| Advertisement |
ST. LOUIS -- John Lackey briefly thought about pleading with manager Mike Matheny for one more chance to finish what he started Saturday night. "You can't do that every time. It's not as effective the next time," the St. Louis Cardinals' starting pitcher laughed.
Advertisement
Lackey fell two outs shy of the team's first nine-inning complete game of the year but did bag his 10th win and 12th straight quality start in a 6-2 decision over the Miami Marlins at sold-out Busch Stadium.
Throwing a season-high 114 pitches, Lackey (10-7) scattered nine hits in 8 1/3 innings, leaving after catcher J.T. Realmuto's single. Former Miami closer Steve Cishek picked up the last two outs as St. Louis (75-41) climbed 34 games above .500 for the first time this year.
Lackey, who walked one and struck out six, was touched for six hits in his first 12 batters. But he retired the next nine he faced before yielding a one-out homer in the sixth to first baseman Justin Bour.
That was it for the Miami offense as Lackey kept pounding the strike zone and letting his defense make plays behind him.
"I relied a lot on my defense," he said. "They put the ball in play early and we played great defense."
Meanwhile, the Cardinals collected 13 hits, none bigger than the one Mark Reynolds supplied in the sixth. On a 3-0 pitch, manager Mike Matheny flashed the green light and Reynolds made it pay off by lining a three-run homer over the center field wall, his 10th home run of the year.
That turned a one-run nailbiter into another routine win under the Gateway Arch, where St. Louis boasts the sport's top home record at 44-17. It also capped a second straight two-hit night for Reynolds, who is making a spirited bid to reclaim the first base job he lost after the team traded for Cleveland's Brandon Moss on July 30.
"He's been very impressive with his presence in the clubhouse," Matheny said of Reynolds, who became the first baseman when Matt Adams injured his right quad on May 26. "We're wanting someone to jump up and take that job at first base. We like how he's swung the bat the last two nights."
Reynolds' blast ruined the night for Marlins starter Brad Hand (2-3), who was lit up for 11 hits and six runs in six innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
"I wasn't trying to lay one in for him," Hand said of his 3-0 pitch to Reynolds. "It just got a little bit too much of the plate. It's frustrating."
Center fielder Randal Grichuk started the scoring with a 444-foot shot over the left field bleachers in the first, his 15th homer of the year. Miami (46-70) tied it in the second when Lackey balked center fielder Marcell Ozuna home.
The Cardinals regained the lead for good in the second on an RBI groundout by second baseman Kolten Wong and a two-out run-scoring hit by Lackey.
Overshadowed by the Marlins' latest loss was the latest milestone in right fielder Ichiro Suzuki's career. His first-inning single was the 4,192nd hit of a career split between the majors and Japan's top professional league, breaking an unofficial tie with Ty Cobb. Pete Rose holds the MLB record with 4,256 hits.
The audience of 44,706 accorded Suzuki a standing ovation and he responded by doffing his helmet.
"I really wasn't expecting the reaction that I got," he said. "The fans here are known to know their baseball and they're very high-class, but obviously, I was moved. It definitely became a special place for me tonight." NOTES: Miami CF Christian Yelich (right knee contusion) went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday. Yelich, who has not played since a win last Sunday in Atlanta, is batting .275 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 92 games. ... St. Louis inducted its second Hall of Fame class Saturday in a ceremony before the game. This year's honorees are Ted Simmons, Curt Flood, Bob Forsch and George Kissell. ... The Marlins recalled CF Marcell Ozuna from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Yelich. Ozuna, who played and hit fifth, batted .249 with four home runs and 26 home runs for Miami before being optioned last month.
