Cardinals grab series opener in Pittsburgh with clutch seventh-inning swings
Matt Holliday is on track to end up with career lows in batting average and slugging percentage and his fewest homers and RBI since his rookie season.
But the Cardinals' 34-year-old left fielder still is coming through with his share of big hits. He hasn't had many bigger this season than the two-run single he delivered in the seventh inning Monday night at Pittsburgh that broke a 1-1 tie and led the Cardinals to a 3-2 victory.
Two were out and two were on when Holliday grounded a single between shortstop and third base off Pirates reliever Jared Hughes. Sensing what might be coming, Holliday wasted no time attacking the first pitch from the Pirates' right-hander.
"He's a sinkerball pitcher, likes to pound righties inside with his sinker. I was looking for that and trying to hit it hard. Thankfully, it found a hole," Holliday said in a postgame interview on FOX Sports Midwest.
Holliday raised his batting average with runners in scoring position to .328, which also is well off last year's .390 but still is best on the team.
Jon Jay, pinch-hitting for Peter Bourjos, had singled up the middle to score Tony Cruz and tie the game. All three runs scored on what is becoming the trademark of this year's club -- scoring with two outs. A year after leading the majors in hitting with runners in scoring position, they lead the NL in two-out runs.
The Cardinals also are showing the ability to come from behind after a dismal start in that department. According to the FOX Sports Midwest stats crew, the Cardinals won only one of the 34 games they trailed after six innings. Since, they have won four out of 10 games when behind after six innings.
The loss dropped the third-place Pirates 4 1/2 games behind second-place St. Louis. On Tuesday night, the Pirates will start their ace, Gerrit Cole, against Lance Lynn, who has been the Cardinals' ace in the second half.
3 UP
-- John Lackey. If he hasn't exceeded the club's expectations since trading for him, he at least has met them. He worked seven innings and allowed only one run -- a homer to who else but Pedro Alvarez -- for what was his best start yet with St. Louis, even if he was helped out by three double plays. Throw out Lackey's clunker at Baltimore and his ERA is 2.12 in four starts with the Cardinals. Not coincidentally, the Cardinals have won all four games.
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-- Matt Adams' durability. He went hitless and didn't save any runs with his glove, but what impressed on this night was his toughness. Chasing (and misjudging) a foul pop, Adams face-planted into the railing down the right-field line and even though there was padding, it hurt just watching on TV. Adams wiped a little blood off his mouth, shooed away the trainer and stayed in the game.
This followed a play on Saturday night when, with the Cardinals up by one in extra innings, Adams belly-flopped at first base to save an errant throw from going into right field. Again, he was checked out because he tweaked his back but stayed in the game. Adams has missed only one game since coming off the disabled list June 13.
-- Kolten Wong's defense. The Pirates had runners on first and third in the first, but the rookie second baseman put an end to the rally with an excellent turn of a double play. Andrew McCutchen was rushing into second and Wong, who was on the run when he took a throw from Jhonny Peralta, jumped, spun toward first and made an on-the-money throw to double up Neal Walker for an inning-ending and rally-denying double play. Wong played a role in three of the four double plays the Cardinals turned.
3 DOWN
-- Hitting Liriano's slider. The way he pitched against the Cardinals, you wonder how he came in with just a 3-10 record. You wonder even more when you see he's elicited more swings and misses than any pitcher in the majors. But then you see his slider and you can understand. Of Liriano's eight strikeouts, six ended with a slider. He used it twice to get Adams and he threw one low and half a foot outside that Matt Carpenter whiffed on to end the fifth with a runner on second.
-- Rookie missteps. Oscar Taveras and Wong both hurt the club with plays they made perhaps because they were trying to force the issue instead of letting the game come to them. Taveras came up with one out in the sixth and the bases loaded following consecutive walks to Adams and Peralta. Instead of taking a strike, Taveras swung at the second pitch -- a fastball on the outside corner -- and sent a grounder to third that Josh Harrison turned into a 5-4-3, rally-killing double play.
Wong led off the seventh with a single and, with the Cardinals down 1-0, was looking to steal second. He appeared to have the base stolen on the second pitch to Cruz, only Cruz fouled it off. Before Wong had another chance to steal, he was picked off. It wasn't close, either, as he had already taken a step toward second when right-hander Jared Hughes caught him off first.
-- Playoff atmosphere. This was a game with a playoff feel and playoff action. But where was the crowd? After hearing so much about great crowds at PNC Park -- and they were for the playoffs last year -- an announced attendance of 24,352 is disappointing no matter how loud they got after the Pirates scored in the ninth. The crowd was below the Pirates' average of 29,040 for the season, not to mention -- well, of course I'm going to mention -- the Cardinals' average of 43,489.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
