Correction: Matt Carpenter also delivered a sacrifice fly to drive home the winning run on April 17th, 2012 against the Cincinnati Reds.
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Of all the accomplishments Matt Carpenter has put together thus far into his career, Saturday marked the first time the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman tallied a game-ending RBI for the team.
“There’s just not a lot of offense,” said Carpenter, who hit flied out to left field to score Pete Kozma with the winning run in the 11th inning. Carpenter credited the pitching staffs on both teams for the extra innings on back-to-back days.
“Those guys are stepping up when we need them to,” said Carpenter. “Look at John (Lackey) today, he just pitched great. Lance (Lynn) the other day, pitched great. The difference in the game yesterday was that bases loaded jam, Lance pitching out of that. Really no difference today, with Lack leaving–I don’t know what the final total was, how many guys he left on base but pitching out of jams. These guys did a great job. We play on defense behind them and getting some hits when we need it and two hard fought wins right there.”
The Pirates set a season-high by leaving 18 runners on base, their highest total since May of 2006.
The 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh secured the seventh consecutive series win for the Cardinals, who remain on pace with the 1941 and 1944 teams for the best start (17-6) in franchise history.
WALDEN UNAVAILABLE
–Jordan Walden was not available out of the bullpen on Saturday. “Got him hot and it didn’t feel right,” shared Mike Matheny after the game. More is expected to be known on Sunday.
Walden described the situation as some “stiffness” in his shoulder that “was still barking” although he qualified that by saying he “was not concerned”.
The reliever last appeared in a game on April 29th, earning a hold for pitching a scoreless/hitless 8th inning against Philadelphia. Walden leads the Cardinals with 12 appearances this season.
photo credit: (above) Jeff Curry, Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports.
photo credit: (below) Sara Gould.
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