MILWAUKEE — Ryan Fernandez’s payoff pitch to Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the 10th inning was a slider that broke far out of the zone, but that didn’t stop Hoskins from flailing at it for strike three.
Hoskins was far from the only hitter unable to come through. Fernandez, serving as the St. Louis Cardinals’ de facto closer with Ryan Helsley unavailable after throwing two innings in Tuesday’s victory, struck out the side. He sealed the deal on a 3-2 win as the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers in extra innings for the second consecutive day.
For all the chatter regarding the Cardinals’ 22-game stretch against postseason-caliber teams and their steep uphill battle in the National League wild-card race, they have held their own. They are back to two games over .500 and are clinging to postseason hopes, trailing the Atlanta Braves by 5 1/2 games with 22 remaining.
Having a roster with depth helps them remain afloat.
“You have moves you can make that put (players) in a better spot to have success,” manager Oli Marmol said. “You have more options. That game was fun, it really was, because there were a lot of moving parts to it.”
Ryan Fernandez’ stuff took an enormous leap tonight.
FF avg 20.5″ IVB (season avg 16.5″), but his slider stole the show. Was 5/7 on whiffs, -3.88 avg HAA is the most he’s had all season. More sweeping visual to RHB.
Struck out the side and tallied a huge save pic.twitter.com/gmRoyOjQA3
— Jacob (@JacobE_STL) September 5, 2024
The Cardinals scored two runs on bases-loaded walks in the top of the first to hand Sonny Gray an early lead. In return, Gray provided the exact start the club needed. Gray stymied the Brewers for seven innings, allowing just one earned run with seven strikeouts. But a homer from Eric Haase in the eighth inning off JoJo Romero evened the score at 2-2, forcing Marmol to decide how best to deploy his bullpen and bench.
In prior games, especially in the first half, Marmol’s bench was limited. The Cardinals underwent a significant roster upheaval over the past two weeks to ensure the active roster could be used to its full potential. The rosters expanding from 26 players to 28 players on Sept. 1 allowed for better flexibility.
Throughout Wednesday’s game, the difference was clear. After many mixed messages about multiple players, the Cardinals have decided on set roles for their roster. That includes using Jordan Walker as an everyday player (though he was out of Wednesday’s lineup for a standard rest day), slotting Brendan Donovan as the starting second baseman, starting Michael Siani in center field with Victor Scott II serving as a defensive replacement or pinch runner, and utilizing Luken Baker as a right-handed bat off the bench.
The ideal situation for Baker presented itself in the 1oth inning. With two outs and Masyn Winn on second base as the automatic runner and Nolan Arenado on first after being intentionally walked, Brendan Donovan was due up against right-hander Joel Payamps. Brewers manager Pat Murphy opted for the lefty matchup and motioned for left-hander Hoby Milner. The Cardinals rarely pinch hit for Donovan, who doesn’t post glaring splits, but Baker was brought up from Triple A specifically for this type of scenario.
Marmol pinch hit Baker for Donovan, who in turn worked a 2-1 count off Milner before sticking with a changeup on the outside part of the plate and slapping it up the middle for a base hit. Winn’s speed allowed him to score the go-ahead run with ease.
Luken Baker gives us the lead in extras! pic.twitter.com/fCxfsoPZFx
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 5, 2024
“That’s the ultimate goal, right?” Baker said. “You have to score runs to win games, and if my job is to get guys home with runners in scoring position, or if my goal is to go out there and hit a solo home run, the job is to score more than the other team. The more I can drive runs in, the better.”
Fernandez followed up with a gutsy performance of his own, striking out Haase and Brice Turang on a pair of sliders. St. Louis then intentionally walked Jackson Chourio to set up a more favorable matchup with Hoskins, with Marmol citing Hoskin’s higher strikeout rate and Fernandez’s swing-and-miss rate. Fernandez offered Hoskins a first-pitch cutter, followed by six consecutive sliders. Hoskins chased on the seventh pitch, sealing the Cardinals’ win and Fernandez’s second career save.
“I’ve (closed games) a lot in my career in the minors,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, big leagues are a little different, but I have experience with the pressure as far as coming into a close game or closing a game out. I’m pretty comfortable with the adrenaline and pressure that comes along with it.”
That St. Louis squeezed out another pivotal win without their closer because the bench was able to come through is telling. The Cardinals have won four of their last five series and have seen an uptick in their play across the board. They have not surrendered to the possibility that their season will end in September, even if their playoff odds remain at less than 2 percent, per FanGraphs. Most of their wins lately have not come easy, nor have they been particularly pretty. But they have allowed the Cardinals to remain determined about how they’ll finish the remaining 3 1/2 weeks of the regular season.
“They’re bought in, they’re committed,” Marmol said about his team. “They’re just going to go ahead and stay present. The guys did a really nice job of staying present today.”
(Photo of Luken Baker: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
