I'm short on time today, so here is a brief recap of a great game:
- Carlos Martinez pitched brilliantly. Not throwing as hard as he usually does, but it worked for him. Final line: 9.0 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 11(!) K.
- The hitters did the things they were supposed to do.
- In the 4th inning, Dexter Fowler drew a walk, Stephen Piscotty followed with a base hit, later ruled a double. Fowler went to third on the hit, drawing a throw that allowed Piscotty to take second. Jedd Gyorko followed with a double to score them both. He later scored on a balk so obvious even I knew it.
- Kolten Wong was activated from the disabled list. He went 2-for-4 and scored the Cardinals' 4th run in the fourth inning.
- The seventh inning was terrifying. Martinez was hitting for himself with runners on and no one out, attempting to bunt. The pitch came running in on his hands, and hit him square on the fingers. He fell to the ground and I couldn't tell at first where he was hit. I feared it had hit him in the head. But not only was he okay, but he stayed in the game, scored a run, and continued pitching quite well.
- Matt Carpenter looks like he's getting his groove back. He had a nice double in the seventh that scored some more runs for the home team. I don't believe that people *actually* hit better in certain spots in the lineup, but I do believe that Carpenter might *think* he hits better at leadoff. And if that's true, that's enough for me to leave him there.
- The Cardinals won by a final score of 7-0. Hooray!
*I wrote this on a phone in the back of a car going 90 mph. Please don't point out all my typos in the comments, thanks.*