After a crucial series win against the Cincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Cardinals looked to keep their early season momentum going as they faced the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of a three-game series at Busch Stadium, the first of the season.
Unfortunately, that didn’t go as planned.
Ace Adam Wainwright, making his fourth career Home-Opener start, looked to win his second game in as many starts as he faced against a Brewers team off to a slow start, and coming off a rough 10-2 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Prior to the game, over five hours’ worth of Opening Day ceremonies took place, ranging from activities in and out of Busch Stadium, to honoring legends such as Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Whitey Herzog, and Ozzie Smith, among many others, along with touching tributes to the late Oscar Taveras and Bryan Burwell.
Following the ceremonies, Cardinals legend Willie McGee threw out the first pitch to officially kick off the game.
In the top of the first inning, Carlos Gomez arrived on base after an error by Kolten Wong. Wainwright would then walk catcher Jonathan Lucroy, but would bounce back by striking out Ryan Braun. During the next at-bat, first baseman Adam Lind would be able to hit the ball to Wong, forcing him to throw to second, and allowing Gomez to score. Wainwright would then strike out Aramis Ramirez to ending the top half of the inning.
Matt Garza would have a much smoother start, getting out Matt Carpenter and Jason Heyward, followed by a walk to Matt Holliday, and a ground-out by Matt Adams, maintaining the Brewers 1-0 lead after one inning of play.
The second inning started off by two close fielding plays by the Cardinals that instead led to the Brewers having players on second and third with no one out. Khris Davis would then score on a sacrifice by Scooter Gennett, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead, which would be all they’d get in the top of the 2nd.
Jhonny Peralta kicked off the bottom of the second with a single, and later advanced to second on a wild pitch, while Garza walked Wong. but came up empty in the inning. Wainwright would make quick work of the Brewers in the third.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals were still looking for their first run of the game. Carpenter doubled to center, and after a fly-out by Heyward, Holliday singled to right, sending Carpenter to third.
Carpenter would then score after a ground-out by Adams, to make it 2-1 Brewers. A walk to Peralta put two on with two outs, and Jon Jay up to bat. Garza struck out Jay to end the inning.
Wainwright had another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, and looked like he started to settle in, while Garza looked like the opposite. He delivered a four-pitch walk to Molina, and a six-pitch walk to Wong. Through five innings, Garza walked five. The next batter he faced was Wainwright, and the bunt was laid down. While Molina was forced out at third, the ball was thrown over Gennett’s head and went by the home dugout, giving Jay enough time to score, and tie the game at 2-2.
Through the fifth inning, the game remained tied. But in the top of the sixth, Milwaukee was able to regain the lead after the first two batters reached on base, and following a ground-out by Ramirez. Wainwright would respond with a critical strike-out (his fourth of the day) of Davis, and Jean Segura would line-out to Adams to end the top half of the inning, with the Brewers leading 3-2.
Matt Garza was taken out in the sixth inning after a two-out single by Carpenter, and lefty Will Smith was able to get Heyward out for the fourth time on the afternoon, to end the inning. As for Adam Wainwright, he pitched well into the seventh, but during the top of the seventh, the Brewers tacked two more runs, giving them a 5-2 lead.
The Cardinals’ bats, which were silent for the majority of the game, woke up during the bottom of the seventh. Holliday beat out a throw to first, Adams then got a base hit.
Up to the plate stepped Peralta.
Peralta took a pitch to shallow right field, and Braun misplayed it, allowing both Holliday and Adams to score, and cutting the lead to 5-4. Randy Choate entered the game for the Cardinals to pitch to the first batter in the top of the eighth inning, and once he got the out, Seth Maness entered the game. In the ninth inning, Matt Belisle relieved Maness for the Cardinals, and pitched well also.
However, in the end, veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez did what he does best, and shut down the Cardinals in the ninth to get the save, as the Brewers defeated the Cardinals 5-4 in a sloppy, yet close, game.
The loss drops the Cardinals to the .500 mark at 3-3, while the Brewers improve to 2-5, still three games under .500.
Lance Lynn gets the nod on Wednesday for the Cardinals, while Willy Peralta does for the Brewers.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
