After a bit of a dry spell, the St. Louis Cardinals‘ bats came alive at just the right time on Thursday against the San Diego Padres.
Jack Flaherty made the start for St. Louis and pitched six innings, allowing three runs, two of them being earned, and striking out nine.
After his final inning of work, the Cardinals were still trailing, 3-1.
But with the bases loaded, Brendan Donovan connected for a grand slam to put St. Louis on top, 5-3, which put Flaherty in line for the win.
Steven Matz, Ryan Helsley, and Giovanny Gallegos combined for three innings of one run ball as the Cards held on for a 5-4 win, giving Flaherty his first victory of the season.
Here's Steven Matz in relief, making this Flaherty's final line.
It's his first quality start of the season. He leaves in line for the win, which would also be his first of the season.
Let's stretch! Cardinals up, 5-3. #STLCards https://t.co/FHpFqXfu45
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) September 22, 2022
Flaherty Tosses First Quality Start
It’s been a long road to recovery for Flaherty, but he seems to be getting better with each start.
This was certainly a good sign for the Cardinals, who inched closer to clinching the NL Central, decreasing their magic number to five as they head to Los Angeles for three.
Flaherty may not have been perfect, but he did exactly what the Cards needed him to do yesterday, giving them a quality start.
He kept them in the game long enough and allowed them a chance to come back and pick up a much-needed win, which they did, maintaining their 7.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.
It was the 88th win of the year for the Cardinals.
St. Louis won 90 games a season ago.
But now, thanks to a solid start from Flaherty and the reawakening of the bats, an NL Central title is within reach.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for St. Louis, who could clinch as early as Sunday.
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