ST. LOUIS -- Just one day after being held to two hits against the Reds, the Cardinals’ offense broke out with four home runs -- including three in one inning -- in Saturday night’s 7-1 win at Busch Stadium.
As Dakota Hudson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning despite four walks and a run allowed, Brad Miller hit a leadoff home run in the fourth, which went a Statcast-projected 446 feet to nearly the top of Freese’s Lawn, to tie the game at 1. The Cardinals took the lead on two walks, a single and a Matt Wieters RBI groundout later in the inning.
Then, the home run bash came, and St. Louis never relinquished that lead. In the sixth inning, Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader broke open the game with home runs. Later in the frame, Paul Goldschmidt also went deep, hitting his sixth home run of the season to again tie Miller for the team lead.
This game had the makings of a close one until the Cardinals’ bats came alive. Here were three keys to St. Louis' win that evened the series against Cincinnati and helped it remain in second in the National League Central.
Hudson shows poise, pitching way out of trouble
Hudson started off strong with two perfect innings. But then, he lost command in the third, walking three consecutive batters to open the frame. He never lost his control.
“One pitch at a time,” Hudson said. “During those walks, I was throwing a lot of small-miss pitches. I was pretty competitive with my pitch selection, but it was just about bearing down, not giving in and trusting the defense behind me.”
With the bases loaded, Shogo Akiyama hit a grounder to Carpenter, who threw to second base for the first out while a run scored. Facing Nick Castellanos, Hudson threw five sinkers -- his most effective pitch -- to get another ground ball, as Castellanos rolled over one to Carpenter, who started an inning-ending double play.
Hudson (3-2) settled down after the third and didn't allow his first hit until Joey Votto laced a double to left field with two outs in the sixth.
“That was just vintage Dakota Hudson, what he was able to do,” Carpenter said. “Pitch to contact, get us out of the inning. That was really the difference in the game, is not letting that one get away from us.”
Carpenter, Bader drive bottom of the order
Hudson handling the Reds' lineup allowed the Cardinals' offense to show some life, especially at the bottom of the order. Carpenter has five hits in his last 10 at-bats with five RBIs and three walks after going 2-for-4 with a home run, which he hit leading off the sixth.
“Got a pitch up in the zone that I was able to get on top of -- seems to be the way I’ve been getting attacked by teams this year is fastballs up in the top of the zone,” Carpenter said. “I feel like my at-bats have been good, just trying to string together some hits with it. Tonight was a good step in the right direction.”
After the Cardinals returned home Tuesday, Bader was 1-for-10 with a walk before getting a day off Friday. His three-run homer in the sixth broke the game open, giving St. Louis a 6-1 lead.
The Cardinals' offense has been inconsistent all season. One day, they’ll break out for 16 runs (like Sept. 1 against the Reds), then be limited to two hits on another (like Friday night against Cincinnati).
“I don’t know if I’d say as much streaky as we’ve got a lot of guys, myself included, who just haven’t produced well enough to this point in the year,” Carpenter said. “I just don’t think that we’ve been able to get that full top-to-bottom production. Tonight was a good start to that, me and Bader down there. And if we can continue that, we’ll be headed in the right direction.”
Dean sparks outfield production
Part of the rotating cast of outfielders the Cardinals are looking to get more production from, Austin Dean made his first start of the season, batting seventh and playing left field. He doubled in the second, then followed that with three walks.
The Cardinals’ .216 average by outfielders ranked 27th in the Majors entering Saturday, and that group had a collective .676 OPS. Combined, they’ve hit 17 homers, and Tommy Edman’s shift to right field has been a response to the need for offense while Carpenter slots in at third base. When Dean was recalled from the alternate training site Thursday, he talked about taking advantage of every opportunity he’ll get.
After Saturday, there’s a high chance he and Bader will get more.
“I’ve been in their shoes,” Dean said of the Cardinals' struggling outfielders. “When you get to this level and struggle, it’s hard. I dealt with it for a couple years in Miami. Today, it was just find a way to get on base. We had a close game going on, and the double really helped me to boost my confidence a little bit. I was a little nervous to start the game.”