photo: Adam Wainwright via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In what was essentially the second Opening Day of the 58-game 2020 season, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the White Sox in Chicago behind starting pitcher Adam Wainwright and stormed back to win Game 2 as well.
Saturday, August 15, 2020 – Cardinals 5 at White Sox 1 (Game 1, seven innings)
After 17 days without playing a game, the St. Louis Cardinals returned to action with a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The first game began with Adam Wainwright on the bump. The right hander’s last start was on July 25 and any long layoff from pitching makes returning to the mound difficult. Wainwright handled his return like the professional he is. Wainwright tossed five of the game’s seven innings, allowing one run on two hits. The veteran starter struck out three and walked three.
The bullpen duties were handled by Giovanny Gallegos in the sixth inning, John Gant to close out the seventh. Gallegos was masterful, striking out all three batters he faced for a perfect inning. Gant tossed a scoreless seventh, yielding one hit and fanning two.
The game began with leadoff hitter Kolten Wong drawing an eight pitch walk. Tommy Edman followed with a single to left field. Tyler O’Neill and Matt Carpenter were each hit by a pitch, bringing Wong home to score the first run. Dexter Fowler drove in Edman and O’Neill on a bloop single to center. Andrew Knizner singled to plate Carpenter. Harrison Bader singled on a grounder to short, but Fowler was thrown out at home attempting to score from second base. The Cardinals led 4-0.
In the fourth inning, Fowler singled and Bader walked. Edman reached on a fielding error and Fowler scored to add the Cardinals fifth and final run.
O’Neill was caught stealing in the fifth inning. Carpenter made a throwing error in the second inning.
Saturday, August 15, 2020 – Cardinals 6 at White Sox 3 (Game 2, seven innings)
In the second game of the twin bill, St. Louis came back from a two-run deficit in the fourth inning with four big runs to take the lead for good. A sweep of the doubleheader puts the Cardinals back in the thick of the standings in the NL Central.
The Cardinals fell behind 1-0 in the third inning but came back in the top of the fourth to tie it on a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt. The White Sox recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fourth via a two run home run against reliever Genesis Cabrera.
Undeterred, the offense came back in the fifth. Max Schrock singled on a shallow fly to right field for his first major league hit. Harrison Bader followed with a ground ball to third that was initially ruled a double play. However, on replay the call was overturned as Bader’s speed enabled him to beat the throw by a hair. Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch advanced Bader and Edman a base, then Carpenter grounded out and Bader scored. Paul Goldschmidt was next with a single to short and Edman came home to tie the game at 3-3. Tyler O’Neill then blasted a two-run home run to left field and the Cardinals led 5-3.
St. Louis added an insurance run in the seventh. Carpenter singled to center and O’Neill doubled to center. Carpenter scored on a sac fly off the bat of Brad Miller.
Notably, both Schrock and top prospect Dylan Carlson each secured their first major league hit in this game and both hits came in the fifth inning. Schrock singled and Carlson doubled.
A third Cardinal made his major league debut in Game 2. Jake Woodford started on the mound and tossed three innings. The right-hander yielded one run on one hit, a solo home run, struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Genesis Cabrera relieved Woodford in the fourth and yielded two runs on one hit, also a home run. The left hander struck out two and walked one. Alex Reyes pitched the fifth, and like Gallegos in Game 1, struck out all three batters he faced. Tyler Webb tossed the sixth, and Andrew Miller hurled a scoreless seventh to cap off Saturday’s sweep.
Sunday’s game: at White Sox at 1:10 pm, Dakota Hudson (0-1, 8.31) vs. Dallas Keuchel (2-2, 3.04) FSM/KMOX/Cardinals Radio Network
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