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 St. Louis' backup catcher singled home first baseman Matt Adams
in the bottom of the 13th inning late Thursday night, lifting the
Cardinals to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers
at Busch Stadium.
Cruz, who entered the game in the top of the 10th after starter
Yadier Molina was pinch-run for in the ninth, was batting for only
the second time since Sept. 9. He was hitting only .199 in 126
at-bats.
But Cruz, who lined into a double play in the 11th, grounded a 1-1
pitch from Jimmy Nelson (2-8) past diving shortstop Jean Segura.
Adams, who reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a
single by shortstop Jhonny Peralta, easily beat center fielder
Carlos Gomez's throw home as the remnants of a sellout crowd of
44,823 erupted.
Cruz's only other walk-off hit came on July 9, 2011, when his
pinch-hit double sunk Arizona.
"It's not about me," Cruz said when asked how big the hit was. "It's
about this team. Any way you can contribute at this time of the
year, it's huge."
The hit kept St. Louis (85-68) 2 1/2 games ahead of Pittsburgh, a
3-2 winner over Boston, for first place in the National League
Central. It also reduced the Cardinals' magic number in the division
to eight.
Meanwhile, the Brewers (79-74) fell six games back of St. Louis and
3 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the NL's second wild-card spot.
Milwaukee essentially has to sweep this weekend's series in
Pittsburgh to retain any kind of realistic playoff chance.
"We've got to try to win one game at a time and go from there,"
Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun said.
The Brewers led 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, but the
Cardinals concocted a two-out rally after Jonathan Broxton relieved
starter Kyle Lohse with a man on first and one out.
Broxton induced a potential inning-ending double play from
pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski on his first pitch, but first baseman
Mark Reynolds simply tagged first and didn't throw to second,
thinking it was the third out.
It led to a walk of third baseman Matt Carpenter, followed by an RBI
single by center fielder Jon Jay. Left fielder Matt Holliday then
extended the inning with an infield single -- first base umpire
Fieldin Culbreth's out call was reversed via replay -- to fill the
bases.
Adams worked just his 24th walk of the year, taking a 3-2 pitch high
and outside to force Carpenter home with the tying run.
Milwaukee stranded six baserunners the next three innings, leaving
the bases loaded in the 11th as Gomez fanned on an 0-2 breaking ball
from Carlos Martinez. Braun then whiffed on a full-count slider in
the 12th with catcher Jonathan Lucroy at second.
"We certainly missed plenty of opportunities," Braun said. "Any time
you lose a game at this point of the season, the magnitude grows.
But this didn't come down to a single play."
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Sam Freeman (2-0) worked a clean 13th for the win, capping seven
scoreless innings by the St. Louis bullpen. "They were in tough
spots all the way through," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said,
"and they gave us an opportunity to win."
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by
third baseman Aramis Ramirez, then expanded it to 2-0 an inning
later when second baseman Scooter Gennett bounced a run-scoring
single off Adams' glove.
Lohse mowed down a lineup that has given him fits over the last two
years, peppering him to the tune of a 6.63 ERA. In 7 1/3 innings,
the veteran gave up only four hits and a run with a walk and two
strikeouts.
Cardinals starter Shelby Miller permitting just five hits and two
runs, one earned, in six innings. He walked none and fanned four.
Long after he departed, Miller was sitting in the team's video room
with video coordinator Chad Blair as Cruz prepared to play the role
of unlikely hero.
"I asked Chad how many walk-off hits Tony's had," Miller said, "and
Chad said, 'After this, he's going to have one.'"
NOTES: Adam Wainwright's 2-0 win Wednesday night marked the 21st
shutout of the year for St. Louis, its most since the 1968 team had
30. The Cardinals are tied with Tampa Bay for most shutouts in the
majors. ... Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin shot down a report
Wednesday that the team had already decided to exercise its half of
3B Aramis Ramirez's $14 million mutual option contract for next
year. If both don't sign off on it, Ramirez is due a $4 million
buyout, to be paid in $2 million installments over the next two
years. ... The Brewers will have a new Triple-A affiliate next year
in the Pacific Coast League after Nashville opted to drop them in
favor of Oakland. Milwaukee will likely end up in Fresno or Colorado
Springs.
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reserved.]
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