The Cardinals looked to be down and out in this one when the game went into the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 5-2. Alec Burleson had provided the only offense with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.
But Masyn Winn and Burleson provided clutch two out hits to make it a one-run game, and Nolan Arenado tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
From there, things were at a stalemate. Both teams stranded several runners, and the Cardinals even stranded the bases loaded with nobody out.
But they finally broke through in the bottom of the 11th. Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar were unable to get the winning run in, so it was down to Yohel Pozo, who had come into the game as a defensive replacement.
Sure enough, Pozo delivered, delivering a base-hit to right field, and the throw to the plate was wild, allowing Jordan Walker to score easily. Let’s get into some takeaways.
Gray delivers strong start
Sonny Gray drew the start for the Cardinals as they hoped to keep their winning streak alive. He had a few long innings, and it was clear that the heat was bothering him a bit. I noticed him wincing a couple of times and was worried it might’ve been due to an injury.
I think we probably would’ve heard something about that by now, though. Fortunately, he was able to get through five innings and allow just one run.
He wasn’t dominant by any means, but honestly, I’ll take this kind of start. It was quite hot outside, and even home plate umpire CB Bucknor had to take a few breaks.
In the end, Gray allowed just five hits and struck out five batters while walking just two batters.
He lowered his ERA to 3.72 in the process.
Comeback Cards
As I write this recap, I have the postgame show on. They pointed out something interesting, that today was the Cardinals’ 19th comeback win. That’s quite impressive. It’s not at all what I expected out of this year’s team. But I love that they’re taking this “us against the world” mentality.
They knew coming into the year that expectations were low. But instead of wavering, they were motivated to prove everybody wrong, and so far, they have done just that.
It’s great to see them show such resiliency. I’ll admit, when it was 5-2, I believed the game was over, but they kept fighting. They’ve now won five consecutive games.
I was worried after the six-game losing streak that they were coming back down to earth, but they seem to have figured something out and were able to win a series against a very hot Reds team.
Pozo comes through
To polish off this recap, we need to talk for a minute about Yohel Pozo and the role he has played for this team. When Ivan Herrera went down in April, the Cardinals called on Pozo to fill a hole, and he has done a great job serving as the backup catcher.
However, it’s his bat that impresses me the most. The dude can hit. He drove in the go-ahead run in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, leading to a 5-4 win. But he was needed here today, and he answered the bell.
Honestly, I’d like to see him get some more starts. This is not a knock on Pedro Pages, but with the way Pozo can hit, you need that bat in the lineup, especially with Herrera back on the injured list.
In a small sample size, Pozo is hitting .308 and has a .759 OPS. That’s pretty damn good for a backup catcher, one who I believe is probably the best backup catcher in all of baseball.
The Cardinals will go for a sweep tomorrow behind Miles Mikolas. I’ll be back to recap the finale.