On a coolish Sunday when Adam Wainwright made his 400th pitching appearance for the Cardinals and committed only his fourth balk, one for every 100 outings, the more pertinent number was four.
That was because as Wainwright continued his career dominance of the Colorado Rockies, his 2-0 victory over them represented the Cardinals' fourth series sweep of the young season. It almost was the 11th career shutout for Wainwright, who was pulled with one out in the ninth after throwing 113 pitches and giving up only three hits
Ryan Helsley, inheriting two runners, walked Connor Joe to fill the bases but then threw a double-play ball to Josh Fuentes to wrap up the Cardinals' ninth win in succession over the Rockies here and 25th in the past 29 meetings between the teams at Busch Stadium.
Wainwright entered the game as the best opposing pitcher against the Rockies in their history for those who have pitched 75 or more innings against them. He was 10-1 with a 1.56 earned run average and he did nothing to negatively alter those numbers.
His only negative stats were two strikeouts at bat, in the fourth and sixth, after Harrison Bader twice had been walked intentionally in front of him.
In his previous outing, Wainwright had struggled but had gained his first victory of the season, having spent much of the previous week at home, helping out as his wife, Jenny, and the couple’s children, all came down with COVID-19 of varying severity. Wainwright had played Mr. Mom for much of the week and voiced his approval of what all mothers/wives do.
Sunday’s win on Mother’s Day perhaps was his way of saying, “Thank you.”
In his 169th career win, Wainwright was touched only for a second-inning double by Charlie Blackmon, a seventh-inning single by Raimel Tapia and a ninth-inning single by Ryan McMahon. He didn’t have much with which to work but enough as former Rockie Nolan Arenado homered for the first time against his former team and scored the other run on the first of Yadier Molina’s two doubles.
After McMahon's hit, Wainwright was visited briefly by manager Mike Shildt, who was booed as he jogged to the mound but cheered after he left Wainwright in. Until Wainwright walked Blackmon.
Wainwright displayed a veteran’s poise in the second inning. After Blackmon doubled and Connor Joe walked, Fuentes lined out to his cousin at third base, Arenado.
Slow-running catcher Elias Diaz then hit a double play ball to the mound. Wainwright only knocked it down at first but took his time gathering in the ball and fired to second baseman Tomy Edman, who was at the front of the bag. Joe barely was out but Edman’s relay easily caught Diaz at first.
The momentum switch came quickly. Arenado belted a 3-2 German Marquez fastball 404 feet for his sixth homer and a 1-0 Cardinals lead in the home second.
Wainwright hurt himself in the third when he balked a runner to third with one out. He took care of the issue himself, fanning Tapia and Trevor Story to maintain the 1-0 lead.
Molina, receiving Wainwright for the 280th time as a starting battery and with his mother visiting son and announcer Bengie Molina in his broadcast booth, doubled home Arenado with the Cardinals’ second run in the fourth.
Arenado had reached first safely when Fuentes threw off-line to first after making a good backhanded stop to his right for Arenado’s leadoff grounder.
