|
 Pinch-hitter Brandon Moss' one-out RBI single in the bottom of the
ninth kept the Cardinals from having to play their 15th extra-inning
game of the year.
The fact the gamble paid off was a good thing because the Cardinals
would have been almost completely out of troops had the game reached
the 10th.
Beginning with the decision to pinch-hit starting catcher Yadier
Molina for backup Tony Cruz in the seventh, Matheny burned through
his bench fast.
Greg Garcia pinch-hit to begin the eighth and singled, eventually
reaching third on a wild pitch and flyout.
At that point, Matheny lifted Garcia for pinch-runner Peter Bourjos,
feeling his superior speed might make the difference in breaking
open a 2-2 game.
However, Bourjos ended up being wasted when Kolten Wong rapped into
an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
Matheny kept pushing his chips to the table in the ninth, sending
Moss up for Mark Reynolds as the Rockies had no lefties warming up.
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Had Moss made an out, though, Colorado could have intentionally
walked Molina and forced Matheny to hit closer Trevor Rosenthal or
send up .147-hitting Pete Kozma for the pitcher.
Moss' grounder into left field made those possibilities irrelevant
but a different outcome in his at-bat might have meant a different
outcome for the game.
"I don't know if I've been around anyone who's been as happy to put
on a Cardinal uniform. We put him in a tough spot today, and he
delivered. He took what the pitcher gave him," Matheny said of
recent acquisition Moss.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
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