There was a lot of this tonight. (Photo by Flickr user dirkhansen)
Early scoring has been a theme for the Cardinals. Before today, St. Louis had gotten first-inning runs in four of their six postseason games. They continued the trend in Game 2, courtesy of Albert Pujols’ first home run of this postseason. Pujols drove in five runs and scored three himself in Game 2, but was only part of the Cardinals’ 17-hit, 12-3 blowout victory.
Brewers starter Shaun Marcum had not made it out of the fifth inning in a postseason start… and he still hasn’t. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fourth, after surrendering five runs. The Cardinals’ Edwin Jackson, though with a markedly better outing, was lifted in the bottom of the fifth. Jackson struck out the side in the third and only allowed two runs.
Game 2 began, as befits the Cardinals lineup, with a bang. Jon Jay dropped a one-out bunt down the third base line that Marcum tried to barehand. But when Marcum tried to throw to first on the run, he lost his grip on the ball, letting Jay reach safely.
Pujols stepped in after Jay, and cranked a long foul ball into the outfield seats. On the next pitch, though, he straightened it out and sent it sailing to the other side of the foul pole, putting St. Louis on the board early. Marcum then walked Matt Holliday, but got some help from his catcher to limit the damage: a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out with Lance Berkman at the plate to end the inning.
Pujols struck again in the third. Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson, sporting a .267 regular season average, hit a short fly into center. Nyjer Morgan dove for the ball, and for a second, appeared to have caught it – until it rolled out of his glove. Jon Jay followed with a sharp grounder to left, setting the table for the Machine.
Another long fly ball sailed over the glove of a leaping Morgan. Pujols stopped at second, and two more runs crossed the plate for the Redbirds. Holliday advanced Pujols to third on a groundout, but a great diving play by Rickie Weeks retired Berkman to end the threat.
The Cards kept the pressure on on the fourth, when Yadier Molina lined a leadoff double down the left field line. David Freese grounded out, but advanced Molina to third, and Nick Punto – not willing to let Pujols have all the glory – singled up the middle to drive in Molina.
Milwaukee was finally able to answer the Cardinals’ onslaught in the bottom of the inning. Prince Fielder cracked a double off the wall in center, and Rickie Weeks went yard to left field to put the Brewers on the board.
But Albert was having none of it. The St. Louis juggernaut kept rolling in the fifth, when Jay reached on a double off reliever Marco Estrada. Pujols found the gap in right center for a double of his own, scoring Jay. But one wasn’t enough. Pujols advanced to third on Lance Berkman’s groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to get back both of the Brewers’ runs.
Jackson showed cracks in the bottom of the fifth, but a little Tony LaRussa trademark finagling would get the Cardinals out of the mess. With one out and the bases loaded, rookie righty Lance Lynn – the third pitcher of the inning – threw exactly one pitch, which Weeks bounced to short for an inning-ending double play. That single pitch, incidentally, put Lynn in line for the win.
After a scoreless sixth by the bullpens, St. Louis put the finishing touches on a blowout with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back hits off of Kameron Loe. Six hits in a row, including Pujols’ fourth on the night, tacked on another four runs for the Redbirds. Loe was eventually pulled for Latroy Hawkins, who got two quick outs to end the inning.
Chris Narveson threw the final two innings for Milwaukee, retiring Pujols for the first time in the top of the eighth. Albert ended the evening with four extra base hits, good for 10 total bases.
Prince Fielder would crush a long home run off of Mitchell Boggs in the bottom of the inning, but David Freese couldn’t allow that; the Cardinals’ third baseman went yard himself off of Narveson in the next inning. Jason Motte threw a shutdown ninth to finish off the 12-3 victory for St. Louis.
Game 3 takes place in St. Louis, in a battle of aces: Yovani Gallardo will face Chris Carpenter at 8pm ET on Wednesday.
[...] I was covering it for Around the Horn, I was required to watch all of last night’s NLCS Game 2. As a lifelong Cubs fan, this was [...]
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