Tuesday’s match report: Brewers 3, Cardinals 2
By Rob Rains
A pinch-hit home run by Matt Carpenter in the eighth inning breathed new life into the Cardinals’ offense, which had been dead for seven innings.
Two hits in the ninth inning brought the tying run to third base and the winning hit to second base with one out.
However, anyone who has followed the Cardinals this season knows how this game turned out.
After Lars Nootbaar was intentionally walked to load the bases, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman singled, ending the game and handing the Cardinals their seventh loss in their last eight games.
It was also their seventh loss in eight games against the Brewers this season and left them 12 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central with a record of 61-64.
This is how the game went on Tuesday evening:
On the plate: The Cardinals’ only hit against Frankie Montas in the first seven innings was a one-out single by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning. Montas retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced before allowing a walk to first baseman Victor Scott II with one out in the sixth inning, the only other runner to reach base…With Montas out of the game, Nootbaar hit a single in the eighth inning before Carpenter hit the sixth pinch-hit home run of his career and the Cardinals’ second in as many games…When closer Devin Williams pitched in the ninth inning, Brendan Donovan hit a single with one out and Nolan Arenado hit a double, but they stayed in position as Williams struck out Goldschmidt and Gorman, the only two at-bats in the game for the Cardinals with a runner in scoring position.
On the hill: Erick Fedde allowed the Brewers’ first two runs as two walks led to a run in the second inning and a triple by Sal Frelick and a single in the fifth … Fedde allowed six hits and worked four walks in 5 2/3 innings as the Cardinals lost for the third time in his four starts since he was acquired in a trade deadline deal … An RBI double by William Contreras scored the decisive run in the eighth inning against John King.
Important statistics: In eight games against the Cardinals this season, William Contreras — who hit 3 of 4 on Tuesday night — has hit 15 of 32 batters, a .469 average, with four doubles and five RBIs. His brother Willson has played four games against the Brewers, hitting 3 of 13 batters. He was hitless in four at-bats on Tuesday night.
Squad changes: In a series of pregame moves, the Cardinals released Brandon Crawford, optioned Jordan Walker, recalled Luken Baker from Memphis and activated Carpenter from the injured list…By releasing Crawford, the Cardinals have freed up a spot on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters that they will likely need when some of their injured pitchers are ready to play. He was signed in spring training as a backup to Masyn Winn, but his playing time was very limited…Walker’s decision was tied to the fact that the Cardinals will see almost exclusively right-handed pitchers in the starting lineup over the next two weeks, which would have kept him on the bench. The Cardinals had actually scheduled Walker’s return from Memphis for a short period of time, just until Carpenter could be activated from the injured list…Both manager Oli Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak viewed Baker as a better option for a hitter off the bench than Walker.
Noteworthy: Two of the injured pitchers, Lance Lynn and Steven Matz, are close to returning. Lynn held a live batting practice session before the game and will repeat that next Monday, Marmol said. Matz is expected to expand to about 90 pitches in a Wednesday night start at Memphis… The announced attendance of 30,022 was the smallest crowd in Busch Stadium 3 history that was not restricted because of Covid in 2020 and 2021.
A look into the future: Kyle Gibson is scheduled to start the second game of the series on Wednesday night.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
