'Pen loses late lead after Wacha pulled early
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ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals bullpen has contributed greatly to their recent surge to the top of the National League Central and increased playoff odds, which, entering Wednesday, were at 91.9%, according to FanGraphs.
But when faced with a chunk of innings to cover on Wednesday night against the Giants, the club’s relief corps faltered in a 9-8 loss.
It was only the Cardinals’ fourth loss in their past 18 games, but it closed their grip on first place in the National League to 2 1/2 games over the Cubs.
There were three key moments that changed the trajectory of the Cardinals’ loss on Wednesday:
The decision to remove Wacha
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt knew going into Wednesday that he was going to exercise caution with Wacha, who was starting on three days’ rest due to St. Louis’ double doubleheader last weekend against the Reds. Wacha had a limit of roughly 50 pitches, and the Cardinals knew they would rely on the bullpen to get through most of the game.
Wacha threw 23 pitches in the first, walking Mike Yastrzemski and allowing a single to Buster Posey. But he got out of the inning unscathed and worked a quick second to bring his pitch count to 38. He faced the Giants' lineup one time through, and the Cardinals brought in lefty Tyler Webb to face the top of the order that had two left-handers in it. But Webb gave up a homer and loaded the bases for Ryan Helsley, who pitched 2 2/3 innings.
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Speaking in hindsight, Shildt said that there might have been one more inning for Wacha.
“I probably left an inning on the table for Michael,” Shildt said. “But I told myself before the game that I was going to err on the side of caution for him and for us moving forward.”
Wacha said that he felt great and was ready to keep going if needed. But for future use this month and beyond, Shildt didn’t want Wacha throwing on fumes.
“I’m always going to err on the side of caution when we’re pushing a guy,” Shildt said. “His stuff was sharp, and when I told him, he’s like, ‘I feel great.’ I’m sure he did. It wasn’t about the competition tonight. I also know we’ve got a lot of baseball to play, and I want to be smart about it.”
DeJong’s uncommon error
The Cardinals have the fewest errors committed in the Majors this season -- one year after they committed the most.
In the top of the sixth with a runner on first and two outs, shortstop Paul DeJong fielded a grounder and looked to throw to first base. But then he audibled suddenly and lobbed the ball to second baseman Kolten Wong, who wasn’t looking because he thought DeJong was throwing to first.
Wong’s quick reflexes allowed him to catch the ball before it went into the outfield, but the error extended the inning, and the Giants took advantage, as Brandon Crawford crushed a three-run home run off of Dominic Leone to break a 4-4 tie.
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“It’s one of those plays that happens,” Shildt said. “And we weren’t able to overcome it in that particular spot, but we were able to overcome it in the score and battled back. One of those plays.”
Rare home run vs. Gallegos
The Cardinals pounced on the Giants in the bottom of the sixth inning to get those runs back and take a one-run lead when Paul Goldschmidt roped a two-run double. But the Giants had one final dagger.
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Kevin Pillar’s two-run homer off of Giovanny Gallegos in the top of the eighth gave the Giants the cushion they needed.
It was Gallegos’ first career blown save with St. Louis, and the right-hander has allowed home runs in consecutive games after giving up just one in his prior 35 appearances. He’s been the anchor of an efficient Cardinals bullpen, having held opponents to a .167 average entering Wednesday.
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“Pillar made a good swing,” Gallegos said. “I was a little bit off. It wasn’t the location I wanted. When I take the mound, I try to get out the hitter. I threw good pitches. But this is baseball.”
“[Gallegos has] been so good,” Shildt said. “He gets a little grace, right? He made a pitch middle-third maybe, up, and Pillar put a good swing on it. Give him credit. Settles down, retires the next couple of guys, gets us the next inning and gives us a chance. Couple of pitches got away from him, but we have a lot of confidence in Gio.”