McGreevy, Winn lead the Cardinals Past the Diamondbacks
Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4
McGreevy, Winn Leads the Cardinals Past the Diamondbacks
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals opened the second half the way they needed to — with a hard-earned road win over a team chasing the same October ground.
And Masyn Winn was right in the middle of all of it.
Winn drove in three runs and saved at least two more with his glove Friday night at Chase Field, helping the Cardinals hold off the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game series in Phoenix.
This was not a clean, comfortable win. Those apparently are stored in a warehouse somewhere and only brought out on special occasions.
This was a Cardinals win.
They jumped ahead early, gave some of it back, went ahead again, watched Arizona punch back late, and then found one more run in the ninth before Riley O’Brien finished it off.
The Cardinals entered the night at 50-45, sitting right in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. Arizona, at 49-47, was chasing the same territory. That made this more than just the first game after the All-Star break. This was one of those head-to-head games that can matter a little more when the standings tighten in September.
St. Louis did not waste much time getting started.
In the top of the first, Iván Herrera reached on an error by Ketel Marte, Alec Burleson singled, and Jordan Walker walked to load the bases. Winn then stepped in and delivered the first big swing of the night, lining a two-run single to center field to score Herrera and Burleson.
Just like that, the Cardinals had a 2-0 lead.
Arizona answered in the second when Gabriel Moreno singled, Max Kepler reached on a bunt single, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Moreno. Tim Tawa tied the game an inning later with a solo home run to left, and the Diamondbacks had pulled even at 2-2.
Michael McGreevy did not have his cleanest night, but he did what he has done so often this season: he competed, limited damage, and gave the Cardinals a chance to win.
McGreevy worked 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out five and walking one. He gave up the solo homer to Tawa and had traffic at different points, but he kept the Diamondbacks from turning those chances into crooked numbers.
That mattered.
The biggest escape came in the fifth, when Ketel Marte reached on an infield single and Geraldo Perdomo walked with two outs. Corbin Carroll came to the plate with a chance to swing the game Arizona’s way, but McGreevy got him to ground out to second to end the threat.
In the seventh, McGreevy struck out Nolan Arenado looking before Ildemaro Vargas tripled to deep center. Oliver Marmol went to George Soriano, and Soriano did exactly what the Cardinals needed. He got Tawa to ground out to shortstop, then struck out Marte to strand the runner at third.
That was one of the quiet turning points of the game.
The Cardinals had already taken the lead back in the fifth when JJ Wetherholt launched a solo home run to right-center field, his 14th of the season. Wetherholt has continued to give St. Louis a spark at the top of the order, and his homer put the Cardinals back in front, 3-2.
That lead held until the eighth, when St. Louis added what looked like an important insurance run.
Burleson walked, Lars Nootbaar singled, and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Winn then lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Burleson and giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
It was Winn’s third RBI of the night.
But this was not just about the bat.
Winn’s defense was every bit as important. He made multiple plays that kept Arizona from pushing runs across, including a key groundout in the seventh with a runner at third. In a one-run game, those plays are not background noise. They are the ballgame.
Then came the bottom of the eighth.
Luis Gastelum entered and immediately walked Perdomo. Carroll followed with a two-run homer to right field, tying the game at 4-4 and wiping away the Cardinals’ late lead in a hurry.
It would have been easy for the Cardinals to fold there. Road game. Late tie. Momentum gone. Chase Field awake.
Instead, they answered.
José Fermín opened the ninth with an infield single. Jimmy Crooks walked, and Wetherholt followed with a single to center, loading the bases with nobody out. Arizona turned to Brandyn Garcia after Paul Sewald got into trouble, but Iván Herrera came through with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Fermín and putting St. Louis back in front, 5-4.
It was not flashy.
It was enough.
Riley O’Brien came on in the ninth and closed the door, securing the win and giving the Cardinals exactly the kind of start they needed coming out of the break.
This was the kind of win that does not fit neatly into one box.
Wetherholt gave them power. McGreevy gave them length. Soriano gave them a huge bridge. Herrera delivered the final RBI. O’Brien finished it.
But the night belonged to Winn.
Three runs driven in. At least two runs saved with the glove. A reminder that his value is not always found in one column of the box score.
The Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks, 5-4.
And in a Wild Card race where every head-to-head win carries weight, this one mattered.
The Bottom Line
The Cardinals opened the second half with a gritty road win.
Masyn Winn drove in three runs and saved at least two more with his glove. JJ Wetherholt homered. Michael McGreevy gave them length. George Soriano escaped a key jam. Iván Herrera drove in the winner. Riley O’Brien closed it down.
Cardinals 5, Diamondbacks 4.
That’s a winner.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.
Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary:
www.cardinalchronicle.com
Photo Credit: Maysn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB