound to start, while Montoyo counters with Kevin Gausman.
Comments
Post a Comment