St. Louis Cardinals ever closer to Wild Card berth with 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds – MLB News
Jaime Garcia tossed 6.2 solid innings on Monday, October 1 to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 at Busch Stadium. The victory also sealed the tie for the Cardinals second National League Wild Card with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Garcia not only remained instrumental with pitching, he also made perfect use of the bat with his huge homer in the third to ensure the team’s win. This was Garcia’s third consecutive win in the last three starts, which he described as a ‘huge win’ for the Cardinals.
Cardinals, with this victory, have now won 11 of their last 14 games, a feat that cannot go unnoticed. The other competitor for Wild Card is Los Angeles Dodgers. If the Cardinals win Tuesday’s game, it will seal their place for the Redbirds in the Wild Card spot, to be played against Atlanta Braves.
Team manager Mike Matheny said they are a step closer now, but added that it would be too early to go there.
Cardinals' batters got on Bronson Arroyo, making use of his weaker pitches. Arroyo allowed three runs in his five innings with 3.74 ERA. Garcia hit a homer to tie the score after Brandon Phillips had a single to left.
Allen Craig doubled to left to make it 2-1 for the Cardinals followed by Yadier Molina’s sacrifice fly that placed Cardinals in a comfortable position with 3-1 lead followed by Daniel Descalso’s triple to deep centre.
"It's different with this one-game playoff looming over our heads if we get there," second baseman Daniel Descalso said. "I wouldn't expect a raucous celebration but, you know, some celebration is in order if we do clinch it."
With 4-1 lead, Garcia kept the Reds' batters at bay. Ryan Hanigan tried to stage a comeback in the seventh with a run to left, but Jason Motte threw a hitless and scoreless ninth to secure 4-2 win for the Cardinals, making their Wild Card berth a distinct possibility.
The Cardinals now look to Tuesday’s competitive game, against a team which has already booked their place for the National League Division Series. The victory is important for the Cardinals to defend their World Series Championship.
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