Redbirds routed by Twins in 8-1 Loss

Saturday’s game against the Twins did not go well for the Redbirds. Jake Woodford got the start for the Cards and got run out of the game after three innings in which he surrendered seven runs, five of which were earned. Bailey Ober started for Minnesota, and the Cardinals’ hitters were unable to touch his fastball that topped out at about 93 mph. The Twins’ bullpen was just as stifling, allowing just one run to the Cards as the Twins coasted to an 8-1 win.

1st Inning

Max Kepler led off for the Twins and struck out on an awkward swing at a 2-2 slider. Brent Rooker chopped a high grounder to Nolan Arenado, but the ball took a high hop that ate him up and allowed Rooker to reach on an error. Jorge Polanco then doubled on a 2-2 slider that sat belt-high in the zone, putting runners at second and third with one out. Luis Arraez skied a fastball to left for the second out, and Rooker tagged up from third to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Miguel Sano followed the sac fly with a double, scoring Polanco to extend the Twins’ lead to 2-0. Trevor Larnach tattooed a hanging curveball but Tommy Edman was positioned perfectly to catch the line drive for the final out.

Dylan Carlson flew out to left field to begin the bottom of the frame. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a lineout to second. Arenado got under a high fastball, popping out to first to put the Cards down in order.

2nd Inning

Ryan Jeffers kicked off the second for the Twins and struck out looking at a 3-2 sinker that looked off the plate. Andrelton Simmons lifted a slider to Tyler O’Neill in left for the second out. Ober got a hold of a fastball for a two-out single, but was stranded after Kepler grounded out to Woodford to retire the Twins.

O’Neill struck out looking at a 1-2 fastball that caught the outside corner. Yadier Molina ripped a grounder back up the middle for a single. Harrison Bader then struck out, chasing an elevated fastball above the zone. Edman followed suit, tipping a fastball into Jeffers’ glove as Ober struck out the side.

3rd Inning

Rooker lined a sinker to right for a leadoff base hit. Polanco rolled a changeup through the hole between short and third for another hit to put two on with no outs. Arraez then doubled to right, scoring Rooker to stretch the lead to 3-0 for Minnesota. Sano, with runners on second and third, walked to load the bases. Larnach flew out to deep center, scoring Polanco from third to make it 4-0. Jeffers launched a hanging breaking ball into the bleachers in right-center, blowing the game wide open at 7-0. Ober grounded out to short to end a brutal inning for Woodford.

Paul DeJong struck out swinging behind another high fastball from Ober. Lars Nootbaar pinch hit for Woodford and drew a five-pitch walk. Carlson popped out to shortstop. Goldschmidt swung through a middle-middle fastball for another strikeout to close the frame.

4th Inning

T.J. McFarland replaced Woodford in the fourth for the Cardinals and retired Kepler on a groundout to first. Rooker chopped out to first for out number two. Polanco reached on a fielding error by DeJong, who tried to backhand a grounder that kicked off the heel of his glove. Arraez grounded out to second for the last out.

Arenado made solid contact with a 2-0 fastball, lacing it into left for a leadoff hit. O’Neill went down waving at yet another fastball. Yadi caught a fastball way above the zone and laced it to the wall in left for a long single (tying him with Albert for fourth all-time for hits as a Cardinal) as Arenado advanced to third.

Bader stung a changeup just inside third for an RBI single as Arenado scored to get the Cards on the board at 7-1. Edman then grounded into a double play, ending the Cardinals’ threat.

5th Inning

Sano grounded a sinker back up the middle for a single to kick off the fifth. Larnach followed with a strikeout, swinging through a fastball in the heart of the zone. Jeffers struck out as well, way out in front of a changeup that dropped out of the zone. Simmons extended the inning with a single to right on a 2-2 sinker. Willians Astudillo pinch-hit for Ober and singled into left to knock in Sano, putting Minnesota up 8-1.

The Cardinals then double-switched, putting Edmundo Sosa at second, hitting ninth, while Andrew Miller took the mound, batting seventh. Kepler struck out swinging to send the game to the bottom of the fifth.

Jorge Alcala pitched the fifth for the Twins and struck out DeJong with another fastball in the top of the zone. Sosa grounded out to third for the second out. Carlson struck out swinging over a 92 mph slider as the Cards went down in a 1-2-3 inning.

6th Inning

Rooker chopped out to third to start the sixth inning. Polanco skied a first-pitch fastball to right for the second out. Arraez drew a five-pitch walk to extend the inning to Sano, who rolled out to third to end the Twins’ side of the frame.

Goldschmidt grounded out to shortstop to begin the bottom of the inning. Arenado tattooed a slider into left field for a base hit. O’Neill followed and was hit by a fastball to put two runners on, but Yadi chopped into a 6-3 double play to end the frame.

7th Inning

Luis Garcia replaced Miller on the mound in the top of the seventh. Andrew Knizner came in to catch and Jose Rondon replaced Arenado at third. Larnach struck out swinging over a slider at the bottom of the zone. Jeffers popped out to first for out number two. Simmons then grounded out to short, putting the Twins down in order.

Caleb Thielbar took the bump in the seventh for the Twins and got Bader to ground out to third. Knizner and DeJong both struck out as the Cardinals offense continued to flounder.

8th Inning

Jake Cave pinch hit for Thielbar and singled to right to begin the frame. Kepler struck out chasing a slider way out of the zone. Rooker did the same, chasing a slider in the dirt. Polanco ripped a first-pitch sinker to left but straight at O’Neill for the last out.

Juan Minaya pitched the eighth for the Twins and started by retiring Sosa on a flyout to Cave, who stayed in the game to play center field. Carlson drew a one-out walk. Goldschmidt struck out, swinging and missing a fastball down the middle of the zone. Rondon went down looking for the third out.

9th Inning

Justin Miller got the call in the ninth for the Cards and got Arraez out on a flyout to center. Sano struck out, failing to check his swing on a high fastball. Larnach singled to right on a trapped ball by Carlson to bring up Jeffers, who grounded out to second to end the top of the frame.

Alex Colome came in to close the game for the Twins and struck out O’Neill with three cutters. Matt Carpenter pinch hit for Justin Miller and drew a walk. Bader struck out swinging at a cutter low and away. Knizner grounded out to second, sealing an 8-1 win for the Twins.

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The Cardinals drop back to .500 again, now at 52-52 on the season. The series finale with the Twins is scheduled for Sunday at 1:15 PM CT, with Adam Wainwright slated to start against Michael Pineda.

Final Pitching Lines

Woodford (L, 2-3): 3 IP / 7 H / 7 R / 5 ER / 1 BB / 3 K / 1 HR

McFarland: 1.2 IP / 3 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Miller, A.: 1.1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 1 BB / 1 K / 0 HR

Garcia: 2 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 3 K / 0 HR

Miller, J.: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 1 K / 0 HR

Twins

Ober: 4 IP / 4 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 1 BB / 6 K / 0 HR

Alcala (W, 3-5): 2 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Thielbar: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Minaya: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 1 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Colome: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 1 BB / 2 K / 0 HR