St. Louis Cardinals positives and negatives from Mets series

Tuesday, Game 2: Cardinals 4, Mets 3

The Cardinals were able to get their lone win on the back half of a double header.

Positives: Hitting

Paul Goldschmidt hit a double to left field in the fourth inning, scoring Brendan Donovan. Tommy Edman hit his third triple of the year on a liner to right field, scoring Andrew Knizner.  Goldschmidt hit a double to center in the fifth, scoring Edman.

Tyler O’Neill hit the game-winning single to third, scoring Donovan.

Negatives: Hitting

The team was 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They left 12 on base. They won, but it could have been by so much more.

Positives: Pitching

He ate up five innings but had a no decision. Steven Matz gave up three hits and two runs in the form of home runs to Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar. Matz struck out seven batters and induced six swings and misses.

Andre Pallante got his fourth hold of the season pitching a third of an inning, unfortunately walking three. Genesis Cabrera earned his fifth hold of the season with 1.2 innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.

Ryan Helsley earned his second win of the season, after blowing a save opportunity. He pitched an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, allowing a run to score. He did strike out two.  Helsley’s max velocity reached 102.2 mph.

Giovanny Gallegos got his seventh save of the year pitching the ninth. He gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Wednesday: Cardinals 4, Mets 11

Another poor pitching effort combined with an inability to move runners around the base paths made for a disastrous game Wednesday evening.

Positive: Hitting

In the second inning, Albert Pujols hit a single on a grounder to right field. Corey Dickerson and Dylan Carlson each scored.

Nolan Arenado knocked his ninth homer of the season on a fly to left center field, scoring Paul Goldschmidt. The home run traveled 370-feet at 105.1 mph.

Negative: Hitting

The team was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. They left seven runners on base. Could have been a little closer.

Positive: Running

Pujols stolen a base off Scherzer. Seriously!

Negative: Pitching

Jake Walsh earned his first loss of the season. He faced four batters in the fifth, but got no one out. He gave up two hits, one walk and four earned runs. He now has an ERA of 13.50.

T.J. McFarland was terrible. He pitched one inning, giving up four hir hits, one walk and five (5) earned runs. Thankfully, he was able to pitch out of the situation.

Positive: Pitching

Jordan Hicks pitched four innings, giving up three hits, three walks and two earned runs. He did strike out five. He induced nine swings and misses. He hit a max velocity of 101.5 mph. He wasn’t great, but he did keep the team in the ball game and ate up some innings.

Drew VerHagen pitched two innings, giving up one hit and striking out two. A positive outing for him.

Negative:

Max Scherzer pulled himself from the game in the sixth inning. It was announced he has an oblique strain that could keep him off the mound for two months.

Thursday: Cardinals 6, Mets 7

The Cardinals battled but ultimately lost in disappointing fashion with a walk-off blast from a “big, strong guy” in Pedro Alonso.

Positive: Hitting

Paul Goldschmidt served as the designated hitter in Thursday afternoon’s game. He was 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Juan Yepez continued his tradition of just hitting as he patrolled left field. He was 3-for-5 with one run and an RBI.

Yepez knocked his third home run of the season with a fly to center field off Chris Bassitt. The blast traveled 414-feet at 106.2 mph.  Goldschmidt hit his sixth homer in the third inning on a fly to left field off Chris Bassitt. The homer traveled 390-feet at 102.1 mph.

Goldschmidt knocked a double to right field in the fifth, scoring Tommy Edman. In the seventh, Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Edman. In the ninth inning, Paul Goldschmidt helps tie the game on a single toward third base, scoring Harrison Bader.

In the 10th inning, Albert Pujols grounded into a double play, which allowed Corey Dickerson to score.

Positive: Running

Harrison Bader had two stolen bases on Thursday, bringing his total to 11 on the season. This surpasses his total of nine last season.

Negative: Hitting

The team was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. They left nine runners on base. Imagine what could have been!

Positive: Pitching

Andre Pallante pitched two innings of relief, taking two hits off his body – one off his bicep and another off his foot. While he did give up three hits, he did strike out two. Pallante induced two swings and misses.

Genesis Cabrera pitched an inning and struck out one.

Ryan Helsley pitched an inning, striking out one. Helsley did induce three swings and misses.

Negative: Pitching

The Cardinals had a rough day on the mound. Dakota Hudson pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five hits, two walks, and four earned runs and he struck out two. Hudson did induce nine swings and misses.

Nick Wittgren pitched a third of an inning, giving up two hits, a walk, and one earned run.

Giovanny Gallegos seemed rattled from the beginning of the tenth inning with the runner on second to begin the inning. He served Pedro Alonso a 92.6 mph fastball that he launched 447-feet to left field at 113.7 mph. This was Gallegos’ second blown save and his second loss of the season. He’s now 0-2.