Bats erupt behind 'fantastic' Ponce de Leon

ST. LOUIS -- If there ever was a night for Daniel Ponce de Leon to get his first career win as a starter, Friday night was a good one.

Ponce de Leon allowed one hit -- Orlando Arcia’s solo home run to lead off the sixth inning -- in the Cardinals’ 9-1 win over the Brewers in the second game of Friday’s seven-inning doubleheader at Busch Stadium. It was his first win as a starter in his 20th career start.

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“My wife texted me that I was some kind of record holder, and the record was so many starts without a win,” Ponce de Leon said. “Dang. I feel like I’m not pitching that bad. But I got [the win].”

After being shut out, 3-0, in the first game, the Cardinals needed a win to stay in control of their postseason destiny, and Ponce de Leon delivered a gem. St. Louis still leads the five-game series with Milwaukee, 2-1, and the Cards can clinch a postseason berth as early as Saturday with a win.

“He was fantastic,” manager Mike Shildt said of Ponce de Leon. “He pitched very well for us in a spot we needed it.”

The Reds punched their ticket to the postseason Friday with their win over the Twins combined with the Phillies’ loss to the Rays and the Brewers’ loss in Game 2. Even so, the Reds and the Cardinals remain tied for second place in the National League Central -- three games behind the first-place Cubs. Second place in the division guarantees a postseason spot, and the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over Cincinnati, thanks to winning the head-to-head season series.

St. Louis’ magic number is down to two. The Cards can clinch a postseason berth by simply winning one of their final two games against the Brewers.

“You know how important each and every pitch is,” said outfielder Dylan Carlson, who walked and had a two-run double in Game 2. “It’s really fun to be around everyone, and I’m just soaking it all in.”

The offense that only saw one runner reach second base in the first game of the doubleheader erupted for nine runs in the second game. The Cardinals finally came through with run support for Ponce de Leon. He had received no runs of support in three of his six starts this season and two runs or fewer in 14 of his 19 career starts.

“We pressed a little bit in Game 1 and the results showed,” Tommy Edman said. “We had much better at-bats in the second game. Just everyone not trying to do too much and passing along to the next guy.”

The Cards jumped out to an early lead against Brewers starter Josh Lindblom. In the top of the first inning at their own ballpark -- because it was a makeup game from the postponed series at Miller Park in August -- an RBI double from Matt Carpenter gave St. Louis its first run of the day. Then, two wild pitches from Lindblom and a triple from Kolten Wong contributed to a two-run second inning.

The Cards batted around in the fifth, with Edman’s two-run home run, Dylan Carlson’s two-run double and Matt Wieters’ two-run single putting the final touches on the scoring.

Ponce de Leon wasn’t fazed by the long half-inning. He came out for the bottom of the fifth and got three quick outs. Once again, the elevated fastball allowed Ponce de Leon to work in his breaking balls to keep the Brewers off balance. Arcia’s home run was one of the few fastballs that didn’t fool the Brewers -- and that’s because Ponce de Leon threw it right down the middle. In two starts against Milwaukee, Ponce de Leon has struck out 15 batters over 12 innings.

The Cardinals will have to carry Game 2’s momentum into the final two days or three -- if the doubleheader against the Tigers is needed on Monday -- of the season. The Brewers’ sense of urgency is heightened with two games to go and their season on the line.

“Our offense definitely has not been as consistent from game to game as we’d like,” Edman said. “But then, we put together games like that second one today where we just take good at-bats throughout the entire game. We’re hoping that we can put it together at the right time and just continue our momentum from that second game all through the rest of the year.”