Cards top Bucs in finale
Cards top Bucs in finale
MLB.com ST. LOUIS — With the sort of fastball-curveball mix Tyler Glasnow flashed on Thursday, the Pirates left Busch Stadium with visions of a promising future ahead for their top prospect. They did not, however, depart with an eighth straight win.
The No. 8 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com, Glasnow was making his Major League debut but found himself outpitched by veteran Adam Wainwright, who put an end to the Cardinals' three-game skid by playing stopper in a 5-1 victory. Homers from outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty provided the necessary support.
'That's what we needed from our ace,' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. 'He was great. He came in with a plan of picking it up for us. You talk about having that stopper, having that guy who can stop one of those bad runs. Today was a great example of that.' Wainwright matched his season high with nine strikeouts and improved to 8-5 with the 113-pitch, seveninning outing. Wainwright blinked first, allowing a second- inning run, but the Cardinals' offense then made the most of the little they got against Glasnow.
Glasnow allowed three hits — all of which turned into runs — over 5 1/3 innings. His fourth-inning wild pitch also helped lift the Cardinals off the hook after it looked like they were going to waste a leadoff triple. A walk ended Glasnow's debut, and Pirates reliever Arquimedes Caminero let the sixth unravel further when, two pitches into his appearance, he served up a three-run homer to Piscotty.
'I think my stuff didn't have as much bite to it, but it was definitely nice going out there and being able to control it,' Glasnow said. 'It was a really fun experience.'
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Progress report: Grichuk's return from a 15-game stint at Triple-A Memphis has gotten off to an encouraging start. Grichuk delivered a go-ahead homer off Glasnow in the fifth inning and singled again in the seventh. That gives the center fielder five hits in eight atbats since he was recalled. Statcast™ tracked his homer at a projected 441 feet from the plate, Grichuk's second longest this season, and 106 mph off the bat.
'Nice to see just the quality at-bats Grichuk is taking,' Matheny said. 'You realize that once he gets into a good rhythm and he's seeing the ball and establishing the strike zone, the ball is going to jump. We need somebody to step up.'
The Glasnow Experience: Within his first two batters of the game, Glasnow encapsulated his promise and potential room for growth. The 6-foot-8 righthander walked leadoff man Greg Garcia, who then stole second base as Glasnow fanned Aledmys Diaz for his first big league strikeout. While Glasnow's high strikeout totals in the Minors captured fans' attention, his control issues led the Pirates to keep him in Triple-A for a little longer.
By Adam Berry and Jenifer Langosch
