Cardinals Cruise to 11th Straight Win with 10-2 Blowout of Brewers

The Cardinals came into Wednesday looking to extend their winning streak to eleven in the third game of a four-game set with Milwaukee. Miles Mikolas started for the Cards and was excellent, throwing seven innings of two-run ball on 91 pitches. Brett Anderson’s night didn’t go nearly as well, as he and the Brewers' defense gave up six runs (two earned) before he was lifted with two outs in the second inning. The Cardinals would add four more throughout the game in their offensive onslaught that was aided by some shaky defense from the Crew. Of the ten runs allowed by Brewers pitchers, only five were earned. Justin and Andrew Miller both came out of the pen for an inning each for the Redbirds, closing the door on a 10-2 blowout for the Cardinals’ eleventh consecutive win.

1st Inning

Tommy Edman, hitting right-handed, flew out to center to start the game. Paul Goldschmidt golfed a low changeup into center for a base hit. Tyler O’Neill caught up to a high cutter and put it into the Brewers’ bullpen, putting the Cardinals up 2-0.

Nolan Arenado rolled a 3-1 sinker back up the middle for a single to follow the homer. Dylan Carlson got under a 3-1 changeup, skying it to left for the second out. Yadier Molina then grounded a changeup to shortstop for the final out.

Kolten Wong led off for the Crew and lined a fastball at Edmundo Sosa at short for out number one. Eduardo Escobar struck out swinging at a slider that broke in on his hands. Christian Yelich got a sinker up but lined it to left to retire the Brewers in order.

2nd Inning

Sosa drew a leadoff walk on seven pitches. Harrison Bader chopped a changeup to Escobar at third, who bobbled the ball on the transfer and couldn’t get an out. Mikolas dropped a bunt, moving Bader and Sosa to second and third with one out. Edman then flew out to the wall in center, where Lorenzo Cain made a jumping catch and fell to the dirt on the warning track. Sosa scored easily, and Bader tagged up from second base to score without drawing a throw home, doubling the Cards’ lead to 4-0.

Goldschmidt followed the two-RBI sac fly and ripped a first-pitch sinker down the left field line for a one-out double. O’Neill sat back on a low changeup and took it down the left field line again, scoring Goldschmidt for his third RBI of the game and a 5-0 lead. Arenado hit the Cardinals’ third straight double to score O’Neill, pushing the lead to 6-0.

Brett Anderson was then pulled from the game in favor of Jandel Gustave, who got Carlson to fly out and end the top of the frame.

Avisail Garcia chased an outside slider and grounded out to third. Omar Narvaez skied a low curveball into foul territory in left, where Arenado made a phenomenal basket catch before rolling over the tarp at the wall for the second out. Luis Urias reached at another outside slider, grounding it to short for a second clean inning from Mikolas.

3rd Inning

Yadi check-swung at a first-pitch slider and popped it softly to first for the first out in the third. Sosa got a 2-2 sinker at the knees and lined it to right for a single. Bader then grounded into a force out at second and Mikolas struck out looking to send the game to the bottom of the frame.

Jace Peterson opened the Brewers’ half of the third with a groundout to second on an 0-2 fastball. Cain saw a fastball middle-middle and drove it into center, where Bader just missed a diving catch, giving Cain a double. Gustave, hitting for himself, got rung up on a slider that caught the outside corner. Wong got a 1-2 slider that came in high and tight and he popped it to short to strand Cain at second.

4th Inning

Edman led off the fourth and worked a full count before grounding out to second. Goldschmidt got hit on his armguard by a 1-2 sinker that came up and in. O’Neill chopped a belt-high sinker to short and Urias thew wide of second, putting the ball into the outfield and putting runners at the corners with one out. Arenado took an inside sinker to deep center, scoring Goldschmidt easily to make it 7-0. Carlson then struck out swinging under a high fastball for the last out.

Escobar grounded into the shift to start the bottom of the frame. Yelich followed with a groundout to short. Garcia then grounded a sinker to Arenado, who threw to first to end the inning.

5th Inning

Yadi got under a 1-0 slider and flew out to left. Sosa singled on a broken-bat line drive to center. Daniel Norris then replaced Gustave on the mound and gave up a single to Bader that gave the Cards runners on first and second with one away. Mikolas dropped another sacrifice bunt and moved both runners over, but Edman skied a first-pitch fastball to left to strand both of them.

Arenado came out of the game with lower back tightness and was replaced at third by Sosa, while Paul DeJong took Arenado’s place in the lineup, playing shortstop. Narvaez turned on an inside slider and doubled down the right field line. Urias blooped an 0-1 sinker down the right field line, scoring Narvaez to make it 7-1.

Peterson grounded into a force out at second but beat the throw to first to prevent the double play. Cain grounded out to DeJong, who flipped it to second for the fielder’s choice and the second out. Norris then grounded out to second, limiting the Brewers to one run in the fifth.

6th Inning

Goldschmidt got jammed by an inside fastball and popped out softly to third. O’Neill was rung up looking at a fastball that was well off the outside corner. DeJong struck out swinging out in front of a changeup at the knees for the last out.

Wong topped a changeup to second for a groundout. Escobar smoked a sinker to left but straight at O’Neill for the second out. Yelich jumped on a first-pitch changeup and chopped it to second, retiring the Brewers in order.

7th Inning

Daniel Vogelbach replaced Wong in the Brewers lineup, playing first, while Peterson moved from first to second on defense in the top of the seventh. Carlson grounded a fastball right at Peterson, who bobbled the ball and allowed Carlson to reach on what was ruled an infield single. The 2-0 pitch to Yadi went wild, moving Carlson to second. Yadi then flew out to the warning track in right, advancing Carlson to third. Sosa struck out on three pitches, chasing a changeup well below the zone. Bader tore an 0-2 changeup inside the third baseline for a double to score Carlson, extending the lead to 8-1. Mikolas ended the frame with a swinging strikeout.

Garcia crushed a hanging slider from Mikolas to dead center for a solo shot, closing the deficit again to 8-2. Narvaez struck out swinging through a fastball down the pipe. Urias rolled over an outside slider, grounding it to short for out number two. Peterson then grounded out to Sosa for the final out.

8th Inning

Hunter Strickland got the call out of the Brewers bullpen in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Edman, who then moved to second on a wild pitch to Goldschmidt. Goldy then demolished a slider on the inside corner, putting it into the Miller Lite concourse way past left field to put the Redbirds up 10-2.

O’Neill followed the homer and topped a first-pitch fastball to first for the first out. DeJong struck out chasing an elevated fastball. Carlson took a high fastball the other way for a two-out double. Andrew Knizner pinch hit for Yadi and popped out to retire the side.

Knizner stayed in to catch the eighth and Justin Miller came in to pitch. Cain tattooed a fastball straight at Sosa for out number one. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for Strickland and popped out to DeJong. Vogelbach walked after got Miller got squeezed a bit by the home plate ump but was stranded after Escobar popped out to third.

9th Inning

Jace Peterson moved from second to the mound to eat the final inning for Milwaukee and struck out Sosa on an 85 mph fastball after throwing three pitches at 45-50 mph. Bader reached on an infield single to get on base for the fourth time in the evening. Lars Nootbaar pinch hit for Miller and grounded out softly to second while advancing Bader. Edman hit a swinging bunt down the first baseline and was tagged out as Peterson fielded it himself for the last out.

Andrew Miller took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and struck Yelich out looking at a sinker at the knees. Manny Pina, who was brought in to catch the top of the inning, struck out swinging even though Miller was wild, throwing pitches behind Pina and in the other batter’s box. Narvaez then skied a slider to left for the final out, securing the 10-2 win for the Cardinals for their eleventh consecutive victory.

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With the win, the Cardinals move to 82-69 on the season and maintain a tight grip on the second Wild Card spot. The Phillies kept pace with a 4-3 win over Baltimore and the Reds game against the Pirates got postponed, leaving them both 4.5 GB. The Padres currently trail 8-1 against the Giants and would be all but eliminated with another loss that would leave them 6.5 GB of the Cards. The Redbirds will attempt the four-game sweep of the Brewers on Thursday, with Adam Wainwright dueling Adrian Houser. The game is scheduled to start at 1:10 PM CT and will be playing on YouTube.

Quick Notes

Nolan Arenado felt better later in the game after being removed with lower back tightness in a move that Shildt labeled as precautionary, per Derrick Goold. On the pitching front, Dakota Hudson was a healthy scratch from his start on Wednesday as the MLB club is deciding whether it needs to add pitchers. Jack Flaherty, while not back in a full capacity in the rotation, will be starting the second game of Friday’s doubleheader against the Cubs, according to Katie Woo.

Final Pitching Lines

Cardinals

Mikolas (W, 2-2): 7 IP / 4 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 0 BB / 3 K / 1 HR

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

Miller, A: 1 IP / 0 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Brewers

Anderson (L, 4-9): 1.2 IP / 6 H / 6 R / 2 ER / 1 BB / 0 K / 1 HR

Gustave: 2.2 IP / 2 H / 1 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 2 K / 0 HR

Norris: 2.2 IP / 3 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 0 BB / 4 K / 0 HR

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

Peterson: 1 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 1 K / 0 HR