MILWAUKEE — Whatever happened Friday night, during the hullaballoo of Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina’s 300th start together, and the laser show of six homers and 15 runs was just as quickly history by Saturday evening.
As quickly as the Cardinals offense arrived Friday it went silent Saturday as Milwaukee right-hander Adrian Houser doused any semblance of momentum.
The other starter in a rotation chocked with All-Stars, Houser authored a three-hit shutout to drive the first-place Brewers to a 4-0 victory at American Family Field. Houser was flawless through five and dominant through all nine. He allowed a two-out single in the ninth on his 99th pitch, so he was also efficient in his first career shutout.
The Brewers got a leadoff homer from Luis Urias to start the game and all four runs in the first two innings against Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim. He did not finish the second inning, but in his place perhaps a note of optimism.
Rookie Jake Woodford was superb in long, unplanned relief.
The right-handed pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, did not walk a batter, and struck out five, throwing up zero after zero in case the offense had a chance to stop doing the same.
All season, Houser has been a vintage modern Brewers starter. Only five times in his 21 starts for Milwaukee did he pitch through the sixth inning. The bulk of his starts have been around that five-inning range, long enough to get through an opposing lineup twice but not too long that the hitters get a third look at him. With Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell’s nimble use of one of the most versatile bullpens in the league, five was usually enough.
They had the relievers to handle the rest.
The jubilee of offense the Cardinals got Friday night did dip into the Brewers’ bullpen early and inspire some roster movement Saturday to replenish. Before the game, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said that exercising of the offense could have a ripple effect because “any time you’re getting into the bullpen, doing damage, it sets you up for a positive thing.” Not, however, if the starter completely negates the need for the bullpen.
Houser, sporting a sub-3.00 ERA at home this season, took the mound to start the ninth inning having smothered every brief flicker of offense the Cardinals had.
He didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning.
The Cardinals didn’t have a runner reach second by the start of the ninth.
They didn’t have one in the ninth, either.
For the second time in as many years with the Cardinals and as many seasons in the majors, Kim has had a hairpin turn in roles.
Coming into last year’s shortened season, Kim, a lifelong starter, was the Cardinals’ closer for opening day and within the week had been returned to the rotation because of an injury. In the past two weeks, Kim moved to the bullpen because time was running out to have him build arm strength in the minors for a starting role. He made one relief appearance before — déjà vu — an injury opened up a spot in the rotation and in came Kim to fill it less than a week after he was supposed to stick in the bullpen.
The hope was Kim could increase that arm strength on the job while also filling in for Jack Flaherty until he or another injured starter returns for the final weeks.
In his second start since his second stint as a starter this season, Kim did not get as far into his pitch count or the game as imagined. The lefty was stung for a leadoff homer in the first inning. He escaped the inning with the help of a snazzy defensive play by Tommy Edman. The Cardinals’ second baseman went to his right, reached across his body, jumped, and snared a high-hop grounder with time to flip the ball to second. That started a double play that gave Kim traction after the first three Brewers of the game reached base with a hit.
That trend proved more telling than Kim’s escape.
Like the first inning, the first three batters of the second inning also reached base against Kim. the bottom half of the Brewers’ order greeted Kim with a walk, a single, and a ground-rule double. All of that help swell Milwaukee’s lead to 4-0.
Kim did not see the end of the inning.
The Cardinals did get to see something in Woodford.
The rookie entered the second inning with two outs and two on, and he quickly asserted himself upon the game — and possibly as an alternate option for the rotation in the coming home stand. Woodford was promoted Friday for an open spot in the bullpen. He began the year there as part of the opening day roster, but during the season the Cardinals opted to have him return to Triple-A Memphis and reposition himself as a starter. The innings were in Memphis. The starts were in Memphis. The opportunity was in Memphis for him to get work for when a starter was needed in the majors.
Thrust into a long relief appearance, Woodford pitched like a starter.
He struck out former MVP Christian Yelich to end the second inning and freeze Kim’s line and the scoreboard there with a four-run deficit. Woodford then began speeding through the Brewers’ lineup. With help from a pickoff and Tyler O’Neill’s outfield assist, Woodford faced the minimum through the end of the seventh inning.
Woodford got 16 outs from the 16 batters he faced.
He bought time for a Cardinals offense that never emerged.
Houser was perfect through four innings, and he got 18 outs from the first 18 batters he faced. A single by Nolan Arenado snapped the flawless run through the Cardinals’ order in the fifth inning, but Arenado didn’t reach second because of a double play that ended the inning.
