With 1-0 win over Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals book place in Friday’s Wild Card game – MLB
Shelby Miller tossed six solid innings on Wednesday, October 3 and Matt Carpenter had a run-scoring single in the eighth to clinch the Wild Card for the St. Louis Cardinals, beating Cincinnati Reds 1-0 at Busch Stadium. Cardinals outrivaled the Reds in all departments of the game, paving the way for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.
In the presence of 42, 509 fans, Shelby Miller, making his first Major League Baseball start in such a crucial game, did not disappoint neither the manager nor the team as he outwitted the Reds' batters.
"I'd say Shelby looked terrific," manager Mike Matheny said. "He came out there against a very good team and lineup. It was pretty impressive what he was able to do."
Although Reds' starter Homer Bailey was not any less effective in Tuesday’s game, Cardinals’ Miller was undeniably impressive.
"I was actually glad the first guy got a hit so we could get that whole mess done with," Bailey said. "I just went out there and tried to get my work in and still keep the competitive feel. The most I was going to go was five (innings). It was almost a tune-up, but you can't think of it as a tune-up until you are done."
Miller struck-out four straight hitters in the 13 pitches as he tossed the fourth and fifth inning. On the other hand, Carpenter played his important role in the eighth when neither team had scored, hitting a single against Jonathan Broxton.
With the lead going to the Cardinals favour, the bullpen did their part. It was Marc Rzepczynski who threw an effective eighth along with Victor Marte to keep the lead intact.
Coming in the ninth, Jason Motte threw a scoreless inning to get his 42nd save of the season and end the game with a 1-0 win for the Cardinals. Thus, booking a place in the Wild Card game to be played on Friday.
Cardinals won 12 of their last 16 games to occupy a spot in the Wild Card for the second consecutive year and a chance to defend their World Series championship.
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