6.22 RECAP: A Tsunami strikes Philli, Carlos Martinez gets first win as a starter

HI CARLOS!

Disclaimer - in case you haven't heard the news:

Wacha and Garcia both going on DL with shoulder injuries. #stlcards

— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) June 22, 2014

I write this recap with a heavy heart. The good news it I already had much of it written before this report. I feel like a hanging changeup after being struck by a Matt Holliday bat.

To the game:

The box score would fail to reflect just how masterful Carlos Martinez pitched today. After giving up three runs in the top of the second, el Gallo would not just settle down, he would dominate - inducing groundouts, getting swings and misses, and overall making hitters look foolish bringing 100 mph heat and a devastating slider.

But this will all be for naught, because the offense, yet again, will not be able to overcome Martinez’s one blemish. Because like a Tsunami, Martinez was devastating, destructive, and unpredictable, seemingly losing his command after giving up a soft ground ball hit to Ryan Howard. He would hit John Mayberry Jr. with a pitch, then walk Domonic Brown to load the bases. A bases clearing double from local product Cody Asche would give the Phillies all the runs they would need. Cy Kendrick was dominant, and would not relinquish the lead.

At least, that is what it looked like until the fourth.

Oh, the fourth. I jumped up and down. I high-fived my four year old sister. Yes, this is what Carlos needs. Give him a second chance! He does not deserve to let the second inning define the rest of this game.

Matt Adams would begin this inning with his 17th double of the year. An Allen Craig walk and a Yadier Molina single would be followed by a Jon Jay RBI single, a Jhonny Peralta 2 RBI single, and a Mark Ellis RBI "safety squeeze" bunt. The Cardinals would take a 4-3 lead.

Mark Ellis would tack on another run in the bottom of the sixth with a RBI single to score Yadi, but it wouldn't matter as the bullpen held the Philli bats silent over the rest of the game with six strikeouts with no runs and two hits. How great has Sam Freeman been, really? Over the past two years we have seen flashes of potential, but it was overwhelmed by inconsistency. His surprising emergence as a dominating force at the back end of the game has made the loss of Kevin Seigrist tolerable.

Is there anyone that can make losing Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia tolerable? Because I am pretty much destroyed right now.

LIL SCOOTER'S PLAYER OF THE GAME:

This most honorable distinction goes to Jhonny Peralta, who went 2-3 with a walk, 2 RBI, and .221 WPA.

Source: FanGraphs

Welp. I am off to go sob uncontrollably. Please feel free to freak out here, but we are all freaking out here. There is a game tomorrow, but I do not really want to think about it right now.