NEW YORK — The Cardinals arrived from the Midwest on Sunday after a few solid performances back home, some star turns in regionally significant outings, and they had three days in New York to get what they wanted – their big break.
They leave after putting on a show.
The Cardinals, suddenly the hottest team in the wild-card race, hit four homers Wednesday to complete a sweep of the New York Mets with an 11-4 blockbuster at Citi Field. The Cardinals swept the Mets for the first time since 2001 at Shea, and with Cincinnati’s loss to Pittsburgh moved a full 1 ½ games ahead of the Reds in tumble for the National League’s second wild card. They were out of the playoff picture just a few days ago, in the wings hoping for a walk-on appearance, and now they’ve been cast as the scene-stealer.
They leave the Big City not only in their best position in the standings in months – but also playing their best baseball of the year.
They made it here. Can they make it anywhere?
The Cardinals started fast and finished strong. They had a five-run lead before starter Jon Lester threw a pitch, and by the end of the eighth the Cardinals had added four home runs to that lead. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, who have both mused about having their swings tuned at the same time, hit a pair of solo homers in the seventh inning. Harrison Bader hit a solo homer in the fourth, and shortstop Edmundo Sosa put the exclamation point on his busy evening with a solo homer in the runaway eighth inning.
Sosa had a single in the Cardinals’ first inning and dashed from first to catch a ball in left field with his back to home plate. He had a chance to talk with the umpire Junior Valentine, who he hit with a throw Monday and shake his hand. He committed an error, then hit the homer.
While Sosa had a night, the muscle in the Cardinals’ lineup had an awakening. Few times this season, if at all, have the Cardinals had Arenado, Goldschmidt, and Tyler O’Neill all revving at the same time. O’Neill’s recent move to be sandwiched between the two All-Stars has animated the offense – but often with solo acts. Arenado provided the runs that downed the Reds this past weekend. O’Neill provided the winning run in back-to-back wins against the Dodgers. They did it in concert in Queens.
Entering the ninth inning Wednesday, that trio of Cardinals had already gone 16-for-40 (.400) in the series with four home runs. They had six RBIs in the first eight innings Wednesday to give them 12 for the series, and the threesome had combined to score 13 of the Cardinals’ first 25 runs.
The bottom of the seventh inning captured a snapshot of the series and the impossible time the Mets had getting by, over, or around the Cardinals’ defense.
Even a fielder double-switched into a game vexed them.
Veteran lefty Andrew Miller did not retire a batter in the bottom of the seventh, and that invited the Mets’ best chance to erase the Cardinals’ hearty lead – and it also put the cogs in motion for the moment that would vaporize that chance. Manager Mike Shildt pulled Miller from the game in favor of his fireman, lefty T. J. McFarland. To get another inning from McFarland, Shildt swapped rookies in right field. Lars Nootbaar entered. Dylan Carlson exited – simply because he made the final out of the previous inning. What timing.
McFarland retired the first two batters he faced before Pete Alonso, the two-time Home Run Derby champ, had a chance to bring the Mets within a run. With two runners on, Alonso mashed a pitch from McFarland deep into right field.
Nootbaar got his back to the wall, jumped – and robbed the homer.
At third, Arenado leaped in the air. Sosa started shouting and celebrating at shortstop. Arenado started to walk toward the dugout before stopping and watching the replay of Nootbaar’s robbery of three runs on the bigscreen scoreboard. In the late innings of consecutive games, a double play turned by Goldschmidt and a catch at the right-field kept the Mets from four runs, including what would have been the winning run Tuesday.
Before they got the glove, the Cardinals had plenty of bat.
Lester took his first swing and had five-run lead before he threw a pitch.
The Cardinals, not wasting a New York minute, were three batters into the game Wednesday when they had a two-run lead, and that lead would swell to 5-0 by the time Lester came up as the ninth batter of the inning. Leadoff hitter Tommy Edman walked. Goldschmidt doubled, and Tyler O’Neill followed with a two-run double to bring them both home. Another walk followed, and then Carlson and Bader would follow with RBI singles.
Sosa’s eventful evening peaked with a homer and began with his single to keep the first inning going. The energy he’s brought to the field and the Cardinals’ lineup was illustrated when he scored from first on Bader’s single. With two outs, the bloop from Bader had enough hang time for Sosa to sprint from first, round second, and get the wave from third-base coach Pop Warner all the way home. Sosa slid in, headfirst, ahead of the throw.
With the early, sizeable lead, Lester went to work in the strike zone. The veteran lefty pitched six innings and did not walk a batter.
He struck out seven.
He retired the side in order in the first, allowed a solo homer to Alonso in the second and then retired the next three batters. The Mets hunted and pecked for runs against Lester and got three (two earned) but couldn’t sustain a rally. All three of the runs came in different innings, and two came on solo homers. Lester flashed a changeup against switch-hitter Francisco Lindor to set up a strikeout of him in the first, and then used the changeup to get a popup from former Cubs teammates Javier Baez to end the first. It took Lester 94 pitches to get 18 outs and continue his run of five consecutive starts with two or fewer earned runs.
That almost ended with a swing from Baez.
Forever united as core members of the 2016 World Series title on the north side, Baez greeted Lester with a mighty swing in the fifth inning. With two on, the ball seemed to have the distance to score three. And the bolt that went about 406 feet would have if Bader wasn’t there to meet it at the wall, 408 feet away from home.
