August 8 Special: Eight Best St. Louis Cardinals’ Games of 2015

Jul 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tony Cruz (48) and St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) celebrate defeating the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Following a Friday night road shutout of the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals have won six of their last eight games and hold a Major League best record of 70-39. Leading the Pittsburgh Pirates by six games in the NL Central division race, St. Louis is currently on pace for its most winningest baseball season since 2004.

Through several offensive outbursts, pitcher duels and confidence-building wins, St. Louis have posted emotional wins to keep their lofty season goals on track. This slideshow honors August 8 by summarizing eight of the Cardinals’ best games this season. Featuring at least one victory for every month, the contests are organized in ascending order of importance.

But first, here are eight honorable mentions in no specific order that competed for such recognition.

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1. May 1 vs. Pirates
2. July 30 vs. Rockies
3. July 18 vs. Mets
4. April 5 @ Cubs
5. May 2 vs. Pirates
6. June 20 @ Phillies
7. July 9 @ Pirates
8. June 2 vs. Brewers

Jun 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) doubles in a run in the first inning off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

8. June 7 @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Shutout by reigning National Cy Young recipient Clayton Kershaw the previous night, the Cardinals faced another tough task in familiar foe Zack Greinke, who came into the contest not only as the National League ERA leader, but also with nine career victories against St. Louis. Greinke only surrendered 1 run through 6.2 innings, backed up by timely hits from Justin Turner in the first and third innings.

Despite laboring through five innings on 98 pitches, Lance Lynn kept St. Louis within distance by working out of jams with runners in scoring position in three separate frames. Jhonny Peralta boosted the offense with a three-hit night, including a sixth inning home run against Greinke and a go-ahead single in the eighth inning. Matt Holliday and Mark Reynolds also tagged on eighth inning RBIs, helping the Cardinals take three of four games in Los Angeles alongside scoreless efforts from five relief pitchers.

Game MVP: Jhonny Peralta

Aug 2, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first basemen Brandon Moss (21) celebrates with teammates after hitting the game-winning hit against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

7. August 2 vs. Colorado Rockies

With the season series between St. Louis and Colorado tied at three wins apiece, Jaime Garcia received his second nod since returning from a groin injury. The southpaw was engaged in a pitcher’s duel with Yohan Flande early on, as both starters limited the opposition to one hit collectively through four scoreless innings.

Randal Grichuk followed up Jason Heyward‘s fifth inning leadoff single with his twelfth home run of the season to provide a 2-0 cushion for St. Louis. However, the Rockies quickly answered to this threat in the following inning, scoring a pair of run’s behind Ben Paulsen‘s 11th double and a wild pitch from Cardinals’ reliever Steve Cishek. The bullpen otherwise limited the Rockies to one hit, paving the way for a ninth-inning rally captivated by newcomer Brandon Moss‘s first walk-off hit as a Cardinal.

Game MVP: Brandon Moss

Jul 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

6. July 22 @ Chicago White Sox

Facing their fourth left-handed pitcher in the White Sox’s rotation this season, the Cardinals provided mixed results in a matchup with veteran starter John Danks that statistically proved unfavorable. Limiting St. Louis to just 5 hits over 6.2 innings, Danks retired every Cardinals’ hitter at least twice besides Stephen Piscotty. Lance Lynn battled by tossing a quality start in his second game against Chicago’s south siders, but fell behind from sixth inning RBI hits from Jose Abreu and Melky Cabrera.

Chicago brought in left-handed specialist Zach Duke with the hopes of retiring the lefties near the top of St. Louis’s order, but instead ran into early trouble with. After loading up the bases with two outs, the White Sox brought in closer David Robertson early, only to give up an opposite-field, bases clearing, go-ahead triple to Cardinals’ catcher Yadier Molina. Trevor Rosenthal retired the side on 10 pitches to record saves in back-to-back games, helping the Cardinals complete a brief two-game road sweep of the White Sox.

Game MVP: Yadier Molina

Apr 19, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (50) talks with manager Mike Matheny (26) during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Reds 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

4. April 19 vs. Cincinnati Reds

Featured in their second ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast in three weeks, the Cardinals persevered through a low-scoring game to pick up their first in-division sweep of 2015. Adam Wainwright received the nod for his last home start of 2015 prior to an Achilles injury, looking to rebound from a shaky Opening Day performance against the Milwaukee Brewers. Matt Carpenter continued a hot streak that latter led to NL Player of the Week honors, hitting a leadoff home run against Reds’ starter Mike Leake, good for his second long ball of the season.

Wainwright limited the Reds to just one run over eight innings, but a third inning single from Brandon Phillips proved costly and tied the game at 1 run apiece. Leake kept the Cardinal hitters silent by retiring 16 of the next 18 hitters after Carpenter’s home run and also finishing the game with eight innings pitched. However, the Cardinal bats played small ball in the eighth inning with the help of a Jon Jay leadoff double and a Kolten Wong sacrifice fly. Jordan Walden converted his first save of the season in a spot closing gig to help the Cardinals complete one of their fastest games of the year in just over two hours.

Game MVP: Adam Wainwright

May 31, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) reacts after getting the third out of the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

3. May 31 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Exactly one year from the Cardinals’ debut of once highly-touted prospect Oscar Taveras, St. Louis held a ceremony looking back on the career accomplishments and legacy of a teammate passed away too soon. This tested the emotions of the series finale’s starting pitcher Carlos Martinez, who became one of Taveras’s closest friends during his minor league journey. Sporting only two May quality starts through the series finale, Martinez held the Dodgers to one hit through seven innings and struck out eight.

The Cardinals came alive offensively in the first inning, using a Jhonny Peralta two-run home run to establish momentum early. While the Cardinals couldn’t capitalize on many other chances against Los Angeles starter Brett Anderson, Dodgers’ rookie Joc Pederson pushed for a comeback in the eighth inning with his 13th home run. In a quick turn of events, the Cardinals received strong bullpen contributions and an insurance run from Peralta to take the home series against the Dodgers and guide Martinez to his fifth win of 2015.

Game MVP: Carlos Martinez

May 3, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals celebrate with second baseman Kolten Wong (16) after he hit a walk-off solo home run off of Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Radhames Liz (not pictured) during the fourteenth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

2. May 3 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Coming off of two consecutive walk off victories against division rival Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals faced plenty of obstacles in their quest for their second series sweep of the year. Despite some slow offensive contributions, Matt Carpenter produced the game’s first run with his fourth home run of the season. Michael Wacha continued his early season dominance, limiting the Pirates to only 5 hits opposed to two strikeouts in 6.2 scoreless innings.

Heading into the ninth inning with a 1-0 lead, Trevor Rosenthal blew his first save of the season after serving a game-tying home run to rookie Jung Ho Kang. Despite a hitless mark with runners in scoring position for the game, Pittsburgh received a near momentum changing boost from Pedro Alvarez‘s twelfth inning solo home run. St. Louis answered immediately with a two-out RBI single from Peter Bourjos, one of three bench players used in the effort. As the Cardinals burned through practically all of their relief pitchers, Kolten Wong guaranteed the efforts would hold up with fourteenth inning solo home run to give the Cardinals their third walk-off win in as many days.

Game MVP: Kolten Wong

Jul 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta (center) celebrates with Jason Heyward after hitting a two run home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. July 8 @ Chicago Cubs

Falling short on both contests of a Wrigley Field doubleheader the previous day, the Cardinals were heavily tested in the midst of a pre All-Star Break that involved 8 games in 7 days. Following a scoreless first inning, the Cardinals attacked with a pair of runs in the following frame, courtesy of RBI singles from Dan Johnson and Michael Wacha. Also serving as St. Louis’s starting pitcher, Wacha brought a no-hitter into the fourth inning, which provided another pair of runs scored on both sides.

Stretched into the sixth inning on 109 pitches, Wacha fell into trouble by loading up the bases with two outs. A bases clearing triple from Cubs’ catcher Miguel Montero ensued after a few controversial balls-and-strike calls, resulting in a home plate argument and ejection of manger Mike Matheny moments later. Shifting into a battle of the bullpens, the rivals only combined for one hit through the next two innings. Cubs’ relief pitcher Pedro Strop received a spot closing opportunity, recording the first two outs before surrendering a walk and a go-ahead home run to Jhonny Peralta.

Game MVP: Jhonny Peralta

Next: Cardinals post second straight shutout