St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers: Game 2 – MLB Post Game Analysis
The St. Louis Cardinals reduced their deficit from the Milwaukee Brewers by one game to 9.5 after a composed 4-2 victory over the latter at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday, September 6.
The three-game series is now level with both teams winning a game apiece with the decider scheduled for Wednesday, September 7.
The Brewers had battered the Cardinals 4-1 in the first game but Kyle Lohse proved to be strong enough to silence the National League Central division leaders. The starting pitcher kept the visitors at bay for six innings, giving his team’s batters ample
time and confidence to score runs at will.
Lohse bagged his 13th win after throwing 91 pitches over six scoreless-innings to improve his ERA to 3.59. He sided with precision in his entire spell to strike-out six batters and raze the confidence of the Brewers.
Lohse was brilliantly supported by his relief pitchers Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski, both of whom combined to pitch a perfect seventh inning and successfully hold their games. Kyle McClellan was the unlucky pitcher for the Cardinals as he leaked a
run in his only inning to give life to the Brewers. However, Milwaukee’s response was a bit too late in the day and Jason Motte did enough to halt this momentum in the last inning to save his third game of the season.
Cardinals’ batting line-up did just enough to see their team through in this game. Jon Jay was a revelation on the plate as he drove in two runs and scored another two in three at-bats to sneak his batting average past the .300 mark and finish at .304. He
scored his first run when Lance Berkman produced an RBI towards right field in the first inning before hammering a 397-feet home-run to the right flank in the third inning.
Cardinals’ left-fielder Matt Holliday has been consistent this season and this game was no different. Holliday produced a gigantic home-run in his four at-bats to persist with the momentum and keep the pressure on the visitors. The Cardinals might not be
going to the postseason this year but a revival of form at this stage is a strong indicator for an improved showing in the next season.
The Brewers, on the contrary received an eye-opener in this loss. They have resurfaced tremendously in the second-half of the season and are certain to feature in the postseason, but this loss exposed several weaknesses in the line-up.
Prince Fielder failed for the second time in as many chances to give rise to questions pertaining to his consistency. Ryan Braun had led Milwaukee’s charge in the first game but his inability to score runs in this game came big on the Brewers. Both of them
have to find consistency because such failures in the postseason will only lead to elimination. The Brewers would also want Rickie Weeks to return to the dugout as early as possible, preferably before the regular season ends.
However, having said that, Corey Hart showed what consistency is all about when he extended his hitting-streak to 18 games after a double in the first inning. The Brewers will want to keep him as a table setter because he has duly adjusted to this role.
Yovani Gallardo had an ordinary outing at the mound for the Brewers, losing his tenth game after being unglued for three runs in six innings. He will want to come strong in his next start to regain his confidence.
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