MILWAUKEE — It took two monster swings by rookie Nolan Gorman to put just enough distance between the Cardinals and Milwaukee for the visitors to get a chance to flaunt the best they can bring out of their bullpen.
On his way to four hits and four RBIs, Gorman hit two home runs – one to break a tie and the other to extend the Cardinals’ lead. His 428-foot smash toward the scoreboard in center field at American Family Field snapped a 2-2 tie and opened the way for the Cardinals to get as many outs as they could from their relief tandem, Giovanny Gallegos, and Ryan Helsley. The Cardinals’ combo closers collected the final 12 outs in a 6-2 victory Tuesday.
The win moved the Cardinals back into a tie for first place in the NL Central, level with Milwaukee, at 39-31.
Before Gorman seized the headlines and the relievers earned the spotlight, the stage was set for Jack Flaherty to make a significant stride back from injury. He stalled. The right-hander had difficulty maintaining command of innings and at-bats, eventually walking five Brewers and having to tiptoe through lengthy innings just to keep Milwaukee from capitalizing on his gifts. Flaherty completed three innings and was seen in the dugout spiking things in apparent frustration.
Rookie Zack Thompson earned his first major-league win and was the first reliever into the void. He started the six scoreless innings from the bullpen with 1 2/3 in immediate relief of Flaherty. With the bullpen getting a grip on the game, Gorman’s second homer doubled the Cardinals’ lead, and his eighth-inning RBI single punctuated his game by tying a career high for RBIs and hits, marks set earlier this season against Milwaukee.
He’s the 12th Cardinal to have a two-homer game in his first 29 games, and he’s the first Cardinal to do so since Albert Pujols in 2001.
