Bullpen Falls Apart in the 7th and Cards Lose to the Brewers 9-5

Carlos Martinez took the mound for the Cards, who were in the cream Saturday home jerseys with the red piping. Jackie Bradley, Jr. popped a low-and-in 2-2 slider to short left for O’Neill to start things off. Martinez got ahead of Christian Yelich 0-2, then left a slider a little too far up, and Yelich sharply grounded it through the right side for a base hit past the glove of the diving Edman. Avisail Garcia struck out swinging at a 3-2 low-and-away slider. Yelich was running for 2nd base on the pitch, and from the original camera angle, it looked like Yadi got him on a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. When they showed the play from the other direction, it was clear that Yelich beat the tag by a second. Travis Shaw smoked a first-pitch hanging cutter on the ground near DeJong at short. DeJong only had time to make a short dive, and the ball bounced off of his glove and into the outfield for a base hit to score Yelich and give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

Carlos hung a 1-0 change to Omar Narvaez, who lined it into right for a base hit to move Shaw to 2nd. Keston Hiura lined an 0-1 low sinker right back to the mound and off of Martinez’s right shoulder. It was a base hit that deflected towards DeJong, and he had to make an alert adjustment to stop the ball from going into the outfield. That’s the 4th ball that the Brewers have torched to the tune of 102 mph or greater this inning. The bases were now loaded for Jace Peterson, whose contract was purchased today to replace Kolten Wong, who went on the injured list. Peterson worked the count to 3-2 then fouled off 3 pitches before grounding a low sinker sharply to Goldschmidt at 1st base to end the inning.

Adrian Houser took the mound for the Brewers and got Tommy Edman to line an outside 1-0 sinker to center to lead off the bottom of the 1st. Paul Goldschmidt tapped a 2-1 sinker back to the mound for the 2nd out. Nolan Arenado ripped a low-and-in 1-2 sinker down the 3rd base line and off of the sidewall. He raced to 2nd base and dove in headfirst to beat the throw for a double. But he was stranded there when Paul DeJong grounded a 2-2 up-and-in sinker to 3rd to end the inning.

Luis Urias grounded out to short on a high 0-2 four-seamer to lead off the top of the 2nd. The pitcher Houser worked the count to 3-2 then lined a sinker up the middle for a base hit. Bradley popped an inside 1-2 sinker to Arenado at 3rd in foul territory. Yelich hit a low-and-away sinker hard for a grounder towards the middle, but DeJong was positioned over the bag in the shift and fielded it to end the inning. Yadier Molina got a rare infield single to lead off the bottom of the 2nd when he poked a 2-0 sinker up the middle. Peterson dove for the ball and stopped it, but couldn’t throw Yadi out in time. Dylan Carlson sharply grounded a hanging change through the right side for a base hit to move Yadi to 2nd. Tyler O’Neill smoked a 1-2 sinker up the middle but the Brewers happened to be positioned perfectly in the shift and it was a 4-6-3 double play, with Yadi moving to 3rd base. O’Neill grimaced when he fouled off the pitch before his grounder and again when he hit into the double play.

Justin Williams laid off a 3-2 outside change and walked to put runners at the corners for Martinez, who grounded a first-pitch sinker to 3rd to end the inning.

Austin Dean came out to play left field in the top of the 3rd, and the announcers said O’Neill was suffering from right groin tightness. Garcia grounded a low-and-in 0-2 sinker to short to start the inning. Shaw grounded out to 1st on an inside 0-1 cutter. Narvaez softly lined an inside 0-1 cutter to center for a base hit, but he was stranded when Hiura lined an up-and-in 0-1 fastball to center to end the inning. Edman flied an 0-2 fastball to left to lead off the bottom of the 3rd. Goldschmidt drew a 3-2 walk after being behind in the count 0-2. Arenado smoked a first-pitch slider down the line at 3rd, but Shaw was guarding the line and made a nifty back-handed sliding play and fired to 2nd base for an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Peterson flied an outside 3-2 change to center to lead off the top of the 4th. Urias grounded an outside 1-2 four-seamer off of Martinez’s backside at the mound, but Carlos got the ball and threw him out. The pitcher Houser torched a first-pitch low fastball on the ground towards the middle, but Edman made a great diving stop and threw him out to end the inning.

DeJong struck out swinging at a nasty low-and-in 0-2 sinker to start the bottom of the 4th. Houser hung an 0-1 sweeping curve to Molina, and he smacked it deep to left and off the wall, but it was hit so hard that the carom limited him to a long single. Carlson grounded a low 2-2 sinker down the line at 1st for Hiura for what should have been a 3-6-3 double play. Hiura stepped on the bag, but his throw to 2nd was wide and went off of Urias’s glove into the outfield. Even if Urias had caught it, the throw pulled him off the bag and Molina would have been safe at 2nd anyway. No error on was charged on the play. Dean grounded a 1-1 low-and-away slider towards the left side hole, but Shaw made another diving stop and threw Dean out by a step at 1st to end the inning.

Bradley grounded a high 2-2 cutter to 2nd to lead off the top of the 5th. Yelich poked an outside 1-0 change to the left side of the infield opposite the shift. Arenado charged, but couldn’t make the barehanded grab, and Yelich had an infield hit. Garcia then blasted a low-and-in 90 mph sinker deep into the seats in left-center for a 2-run HR to extend the Brewers’ lead to 3-0.

Shaw flied an inside 3-1 cutter to shallow right. Narvaez flied a first-pitch hanging cutter to deep center, but it stalled at the track for Carlson and the inning was over. To lead off the bottom of the 5th, Williams grounded a first-pitch outside sinker to the right side, with shortstop Urias fielding it with the shift. Matt Carpenter pinch hit for Martinez, whose day was over after 83 pitches. Carpenter struck out chasing a low 2-2 sinker. Edman extended the inning by grounding a low 2-1 sinker up the middle for a base hit and Goldschmidt moved him to 3rd base with a lined base hit to left. The rain started coming down pretty good. Houser’s 1-1 pitch to Arenado was a curve that bounced and got away to the right of Narvaez for a wild pitch that allowed Goldschmidt to advance to 2nd. Houser wanted no part of Arenado and walked him on 5 pitches. But the Cards stranded the bases loaded as DeJong struck out swinging at 3 sinkers.

Ryan Helsley came out to pitch the top of the 6th for the Cards. He served up an 0-2 down-the-middle fastball to Hiura, but Hiura lined it right to Dean in left for the first out. Peterson struck out swinging at a filthy 3-2 low-and-away change. Urias grounded a 1-2 hanging curve to 3rd to end the inning. Houser is still only at 74 pitches and came back out for the bottom of the 6th. But after Molina drew a 7-pitch leadoff walk, the Brewers made a double switch. Lefty Brent Suter came out to pitch in the #7 spot, and Daniel Robertson came out to play 2B in the #9 spot, with Peterson exiting the game. Carlson worked an 8-pitch plate appearance but struck out swinging at a high 87 mph fastball. Dean blooped an up-and-in 87 mph fastball to center for a base hit to move Molina to 2nd. Williams grounded a low 0-2 curveball down the first base line. Hiura was in position for the routine play, but didn’t stay down on the ball and whiffed, with the ball going under his glove and into right field towards the side wall. Molina scored, and Dean also scored, hustling all the way from 1st base and just beating Garcia’s throw home. Williams ended up at 2nd base and the score is now 3-2. It was ruled E4 on Hiura.

John Nogowski pinch hit for Helsley and grounded an 0-1 inside fastball to short. With Williams now at 3rd base, Edman grounded a ball headed for the 3rd base line that nailed Williams in his right side off the bounce. The ball looked like it would have been foul, and Williams started his lead in foul territory. When he leaped to try and avoid the ball, his feet and body were still outside the edge of the line when he was struck. The umpires still called Williams out “five unassisted” and Edman got credit for a single on that unfortunate play that ended the inning. It was a bad call. The runner is only supposed to be called out in that situation, according to Official Rule 5.09(b)(7), when:

He is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has gone through, or by, an infielder and no other infielder has a chance to make a play on the ball.

For Williams to be out, the ball had to have been fair, and he had to have been struck by that fair ball while he was in fair territory. I get that the ball is fair in that situation until it crosses the bag because it first bounced into fair territory and Williams got hit before it could cross the bag. But Both the ball and Williams were in foul territory when he was struck, so he should not have been called out. After the game, Mike Shildt suggested that the answer he was given was that Williams’s body was in fair territory when he was struck, but it wasn’t. His feet were closer to the edge than his body. The only type of fair/foul calls that can be reviewed are those where the ball first lands at or beyond the set positions of the 1st and 3rd base umpire. The play was still unreviewable because the ultimate question was not whether the ball was fair or foul, but whether Williams was in fair territory when the ball struck him, and that’s a judgment call that can’t be reviewed. So the Cards had to live with it. You make the call and see if you agree with me.

Tyler Webb came out to pitch the top of the 7th for the Cards and got Robertson to fly out to center to lead off the inning. Bradley lined a 2-1 down-the-middle fastball to center for a base hit. After Yelich walked on 5 pitches, Garcia ripped an outside 2-1 fastball to the gap in left-center. Dean cut it off at the track before it could get to the wall, but not before both Bradley and Yelich could both score to extend the Brewers’ lead to 5-2.

With Garcia at 2nd with a double, Shaw struck out looking at a 2-2 low-and-away fastball. Narvaez worked a 3-2 walk on a close pitch, and Shildt had seen enough. Andrew Miller came out to pitch to Hiura. He threw him three straight sliders. The third one got too much plate and Hiura parked it over the center field wall for a 3-run homer to give the Brewers an 8-2 lead.

The pitcher Suter came up to hit for himself and struck out looking at a 2-2 low-and-away slider to end the inning. Craig Counsell must have just wanted to save a bench player, because righty J.P. Feyereisen came out to pitch the bottom of the 7th for the Brewers. Goldschmidt struck out chasing an outside 1-2 fastball. Arenado grounded a 1-2 low-and-away slider to short. DeJong struck out chasing a 2-2 low-and-in change to end the inning.

Miller came back out for the 8th, and walked Urias on 5 pitches. Miller threw Robertson 3 straight sliders. Robertson took the first two for strikes, but Miller hung the third one and Robertson skied it to left-center. Dean gave up on the ball at the wall. The ball hit the front portion of bullpen wall on the pad and bounced over for a ground rule double. Initially there was some confusion, but the umpires looked at it and affirmed the call of a double.

With runners at 2nd and 3rd, Bradley tapped a first-pitch low-and-away slider to the left of the mound, and Miller made the play for the out. After Miller walked Yelich on 5 pitches to load the bases, Shildt made a double switch. Jake Woodford came into the game to pitch in the #4 spot, with Edmundo Sosa coming in to play SS in the #9 spot. Garcia took a couple of fastballs just above the zone and walked on 5 pitches. Urias scored to give the Brewers a 9-2 lead.

Shaw grounded a down-the-middle 2-2 fastball towards the middle for Sosa, who stepped on the 2nd base bag and fired to 1st for an inning-ending 6-3 double play. Righty Josh Lindblom came out to pitch the bottom of the 8th. Billy McKinney replaced Garcia in RF. Molina hit an 0-1 outside fastball and blooped it to center for a base hit to lead off the inning. After Carlson drew a 3-2 walk, Dean jacked an 0-2 hanging splitter into the seats in Big Mac Land in left for a 3-run homer to cut the Brewers’ lead to 9-5.

Williams tattooed an 0-1 low splitter to deep center. Bradley raced back for the ball and made a leaping catch against the wall that might have robbed Williams of a homer.

Lindblom hit Sosa on the left arm with a 3-2 splitter. Edman popped a 1-1 low change to Shaw on the outfield grass near 3rd. Goldschmidt worked the count to 3-1 and then ripped a hanging changeup, but grounded it right to Shaw at 3rd to end the inning.

Narvaez flied a hanging curve to shallow left to lead off the top of the 9th. Hiura struck out swinging at an up-and-in 2-2 fastball. McKinney worked the count to 3-2 and on the 8th pitch of the plate appearance, he lined an inside fastball towards the line in right. Williams ran over and tried to make the catch, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove and rolled to the wall for a triple. After Urias drew a 3-2 walk to put runners at the corners, Robertson worked the count to 3-2, but struck out swinging at a low sinker to end the inning. Arenado popped a 3-2 inside change to the catcher in foul territory to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Andrew Knizner pinch hit for Woodford, worked the count to 3-2, and on the 8th pitch of the plate appearance, ripped a fastball on the ground up the middle for a base hit. Molina forced Lindblom to throw 9 pitches, but struck out chasing an elevated cutter. Knizner took 2nd base on the first pitch to Carlson with defensive indifference, and also took 3rd on the 2-1 pitch. But Carlson flied a low-and-away 2-2 change to left to end the game.

Martinez (5 days rest) 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR; Helsley (1 day rest, top 6, down 3-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO; Webb (3 days rest, top 7, down 3-2) .2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO; Miller (1 day rest, top 7, 2 out, men on 1st and 2nd, down 5-2) .2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, allowed 2 out of 2 inherited runners to score; Woodford (6 days rest, top 8, 1 out, bases loaded, down 8-2) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, allowed 1 of 3 inherited runners to score.

ODDS AND ENDS

After dropping their home opener to the Cubs 4-2 on Thursday, the Pirates got 2 singles, 3 doubles and 3 walks off of Cubs’ starter Zach Davies in the 2nd inning today and now lead 7-1. The Reds beat the Diamondbacks 6-5 in 10 innings last night on Tucker Barnhart’s RBI-single, and are set to play the second game of the series tonight. Tyler Naquin of the Reds already has 5 homers and 4 walks to only 6 strikeouts in 27 trips to the plate.