Thank you once again for joining VAVEL for LIVE MLB Sunday night coverage. Next week, we have the Texas Rangers at the New York Yankees. Thank you again, and GOOD NIGHT, EVERYONE!
On Monday, the Tigers host Milwaukee, and St. Louis travels to the New York Mets.
The loser is Alfredo Simon: 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
The winning pitcher is Lance Lynn: 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K.
The final score is St. Louis 2, Detroit 1. Kolten Wong won it with a solo home run in the sixth.
Sinking liner is CAUGHT by Kolten Wong, and that ends tha ball game. Wong darts up the middle to shang the ball just above the ground to put this one way.
Jose Iglesias has a chance. Andrew Romine will pinch run for McCann.
Looping liner into right field for a base hit. The Tigers still have life. Wong leaoed over his shoulder, but the ball was just out of his reach.
Ground ball to short, and Peralta makes the easy play to first for Out #2. Last chance for the Tigers, and it is up to James McCann.
Cespedes pops up to Reynolds at first for the the first out. Two chances left, and Nick Castellanos is up.
Yoenis Cespedes is facing Rosenthal, who is 12 for 13 in save opportunities.
Top 9: Detroit will send up Cespedes, Castellano, and McCann to start it off. They may have to face Trevor Rosenthal.
HIGH pop up to Miguel Cabrera to retire the side. Top of the ninth, last chance for the Tigers as they need one to tie.
Maness threw one pitch and got out of the eighth inning to keep the score 2-1 in favor of the Cardinals.
Ground ball to Iglesias at short, He throws to first in time for the second out. 2 down, bases empty for pinch hitter Randal Grichuk.
Peter Bourjos is 1 for 1, 3B, R, 2 BB.
Wong grounds to Kinsler for the first out.
Kolten Wong, 1 for 2, HR, leads off the eighth.
Wong, Bourjos, and Maness are due up in the bottom of the eighth. We will see whom Mike Matheny sends up to hit for Maness.
Lynn will finish with this line: 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K. He stands to win it if the bullpen can hold the lead. With Rosenthal lurking, that is VERY possible. Lynn threw 120 pitches.
First pitch swinging, and J.D. Martinez grounds into the 5-4-3 double play. One pitch, and Maness is out of the inning. The Tigers do not score. We go to the bottom of the 8th, 2-1 Cardinals.
Lynn's line so far: 7.1 IP, 1 ER so far, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- responsible for two runners on base.
Lynn gets a very nice round of applause from the fans as he exits. Seth Maness enters.
Ball four to Cabrera on four pitches. That may be it for Lynn, who has done a terrific job tonight. Matheny is out, and that IS all.
One on, one out for Miggy. Does Lynn have enough left to face him?
Kinsler draws the walk, and he is on base for the third time tonight. Lynn, Molina, and Matheny all give the umpire a hard glare.
Replay shows that Peralta got a very poor jump on the single from Molina; that most likely cost him the run and gave Cespedes a chance to throw him out.
Gose flies to shallow right, and Heyward is there for the first out.
Lance Lynn is still in there for St. Louis. He has really pitched well, and he -- so far -- gets his chance to continue.
Top 8: Tigers will send up the top of the order: Gose, Kinsler, and Cabrera.
Ground ball, BASE HIT to left. Cepsedes comes up firing, and gets Peralta at the plate. This play is not close enough for a challenge. The side is retired. The Cardinals still lead 2-1 after seven.
2-1 Cardinals in the bottom of the seventh.
Reynolds smacks one into left field for a base hit. Peralta stops at second. 2 on, 2 out for Yadier Molina.
Al Alburquerque is up in the Tigers' bullpen.
Mark Reynolds (.241) pinch hits for Matt Adams. He will likely go to first base in the eighth.
Pitching change: Lefty Tom Gorzelanny will come in to face Matt Adams.
Base hit through the left side for Peralta. One on wth two out for Matt Adams.
Soft liner back to the mound, and Wilson is able to grab it. 2 down for Peralta.
Matt Holliday is 1 for 2 and hitting .331.
Simon's line: 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR.
High, lazy pop up to Gose in center field for the first out.
Matt Carpenter leads off, facing Alex Wilson, who takes over for Alfredo Simon.
Bottom 7: Due up -- Carpenter, Holliday, Peralta
Martinez pops out to third baseman Carpenter in foul ground. Carpenter ran for it and caught it on the dead run to retire the side. The Tigers fail to score and leave a man at third. Bottom of the 7th coming up, and the Cardinals lead 2-1.
Victor Martinez will pinch hit for Alfredo Simon. This is his first at bat of the series. Yes, Lynn will pitch to him.
Chopper to second. Wong gets the out, and McCann moves onto third.
Iglesias (1 for 2) is now hitting .352 and leading the A.L.
First pitch to right bounces in front of Heyward and then off his chest and lands safely. He has to run and slide, and the scoring is a double for McCann.
Nick Castellanos lines the first pitch to Matt Holliday in left for Out #1.
Top 7: The Tigers have Castellano, McCann, and Iglesias due up.
Strike three, and the inning is over. Kolten Wong gives the Cardinals the lead with the blast, and it is 201 St. Louis after six.
Jason Heyward is 0 for 3.
Lynn bunts to the mound. Simon makes the play to first, and Bourjos advances on the sacrifice. 2 away.
Bourjos draws the walk. Runner on for Lance Lynn with one out.
Wong's home run traveled 434 feet into the right-field stands -- over the bullpen and off the wall behind it on the fly. What a shot!
Wong DRILLS the first pitch into the right-field stands for a laser-beam home run. The Cardinals lead 2-1. The ball sounded like a cannon making impact with Wong's bat.
Molina: Line drive to left-fileder Yoenis Cespedes. 1 away. Cespedes moved only a few steps to get that one.
In the bottom of the sixth, St. Louis will send up Molina (1 for 2), Wong (0 for 1), and Bourjos (1 for 1, R).
Strike three to Cespedes, and the inning is over. We go to the bottom of the sixth STILL tied at 1.
Lynn is approaching the 100-pitch mark. Full count to Cespedes.
Kinsler steals second without a throw. The pitch was well over Molina's head. He had to reach and had no chance at Kinsler anyway.
Martinez chases one well outside for strike three. 2 down for Yoenis Cespedes.
Cabrera pops it up to center fielder Bourjos. 1 away for J.D. Martinez.
Miguel Cabrera is 1 for 2 with 1 RBI.
Bunt single toward Matt Carpenter at third on the first pitch. Kinsler beats the throw to first for the hit.
Ian Kinsler is 1 fir 2 wit a runs scored.
Kinsler, Cabrera, and Martinez will come up in the top of the sixth for Detroit.
Adams smacks it right at Cabrera, who takes the play himself to end the inning. Ot looked like St. Louis would score, but the replay keeps the game tied at 1.
Meeting at the mound as the pitcher and catcher get together about the signs.
Two outs, runner at second for Matt Adams.
Carpenter is out at the plate, and Holliday holds at second. He should have advanced, but he did not take advatage of the throw home.
The final ruling is... OUT! Not enough evidence to overturn the call, and the crowd BOOS very loudly.
The crowd is cheering, indicating safe, but that is the home team and crowd. Carpenter did look safe on several angles. The crowd chants, "Safe, Safe, Safe!"
The challenge is under way. The replay shows that he may habve just barely beaten the tag. Let's see how the ruling goes in New York.
Grounded to third. Castellanos throws home to nail Carpenter at the plate for the out. Will the Cardinals challenge?
Jhonny Peralta has two men in scoring position.
Matt Holliday drills it down the left-field line. Carpenter rounds second and heads to third while Holliday stops at second with a double. Castellanos played him off the line and paid for it.
Looping liner into left for Carpenter's second hit of the night. He no longer looks fatigued. He is raking just as much now as before he sat out to rest.
Heyward breaks his bat as he grounds to Castellano at third for the first out. Matt Carpenter steps in (1 for 2).
Jason Heyward is 0 for 2.
Bottom 5: Due up for the Cardinals -- Heyward, Carpenter, Holliday.
Lazy fly ball to left for Gose. 1-2-3 go the Tigers in the fifth. After 4 1/2, still tied 1-1.
Anthony Gose is 0 for 2.
Simon: Swinging strikeout for Out #2.
Bouncer to the mound, and Lynn flips to first for the out. 1 away.
Iglesias is 1 for 1 and leading the A.L. with a .356 batting average.
Due up in the top of the fifth for the Tigers are Iglesias, Simon, and Gose.
Lynn strikes out on three pitches to end the inning. The strategy pays off, and we are still tied after four.
He will draw the intentional walk with Lance Lynn on deck. Lynn drove home Bourjos his last time up.
Peter Bourjos tripled and scored in the bottom of the third.
Wong strikes out swinging for Out #2.
Wong is 1 for 1 with a caught stealing.
Blooping double down the left-field line JUST fair. Molina is at second with one out.
This is not news, obviously, but Yadier is one of three brothers to catch in the Majors AND win a World Series. Bengi and Jose are the others. Imagine how proud Mr. and Mrs. Molina are!
Molina is hitting .381 in his last 12 games -- .281 on the season.
Matt Adams grounds hard to Kinsler at second. Easy play for the first out.
Bottom of the 4th: Due up for the Redbirds are Adams (correction), Molina, and Wong.
McCann pops out to Heyward to end the inning. One hit but nothing else for Detroit in the fourth, and we are still tied.
James McCann struck out his first time up.
Another high pop to right, This time, it is Heyward who makes the catch. 2 away.
One on, one out for Nick Castellano, who is 0 for 1.
Cespedes (.288) pops it very high into right center, and Bourjos comes in to make the play. 1 away.
Slow roller to Peralta. He tries to bare-hand it but comes up empty. Infield single for Martinez. That was the only chance Peralta had.
J.D Martinez leads it off.
Top 4: Martinez, Cespedes, and Castellano are due up.
Right back to the box. Simon underhands it to Cabrera to retire the side. St. Louis ties the game thanks to Lance Lynn.
Holliday walks. Two on, two out for Jhonny Peralta.
Matt Holliday is 0 for 1.
Carpenter flies hig hand depp to left, and Cespedes tracks it perfectly for Out #2.
The Cardinals wear the OT patch on their sleeves in honor of their fallen teammate Oscar Taveras, who died in a car crash during the 2014 World Series.
Heyward lines it into center, bur right at Gose, who makes the catch for the first out. Simon is not fooling anyone at the moment.
AND HE DOES with a line shot single down the right-field line. Bourjos scores, and we are tied at 1.
Lance Lynn (.133) has a chance to tie the game.
Gose missed the cutoff man, and that was the opening Bourjos needed. The throw was well off the bag.
Line shot to the center field wall, and with his speed, he makes it all the way to third without a play for a lead-off triple!
Bottom 3: Due up for St. Louis are Bourjos, Lynn, and Heyward. Bourjos was up when Wong was caught stealing to end the second, so he gets another chance leading off the third.
Strike three as Miggy chases a fastball well up and out of the zone. After 2 1/2, Tigers lead 1-0.
Lynn is taking his time between pitches. Full count.
Cabrera hit home run #400 yesterday! He drove home the run in the first with a double.
Kinsler pops up into very shallow right. Heyward runs in and makes the catch. 2 down for Cabrera.
Ian Kinsler singled and scored in the first. He is fouling off pitches again. Lance Lynn is getting his work in so far tonight.
Gose chops it to third, and Carpenter makes the easy play for Out #1.
Gose is o for 1.
Top of the third: Detroit has the top of the order -- Gose, Kinsler, Cabrera -- due up.
Wong attempts to steal, but McCann guns him down by plenty. Side retired. One hit, nobody left. After two, it's 1-0 Tigers.
Peter Bourjos (.263) steps in.
Wong draws the walk to give the Cardinals a runner at first with two outs.
Kolten Wong (.310) could not handle the ephus pitch and gave a chuckle.
Expect to see Cespedes on the highlight shows tonight and tomorrow morning.
Yadier Molina flies the first pitch to right for the second out. Martinez makes the catch.
Long fly into left field, and Cespedes makes a great running over-the-shoulder catch for the out. He looked like a wide receiver reaching for the touchdown pass!
Matt Adams (.243) leads off the second.
In the bottom of the second, St. Louis will send up Adams, Molina, and Wong.
Simon grounds sharply to Wong, who gets him to retire the side. Iglesias's hit got Simon out of the way, so it was still productive. Bottom of the second coming up with Detroit leading 1-0.
Alfredo Simon steps in.
First-pitch single into left. Iglesias leads the A.L. in hitting, and he just showed why.
Swing and a miss for strike three. 2 down bases empty for Jose Iglesias (.350).
McCann is hitting .279, 1 HR, 6 RBI. Alex Avila is on the DL with a knee injury.
First pitch is hit hard right at Kolten Wong at second base. He gets the very easy out at first.
Top 2: Detroit has Castellano, McCann, and Iglesias due up.
Bouncer to third, Castellanos over to first to retire the side. One hit, one left. After one, Detroit leads 1-0.
Jhonny Peralta (.301) hits with two down and a runner at first.
First-pitch pop up into right field, and Martinez is there for the catch. 2 down.
One on, one out for Matt Holliday (.328).
Line drive base hit into center field. This looks just like the Tigers' first inning so far. Let;s see what happens.
Carpenter (.323, 7 HR) has led off most of the season, but he bats second tonight. This is Heyward's first time leading off this season.
Swing and a miss for strike three and out one. Matt Carpenter steps in.
Jason Heyward leads it off. He is hitting .252, 3 HR, 10 RBI.
Bottom 1 -- Due up for St. Louis are Heyward, Carpenter, and Holliday.
Grounder to first. Matt Adams bobbles it but then wins the foot race to the bag to retire the side. One run on two hits, one man left. Detroit leads 1-0.
Yoenis Cespedes is hitting .290.
Strike three swinging for the second out.
J.D. Martinez is also making Lynn work hard in the first inning.
No Victor Martinez beause of the iptcher hitting in the N.L. ball park. He has enjoyed a few days of rest.
J.D. Martinez steps in at .252, 8 HR, 17 RBI.
Double to right for Miggy. It rolls to the wall. Kinsler comes around from first to score and give Detroit an early 1-0 lead. Any lift and that ball is gone.
Miguel Cabrera (.333) hits with a man on and one away.
High fly to right, and it drops in for a hit. It landed right between Heyward and Bourjos.
Kinsler has fouled off six straight pitches to keep the at bat alive.
Ian Kinsler (.311) is up second. He has 17 multi-hit games but no home runs.
Gose strikes out swinging for the first out.
Anthony Gose steps in to lead it off!
The first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EDT.
Keys to the game: Since both teams hit, pitch, field, and run so well with excellent coaching and managing, the key to tonight’s game is simply playing well and avoiding mistakes. Heyward’s base-running error Saturday kept the game tied at three. He was on second and failed to score on a ball hit off the wall, tagging up and stopping at third. Detroit then won it in extra innings. The team that makes only one or two mental or physical errors could find itself losing as the other knows how to take advantage of any opening.
The Cardinals’ starting lineup
1. Jason Heyward, RF
2. Matt Carpenter, 3B
3. Matt Holliday, LF
4. Jhonny Peralta, SS
5. Matt Adams, 1B
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Kolten Wong, 2B
8. Peter Bourjos, CF
9. Lance Lynn, P
The Tigers’ starting lineup
1. Anthony Gose, CF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. J.D. Martinez, RF
5. Yoenis Cespedes, LF
6. Nick Castellanos, 3B
7. James McCann, C
8. Julio Iglesias, SS
9. Alfredo Simon, P
Tigers’ starting pitcher
The Tigers will send Alfredo Simon (4-1, 3.05) to the mound. The right-hander has allowed 15 earned runs on 44 1/3 innings in seven starts. Simon, has allowed three home runs and compiled a solid 1.20 WHIP. Only once has he allowed more than three earned runs. His last time out, Simon allowed one run on six hits in 7 2/3 innings for no decision against the Twins on May 12.
Cardinals’ starting pitcher
Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.27 ERA) taken over as the Cardinal’s ace in Wainwright’s absence. He has made seven starts so far, allowing 15 earned runs in 41 1/3 innings while compiling a 1.28 WHIP. Only twice has he allowed more than one earned run, but he did allow six and five, respectively, in those games. In his last start, Lynn pitched six scoreless innings against the Cleveland Indians on May 12.
The Cardinals rank #6 in the National League in runs scored, led by Matt Carpenter’s .323/.388/.623 slash line with 7 HR and 24 RBI, both team-leading power numbers. He is over his fatigue issues, and he has gotten some clutch hits since his return to the lineup on May 12. Matt Holliday has driven in 21 runs to help boost the offense.
Miguel Cabrera leads the very potent offense once again. Detroit is hitting .283 as a team and is fifth in the American League in runs scored. Cabrera is hitting .333 with 10 HR and 29 RBI after a slow start. Anthony Gose is hitting. 354 with 6 SB and 17 R at the top of the batting order.
Detroit starters are starting to perform better after earlier struggles as they have improved their ERA to 3.94. Justin Verlander is showing signs of getting ready to return to the mound. The bullpen has pitched much better so far this year (3.08), and after they lost Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria has stepped up to save 12 games in as many chances.
As play began on May 17, The Cardinals pitching staff led the Major Leagues in ERA at 2.92, which more than makes up for the loss of Adam Wainwright. Starters have a 3.22 combined ERA, and the bullpen is 2.24, which ranks third in the Majors. Six Cardinals relievers are under 2.00, and Trevor Rosenthal is 13 for 13 in save opportunities.
Following this three-game series, which concludes tonight, the Cardinals travel for four games with the New York Mets. Detroit will continue its Interleague schedule by hosting the Milwaukee Brewers over the next three days. The Tigers will then become huge Cardinals fans as St. Louis visits Kansas City next weekend. Detroit and St. Louis do not meet again unless they both reach the World Series as they did in 2006.
Both the Tigers and the Cardinals have cooled off just a bit in recent days, but they are still major forces as they are every year. So far in this weekend’s series, Detroit has won the first two games. Detroit won Friday’s game 10-4 thanks to a late-inning outburst which saw them score eight times from the seventh inning on. Detroit took Saturday's game 4-3 in 10 innings after getting some help via a poor base-running decision from the Cardinals' Jason Heyward.
Entering play on Sunday, May 17, the St. Louis Cardinals (24-12) hold a three-game lead over the Chicago Cubs (21-15) while the Detroit Tigers (23-14) are tied with the Kansas City Royals while the Minnesota Twins (21-16) follow just two games behind. The Cubs and Twins are the surprise teams in their respective divisions as few predicted that either team will content. However, Detroit and St. Louis are sure pereenial contenders and have reached the postseaon nealry every year of this decade.
By the end of the coming week, the Major League Baseball season will have surpassed the quarter point, and we can already see that we will have some tight and exciting races in all six divisions. Both the American League Central and the National League Central will most likely follow that pattern, and tonight’s game between central division leaders could give us a sneak peak at a potential World Series match-up.