ST. LOUIS — When it’s Wainwright ... things will be all right.
This doesn’t quite have the ring of “Spahn, Sain and pray for rain,” the victory slogan of the 1948 National League champion Boston Braves (yes, the Braves used to be in Boston), but this has been about all the Cardinals could hang their collective caps on this month.
Their 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday at Busch Stadium was only their seventh in 23 games they have played this month. Wainwright has started four of those victories. Furthermore, the 39-year-old (6-5) has been credited with three wins of his own in June. No other starter has won a game.
“We don’t have to feel like every fifth day he has to bail us out,” said manager Mike Shildt before the game. Yet, that has been the way it’s gone.
The Cardinals have won Wainwright’s past four starts, ending losing streaks of six, three and two games and then a five-gamer on Saturday as the right-hander fanned eight in six innings, giving him 19 in 13 innings over his past two starts.
Two of the Cardinals’ runs came on Paul DeJong’s ninth homer and Paul Goldschmidt’s 11th homer, a colossal 470-footer in the fifth. The other came via situational hitting, not a Cardinals strength lately.
After going 1 for 9 with men in scoring position in a one-run loss to Pittsburgh on Friday, the Cardinals missed on their first two chances Saturday when Nolan Arenado struck out and Tyler O’Neill flied out with men at first and second in the first inning.
But Yadier Molina, who slipped past Johnny Bench into eighth place in hits for catchers, singled for his 2,050th career hit to chase home Dylan Carlson from second with the game’s first run.
After Wainwright escaped two-on, two-out trouble by striking out pitcher JT Brubaker in the Pittsburgh second, DeJong, five for his past 55, launched a Brubaker slider to left and a 2-0 Cardinals lead in the home second.
But Gregory Polanco hit his eighth homer to right to open the Pittsburgh fourth and it was 2-1. DeJong, showing he may be coming out of his lengthy slump, then flied deep to the opposite field in his next at-bat in the Cardinals’ fourth.
DeJong fielded a tricky hop on Adam Frazier’s smash to end the Pittsburgh fifth and then Goldschmidt, who narrowly had missed a wind-aided homer to center in his previous at-bat, rocketed a Brubaker fastball to dead center onto the walkaway behind the center-field grassy area. It was the fourth longest homer in Busch Stadium III history and Goldschmidt’s 11th of the season. Keon Broxton, who used to be with Milwaukee, has the longest at 489 feet, followed by Cardinals Randal Grichuk (478) and Brandon Moss (477).
In the Pittsburgh sixth, Wainwright allowed leadoff singles to Colin Moran and Bryan Reynolds. But Wainwright fanned Polanco on a 3-2 cutter. Phillip Evans, who had struck out twice and had looked bad in so doing, hit a pop foul down the first base line where Wainwright, catcher Molina and first baseman Goldschmidt converged. Molina tried to make a belated catch but the ball popped out of his glove for an error. And then Evans struck out again.
Wainwright’s 99th pitch ended up in the glove of center fielder Carlson, who hauled in Michael Perez’s fly ball.
His 102nd pitch, to Erik Gonzalez, was a single to center and left-hander Genesis Cabrera, who ripped through the Pirates the night before, was summoned. Two ground balls later, one a double started by DeJong, who had a strong overall game, the threat had abated.
Giovanny Gallegos worked a scoreless eighth, striking out two, sandwiching a double by Moran. The other out was courtesy of third baseman Arenado, who turned in perhaps his best play of the season. Racing into short left field for Polanco's popup, Arenado made an over-the-shoulder, basket catch as he fell to the ground with left fielder O'Neill avoiding a big collision and making only incidental contact as he toppled over Arenado.
Alex Reyes gained his 18th save in 18 tries and first since June 14.
