(Busch Stadium) Following the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, Manager Mike Matheny suggested Adam Wainwright “found something” that enabled the starter to lock in after the first couple innings of work.
“I found that next gear I’d been looking for,” smiled Wainwright. “The conviction that goes behind each pitch was evident, I thought. They pushed that last run across, but if you look at the quality of the pitches and the difference the ball comes out–it’s no comparison.”
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“I had it for every batter after the first,” he added. “If there’s that much of an extra gear, I need to be very conscious going into my next start of coming out with that gear as opposed to having to get there after they push a couple across. That’s a good teach for me. That’s something that now I know it’s in there, now I know how to get it.”
After allowing four straight hits and two runs in the 1st inning, Wainwright retired 14 Pirates in a row at one point and was in line to win the game before Pittsburgh rallied in the 7th to tie the game.
“That was me today, no doubt about it,” he said. “That was me.”
Wainwright finished with a line of 6.1 innings pitched allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts. He also continued his power display at the plate, doubling in his first at-bat.
According to Elias, Wainwright is the first Cardinals pitcher of the Modern Era (after 1900) to have an extra base hit in four consecutive at-bats. He hit a triple, home run, double, and a double in that stretch.
LET’S GO BLUES
As is becoming customary, the foghorn sounded at Busch Stadium to alert the crowd to each of the St. Louis Blues goals. As Troy Brouwer lit the lamp in Dallas, Wainwright got Pittsburgh catcher Francisco Cervelli on a key strikeout just as the horn sounded in the ballpark.
“Wasn’t it awesome he was so excited I struck out Cervelli right there–crowd went crazy, they really were behind me,” joked Wainwright, noting it’s neither a boost or distracting. “We know that noise, the Blues scored. We’re all rooting for the Blues too. We want them to score as many goals as they can.”
photo credit: Jeff Curry, Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
