Giant Homers Sink Cards in 7-2 Loss out of All-Star Break

In the first game back from the All-Star Break, the Cardinals certainly did not set a tone we want to see for the remaining two months of the campaign. Three home runs by the visitors, highlighted by a pair of three-run shots, led the Giants to a 7-2 victory in St. Louis on Friday night. The Cardinals stranded a season-high 13 runners on base, going just 2-for-11 with RISP.

Adam Wainwright started for the Cardinals and looked good early, fanning all three Giant batters in the top of the first. Giants starter Logan Webb retired the Cardinals in order in his first frame, too, and it wasn’t until the fourth inning that the run column had some life. Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski led off the fourth with home run that he (somehow) kept fair down the right field line.

Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit and moved up to second on a groundout from Yadier Molina. Tommy Edman plated Arenado with a flair to left, tying the game at 1-1. Paul DeJong followed Edman’s hit with a single of his own, and Harrison Bader walked to load the bases. Wainwright struck out, ending the inning and ultimately ending Webb’s night, as he would later be pinch-hit for.

A leadoff hit from Donovan Solano in the top of the fifth, followed by a walk to Curt Casali, set the stage for the Giants. Webb’s pinch-hitter, Darin Ruf, struck out, passing the torch on to LaMonte Wade, who shot a three-run homer on a 2-1 count just over the wall in right to give San Francisco a 4-1 lead. Wainwright worked a scoreless sixth and his night ended there. Wainwright struck out seven, but the two big flies proved to be crippling for the Cardinals on Friday night.

In the top of the seventh, after Luis Garcia allowed back-to-back, one-out singles, lefty T.J. McFarland made his St. Louis debut. After getting the second out of the inning, Yastrzemski greeted McFarland with a three-run blast, giving the Giants a 7-1 lead.

Facing former Cardinal Dominic Leone, leading off the home-half of the seventh, Paul Goldschmidt hit his 14th homer of the year, making the score 7-2 — the eventual final.

Later in the seventh inning, Yadier Molina lined a single to right for his 2,065 career hit, passing Enos Slaughter for fifth all-time on the Cardinals’ hit list. Next up for Yadi to pass is Albert Pujols, with 2,073. The Giants turned to Jay Jackson to get the final out of the seventh, and Jackson went on to pitch the eighth as well. Tyler Rogers set the Cardinals down in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve San Francisco’s victory.

The Cardinals and Giants will be back at it on Saturday 6:15 PM Central time. Kwang Hyun Kim will go for the Cardinals, opposite of Anthony DeSclafani.