Cardinals Recap: Michael Wacha leads St. Louis to win

Michael Wacha turned in seven strong, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants Monday night at Busch Stadium.

After rookie Stephen Piscotty lined his first big league triple with one out in the eighth, Hunter Strickland intentionally walked the Cardinals’ Brandon Moss, bringing up Mark Reynolds.

The strikeout-prone slugger grounded a ball to shortstop, manned by Gold Glove-caliber infielder Brandon Crawford. The Giants’ standout stepped on second for the force, planted and threw to first, but the throw sailed wide, allowing Piscotty to score what proved to be the winning run.

Wacha allowed just one earned on six hits, striking out half-a-dozen hitters and walking just one in the win, while Kevin Siegrist and Trevor Rosenthal shut the door late – ending the Giants’ hopes of bringing their recent hot streak to St. Louis.

The Cardinals got things started against Chris Heston in the bottom of the fourth, when Yadier Molina launched a mammoth blast to left field – his third home run of the year – giving St. Louis a 1-0 edge.

Crawford, who ultimately cost the Giants the game, doubled in Matt Duffy in the top of the sixth to tie things up – but that would be the only damage done against Wacha, who, unlike Heston, was cruising all night.

Siegrist (4-0, 1.48) and Rosenthal (37th save) were the pitchers of note in the box score for St. Louis, who extended their lead in the division after the Diamondbacks went into PNC Park and took down Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both teams managed only six hits in the contest, and only Piscotty had more than one for the Cardinals.

Opposite him, Crawford was the only Giants player with two or more hits in the loss, which dropped San Francisco to four games back of the Cubs for the second wild card spot in the National League.

What’s Next:

Mike Leake (9-6, 3.52) takes the ball for the Giants in the second game of the series and will be opposed by Lance Lynn (9-7, 2.95).

Both pitchers will be seeking their 10th win. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium.

Next: Losing Grichuk huge blow for the Cardinals