An icebreaker, in the form of an early run or two, has become a key element of Cardinals wins this season. It’s not a necessity, but it’s typically an indicator of which direction a game is headed.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, on Friday night Brendan Donovan and combined for an opening salvo that set the stage for one of their best offensive performances so far this season.
Boston Red Sox young ace Brayan Bello took the mound having allowed two runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts this season. He’d given up just five home runs this season and held opposing hitters to a pedestrian batting average of .210. He also just so happened to be celebrating his 25th birthday.
The Cardinals, having posted the lowest-scoring offense in the National League through their first 43 games, jumped on the birthday boy from the onset of his first career start in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
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Donovan swatted the second pitch from Bello for a leadoff double and Nootbaar followed with a two-run home run that landed approximately 430 feet away in straightaway center field. Two batters in, the Cardinals grabbed a two-run lead and set the tone for a 10-6 series-opening win over the Red Sox in front of an announced crowd of 37,961 at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals (19-25) carried that early momentum throughout the night as they scored early and often in the first of nine consecutive games against teams that were .500 or better entering play on Friday.
“The first goal is to move the runner over in that situation there, give (Paul Goldschmidt) a chance with a runner on third, at the very least, to drive him in with less than two outs in the first inning and hopefully get us on the board there,†Nootbaar said of his approach in his first-inning at-bat.
Instead, Nootbaar’s drive carried far enough that Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran had no chance of getting a glove on it without the aid of stilts.
“You never know,†Nootbaar said of his feeling at contact. “I hit one a little bit harder against Milwaukee and it didn’t go. When I hit it, I was like ‘Okay.’ At the very least he can tag up on that ball. But when you see it hit that lawn, you’re like, 'Alright, that’s pretty cool.'â€
Second baseman Nolan Gorman, designated hitter Alec Burleson, rookie shortstop Masyn Winn and Nootbaar each hit home runs in the game.
The Cardinals have now hit home runs in five consecutive games, which ties their longest streak of the season. They homered in five straight games from April 7-12.
went 3 for 5 with an RBI as the Cardinals matched their season highs for runs in a game and hits in a game.
Donovan went 2 for 5 with two runs scored, while Goldschmidt (2 for 4, one walk), Burleson (2 for 5) and Ivan Herrera (2 for 4) had two hits apiece. Nootbaar went 1 for 3 with two walks.
“That’s what it’s supposed to look like,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Those guys continue to take really competitive at-bats. You look at the last couple games, they’ve done that. Today was fun. Up and down that lineup, not a whole lot of breathing room. Extra-base hits. Homers. Some key hits when they were needed from just about everybody.â€
They also scored in seven of the eight innings they came to the plate (they did not bat in the bottom of the ninth). Eight of the nine batters in their starting lineup recorded at least one hit.
“It’s sweet because you always feel like you have a chance to get up to the plate,†Nootbaar said. “And everybody is contributing in games like that, when it feels like every inning something is happening. Tonight was a good night. We kept the guys rolling. The vibes were high definitely in the dugout.â€
Bello (4-2) entered the day with a 3.13 ERA. The opening day starter and anointed ace of the staff — he received a six-year contract extension prior to the start of the regular season — he’s the leading man of a stingiest pitching staff in the majors. The Red Sox (22-23) entered the day leading the big leagues in both team ERA and starting pitchers ERA.
Despite the Red Sox’ collective success on the mound and Bello’s individual success the Cardinals chased the right-hander from the game before he could complete five innings.
Bello, who had won his previous three starts, allowed a season-high five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Cardinals tagged him for three home runs and a total of five extra-base hits.
“We just kept string at-bats together and wear down on the starter,†Burleson said. “I think he had 50 or 60 pitches in three innings or something like that. Just wearing on him and getting to that bullpen and then having tough at-bats. It’s always good to get out early, but you definitely have to continue to add on as the game goes on.â€
After Nootbaar’s first-inning homer, the Red Sox tied the score in the second on a two-run triple by David Hamilton against Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson with two outs and two-strikes.
Gorman broke the tie in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run. Gorman’s sixth home run of the season tied him with injured catcher Willson Contreras for the team lead.
That Cardinals lead didn’t last long. tied the score again in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to start the frame. Devers’ blast went an estimated 443, the longest home run hit at Busch Stadium this season.
The 3-3 tie lasted until the fourth inning when Burleson swatted the third home run of the game by a Cardinals left-handed hitter. Burleson, who entered the day batting .280, has now hit five home runs in his last 17 games.
Burleson’s homer gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead in the fourth. They added a run in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Goldschmidt that chased Bello from the game and pressed the Red Sox bullpen into duty.
The Cardinals added five runs against the Red Sox bullpen and led by as many as five runs in the eighth inning.
“I think we’re just putting pressure, just constant pressure on the team, on the pitchers,†Arenado said of the sustained scoring. “That starter today is really good. He’s got a really good arm. We were able to lay off tough pitches and hit some balls hard, foul some balls off, just put a lot of pressure on that team.â€
Gibson (3-2) allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings, and the Red Sox added an unearned run in the ninth inning against reliever John King.
The Cardinals improved to 11-4 this season when they’ve scored first, something they did just once during their recent seven-game, two-city road trip.
“It seems like we’ve been having to come from behind a lot this year,†Arenado said. “So it was nice to kind of have the lead right there. Obviously, they scored quick. But we bounced right back also. That was huge.
"Gibby did a really good job of staying in the game. He’d probably tell you he wasn’t really happy with his performance, but he did a really good job of keeping us in the game and saving our bullpen.â€