Cards’ Bombs Overcome Lack of Kim’s Innings and Cards Beat Phils 9-4

Lefty Matt Moore took the hill for the Phillies and the Cards were in their powder blue unis. The Cards got a couple of runners right away in the top of the first when Moore walked Tommy Edman on 5 pitches and Paul Goldschmidt on 4 straight. But the Cards were unable to cash in. Nolan Arenado popped a first-pitch low fastball to shallow center, Yadier Molina struck out swinging at a 1-2 92 mph fastball right down the middle, and Paul DeJong lined a 2-0 down-the-middle fastball to deep right-center for Roman Quinn to end the inning. Kwang Hyun Kim was activated from the injured list today to make his first start of the season for the Cards. Andrew McCutchen smoked an 0-1 inside fastball for a groundball right in front of Arenado at 3rd for the first out. Jean Segura popped a low-and-in 1-2 slider to Goldschmidt at first. Then Kim got intro trouble. After Rhys Hoskins lined a high 2-1 fastball to center for a base hit, Kim hit J.T. Realmuto on the left leg with a 1-0 fastball. Alec Bohm softly lined an inside 1-1 fastball into left-center for a base hit to score Hoskins, move Realmuto to 2nd and give the Phils a 1-0 lead. Didi Gregorius got behind in the count 0-2, but ended up drawing a 3-2 walk on the 8th pitch of the plate appearance to load the bases. Kim got behind in the count 3-0 to Matt Joyce, but managed to come back and strike him out chasing a 3-2 outside slider to end the inning. Kim threw 30 pitches that inning.

The 2nd inning went much quicker, with each pitcher retiring the side in order and striking out two batters. Austin Dean got punched out looking at a 2-2 fastball that looked like it was several inches inside. Dylan Carlson grounded a low-and-in 2-2 curve down the 1st base line, but Hoskins made a diving stop and flipped to the pitcher for the out. Justin Williams ended the inning by chasing an elevated 0-2 fastball and striking out. After Roman Quinn softly lined an up-and-in 1-2 fastball, Kim struck out the pitcher Moore swinging at an 0-2 slider and Andrew McCutchen chasing a 3-2 slider about 6 inches high and outside.

Kim tapped a low 0-2 curve to the right of the mound to lead off the top of the 3rd, and Edman followed by grounding an outside 1-2 change to short. Gregorius bobbled the ball, then made a strong bounced throw to first, where Hoskins stretched and caught it just a split second before Edman reached the bag. At this point, the Cards’ offense exploded. Goldschmidt grounded a low 0-1 change through the middle for a base hit. Arenado worked a 3-2 walk after being behind in the count 0-2. Then Molina poked a low-and-away change off the end of the bat, but the ball carried to deep left and just over the wall for a 3-run HR to give the Cards a 3-1 lead.

DeJong followed by crushing a down-the-middle fastball over the center field wall that just eluded the glove of the leaping Quinn for a solo HR to extend the lead to 4-1.

After Austin Dean drew a 3-2 walk, Dylan Carlson lined a hanging 3-2 change to left towards the line. McCutchen cut it off before the ball even reached the track, but Dean still raced around from 1st and scored to give the Cards a 5-1 lead, and Carlson stood up safely with a double. Gregorius couldn’t handle the relay throw from the outfield, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

Williams was intentionally walked to get to Kim, who batted for the second time in the inning. Moore’s first pitch to him was a curve that got away high and inside, bouncing off of the catcher’s glove to the backstop for a wild pitch that allowed the runners to advance to 2nd and 3rd. The home crowd let Moore have it and Phillies’ manager Joe Girardi brought in lefty JoJo Romero to finish the plate appearance with a 1-0 count. Kim squibbed an inside 1-1 fastball to 3rd baseman Alec Bohm down the line. Bohm fired to first, but his throw was low and short-hopped Hoskins at first. He couldn’t come up with it, Kim was safe, Williams moved to 3rd and Carlson scored to give the Cards a 6-1 lead. Bohm was charged with a throwing error on the play. Edman grounded an 0-2 outside change to short for the 6-4 force flip to end the inning.

Kim got into trouble again in the bottom of the 3rd. He started the inning at 44 pitches. Segura ripped a low-and-in 2-0 fastball to left-center and off the base of the wall. Dean played it really well off of the carom, and Segura was held to a long single. Hoskins smoked a first-pitch hanging slider to the deep part of left-center. The ball hit the top of the wall and Hoskins missed a homer by about a foot, instead settling for a double that moved Segura to 3rd. Realmuto squibbed a 2-2 low change a bit down the 1st base line and in front of the plate. Molina fielded it and fired to first before the ball could roll foul. Segura scored to cut the Cards’ lead to 6-2 and Hoskins moved to 3rd. Bohm flied a 1-2 up-and-in fastball to Dean in left for the Sac Fly to score Hoskins and cut the Cards’ lead to 6-3. Gregorius lined an inside 2-2 fastball to right for a base hit. Williams bobbled the ball out there and Gregorius went to 2nd on the error. Joyce struck out swinging at a low-and-away 2-2 slider to end the inning.

The Cards extended their cushion in the top of the 4th. After Goldschmidt poked an outside 0-2 change for a soft lined base hit to left, Arenado golfed a 1-1 low-and-in change over the left field wall close to the line for a 2-run homer to extend the Cards’ lead to 8-3.

Molina followed that with another homer, this time a lined solo shot over the left field wall inside the line on a 1-2 inside 95 mph fastball. The Cards were now ahead 9-3.

The Phillies brought in righty Vince Velasquez to pitch. After DeJong struck out swinging at a 2-2 outside fastball and Dean flied an up-and-in 3-2 fastball to shallow right, Carlson walked on 5 pitches. With Carlson running on the 3-2 pitch to Williams, Williams lined a 3-2 fastball for a base hit to right-center to move Carlson to 3rd. Carpenter pinch hit for Kim and struck out swinging at a low-and-in 2-2 curve. Shildt said after the game that Kim was on a pitch limit of about 75 pitches. At the point Carpenter pinch hit, Kim was at 68 pitches, and probably only had one batter left. With runners on base, Ryan Helsley warming up in the pen and the right-hander Velasquez on the mound with runners on base, he felt it made the most sense to go ahead and see if the Cards could pad the lead. Helsley came out to pitch the bottom of the 4th. After Quinn popped out to 3rd in foul territory and the pitcher Velasquez struck out on 3 pitches, McCutchen lined an up-and-in 1-1 hanging cutter to left for a base hit. But he was stranded there when Segura popped a high hanging 0-2 cutter to Goldschmidt in foul territory to end the inning.

Edman squibbed a 1-1 low-and-away change opposite the shift and to the left of the 2nd base bag. Gregorius charged and tried to make an off-balance throw, but Edman beat it out for an infield hit to start the top of the 5th. After Goldschmidt popped out to short and Arenado struck out chasing an elevated 2-2 fastball, Edman was caught stealing 2nd base by Realmuto to end the inning. The pitcher threw a low-and-outside slider to Molina, and Realmuto threw Edman out from his knees. The play looked real close, but the Cards chose not to challenge. Hoskins lined a 3-2 low-and-away cutter to right center for a base hit to lead off the bottom of the 2nd. After Helsley struck out both Realmuto (chasing a 3-2 cutter in the dirt) and Bohm (foul tip on a low 2-2 97 mph fastball), Shildt brought in Tyler Webb to pitch to the lefty Gregorius. Gregorius torched a middle-in 1-0 fastball off of the top of the right-center field wall for a double to score Hoskins all the way from 1st to cut the Cards’ lead to 9-4. Gregorius missed a homer by about a foot or so. Joyce popped an up-and-in 3-2 fastball to Webb near the mound to end the inning.

Ronald Torreyes came in to play 2nd base to replace Segura in the top of the 6th, an inning in which the Cards threatened to extend their lead even further. Molina led off the inning by driving an 0-1 low-and-away slider to the track in left-center that rolled to the wall for a double. DeJong and Dean both worked 3-2 walks to load the baes. DeJong started behind in the count 0-2 and both players laid off some very close pitches near the edge of the zone. After Carlson struck out chasing a low-and-in 2-2 curve, the Phils made a double switch. Righty David Hale came in to pitch in the #7 spot, and Mickey Moniak came in to play right field in the #9 spot, with Joyce exiting the game. Williams tapped a 1-2 inside curve to the left side of the mound for Hale, who fired home for an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.

After Quinn drew a 3-2 walk and Moniak struck out looking at a 2-2 outside curve on the corner to start the bottom of the 6th, the Cards made a double switch. Jordan Hicks came in to pitch in the #6 spot, Scott Hurst came in to play center field in the #9 spot, Carlson moved from center to right, Williams moved from right to left and Dean came out of the game. McCutchen drew a 3-2 walk, but Hicks would get out of the jam. Torreyes slowly rolled a first-pitch inside sinker to short and DeJong charged and barely threw him out. Hoskins then waved at a 3-2 cutter in the dirt and he struck out to end the inning because the 1st base umpire said he went around.

Both pitchers retired the side in order in the 7th. After Hurst struck out swinging at an outside 1-2 change, Edman flied a low-and-away 1-2 change to left and Goldschmidt broke his bat on an inside 1-1 fastball and grounded out to short to end the inning. Hicks struck out both Realmuto (chasing an elevated 3-2 100 mph fastball) and Bohm (chasing a low 2-2 slider), then got Gregorius to tap a low-and-in 2-1 sinker to the right of the mound to end the inning. Hale retired the Cards in order on 8 pitches in the top of the 8th, getting Arenado to strike out swinging late at a 1-2 high-and-outside fastball, Molina to pop a high first-pitch fastball to 1st in foul territory and DeJong to ground a high 2-0 change to short. Genesis Cabrera came out to pitch the bottom of the 8th for the Cards and also retired the Phils in order. Andrew Knapp pinch hit for Hale and grounded an outside change to short, Quinn flied an outside change to right, and Moniak struck out swinging at a nasty low 2-2 curve to end the inning.

Righty Hector Neris came out to pitch the top of the 9th for the Phils. John Nogowski pinch hit for Cabrera and struck out looking at a nasty 1-2 splitter that barely clipped the bottom of the zone. Carlson lined a hanging 1-2 splitter to right that just barely dropped in front of the sliding Moniak for a base hit. After Williams struck out swinging at a low 1-2 splitter, Hurst lined a low-and-away 2-1 splitter to short to end the inning. Alex Reyes came out to pitch the bottom of the 9th for the Cards and made things interesting. McCutchen walked on 5 pitches, and Torreyes moved him to 3rd by lining a 2-2 low-and-away fastball for a base hit to right-center. Hoskins struck out swinging at a low 2-2 fastball. Reyes’s 1-0 pitch to Realmuto was a change in the dirt that got away from Molina to his right for a wild pitch to allow Torreyes to move to 2nd. Realmuto walked on 4 straight to load the bases. It would take Reyes 28 total pitches to get out of this inning, but he escaped the jam. Bohm popped a first-pitch high fastball to 2nd. Gregorius would work the count to 3-2 and torch a middle-in 98 mph fastball to right-center, but Carlson was already playing deep and caught it at the track to end the game.

ODDS AND ENDS

Here’s the tale of the tape on the Cards’ powder blue unis. Including this game, the Cards have played 17 games in the uniforms, which they started wearing during the 2019 season, and have an overall record of 7-10 in blue. This is broken down to a 3-9 record in 2019, a 3-0 record in 2020 and a 1-1 record so far in 2021. The club started out 1-9 in the uniforms before a 10-1 victory over the Pirates on September 7th of 2019 and then squeezing out a 9-8 victory in Chicago two weeks later. Two of the three games for which the club wore the uniforms last season were the first games of doubleheaders, and the club elected not to use the unis in the second games...The Cubs bombed the Braves 13-4. Willson Contreras and Kris Bryant each hit 2 homers, with Javier Baez adding a 3-run shot and David Bote a solo shot...The Brewers now have Kolten Wong, Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain on the injured list, but that doesn’t matter when they’re playing the Pirates, as they won 7-1 after scoring 7 runs off of Trevor Cahill in the first two innings...The Reds were losing 2-1 to the Indians in the bottom of the 9th, but tied it when Max Schrock reached on an error and Jesse Winker singled him home. Tyler Stephenson hit a walkoff single to win the game 3-2 for the Reds in the 10th.