St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan, right, scores what would be the winning run and runs past Andrew Knizner (left) against the San Francisco Giants during the top of the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP News photo)

St. Louis. 3. 6. 0

San Francisco. 2. 7. 0

Friday May 6, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–When dawn broke this morning over the Bay Area, optimism was nowhere to be found among fans of the local baseball teams. It had gone down the Bay Tube. The Athletics were in the throes of a sixth game losing streak, and the San Francisco Giants (14-12), with seven players on the injury and covid list and another on bereavement leave, had just lost their fourth in a row, dropping them to fourth place in the NL West with a record of 14-11 after another bullpen meltdown changed a close game into a disastrous 7-1 defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals (16-10) Thursday night.

Over the last six games, San Francisco’s relievers’ innings pitched have equalled the amount of earned runs they’ve allowed, 28. On the bright side, LaMonte Wade, Jr., came off the injured list today to make his first appearance of the season, leading off and playing right field. Unfortunatey, he went 0 for 2, including a strikeout.

The teams from the Gateway City and the City by the Golden Gate met again tonight in the second of their four game series, which will last through Sunday. The Cards sent three year veteran JordanHicks to the mound.

The fireball hurling right hander had been used exclusively in relief until two weeks ago, when on April 21, he started against the Marlins in Miami and pitched decently for three innings, allowing one run on two hits and a couple of walks but taking the loss. In his two subsequent starts, he lost to the Mets and left without a decision against the Diamondbacks.

He went 3-1/2 innings in that last appearance, his longest as what the St. Louis media has called a starter. In fact, he really shouldn’t be given that name, but that’s what they call him in St.Louis.

The Redbirds’ manager, Oli Mármol, had this to say on the question when interviewed by Kevin Wheeler on KMOX: “He’s gonna come in and start the game, and they’ll evaluate it inning by inning …. [He’s] not what you would think of technically as an opener, which is a guy who comes in, pitches to the top of the order, and then comes out of the game.” Let’s just call him an extended opener and mention that he brought a record of 1-2 ERA 3.65 with him to the mound.

Alex Cobb, who returned from the IL on May Day and couldn’t finish the first inning, giving up five runs before leaving with two down.

The Cardinals touched him for four hits and three walks, but it can be said in Cobb’s defense that a costly error in left made all but one of those runs unearned. His defense was no defense. He throws mainly sinkers and splitters, with an occasional curve for variety. Those sinkers average a little less than 95mph.

Cobb was masterful the first time through the St. Louis order. He didn’t allow a baserunner until the top of the fourth, when he issued a one out, full count walk to Paul Goldschmidt.

Nolan Arenado followed that with a hard bounder down the line that barely skipped over a diving Jason Vosler’s glove into left field for a double that sent Goldschmidt to third. At this point, Cobb recovered to strike out Juan Yépez on three pitches. Half of the dozen outs he recorded by the end of the frame had been Ks.

There was nothing shabby about Hicks´performance in his early innings. A walk to Crawford and a single to Thairo Estrada was all the damage San Francisco could inflict on him over his initial 3-2/3 frames on the mound. Then Crawford legged out a Texas League double to center, only to be stranded on second when Estrada grounded out to Tommy Edman, the Cardinals’ second sacker.

Cobb’s magic disappeared in the top of the fifth. Corey Dickerson led off with a clean single to right center. One out later, Harison Bader parked an 89mph split fingered fastball 358 feet to left field, just over the Game Up sign.

The Giants challenged the call, but the verdict was upheld on review. Cobb got his next two men out, but the home team now trailed, 2-0. (During that inning, Andrew Kinzler pinch hit for Yadier Molina, remaining in the game as catcher. No announcement was made of an injury to the veteran backstop).

San Francisco chased Hicks from the mound in their half of the fifth with a walk, a single by Luis González and a walk to Vosler, who was erased when Bart forced him at second while González moved up to third.

That´s when Génesis Cabrera entered the game, getting pinch hitter Austin Slater to ground out to the mound, advancing Bart to scoring position. Both runners scored on Ruf´s pinch hit single to right.

John Brebbia, back from bereavement leave, replaced Cobb to start the sixth, and retired the side in order,notching two Ks in the process.

Hicks had allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits and two walks while striking out five in his 4-1/2 innings of work. He threw 68 pitches, 44 for strikes.

Cobb’s line was five full innings pitched,also two runs, both earned, on three hits. He struck out five and walked one. Of his 74 offerings, only 20 were balls.

Slater, who had hit for Wade, stayed in the game in center field. Ruf, who had batted for Yastrzemski went on to play left, and González moved from left to right, all in the top of the sixth.

Sean Hjelle, making his big league debut, relieved Brebbia and hurled a perfect seventh, preserving the 2-2 tie.

Vosler’s one out single to right in the home seventh ended Cabrera’s effort. The southpaw yielded mound duties to the right handed Ryan. Helsley, who struck out Bart and Slater.

Tyler Rogers, pitching in the top of the eighth, was the beneficiary of acrobatic catches by Ruf in left and González in right, but the latter was helpless aginst Tommy Edman’s two out blast against the Levi’s Landing wall that went for a triple.

The side arming righly then walked Goldschmidt, putting runners on the corners with the powerful Nolan Arenado at the plate.

Camilo Doval trotted in from the bullpen to face him. Doval got him to bounce out on a comebacker on his second pitch, and we went into the bottom of the eighth with the score still tied at two.

Which is where it remained when Doval came out to pitch the ninth. He struck out Tyler O’Neill swinging, but Yépez pulled a double down the left field line.

Brendan Donovan ran for him and scored the go ahead run on a single to left center by Dylan Carlson, who had replaced Corey Dickerson in right in the bottom of the seventh. Doval retired Knizner and Bader, but, once more, the Giants went into the bottom of the ninth trailing, this time 3-2.

Giovanny Gallegos took over, trying to shut the hometown team in the botom of the night. He got Crawford on a fy to right center. Estrada drove a powerful single down the left field line, which put the run on base, only to be wiped out in a 4-6-3 double play.

The Giants’ woes continued. (By the way, the A’s also lost, 2-1.

The win went to Helsley and the save to Gallegos. Doval was charged with the loss.

Willie Mays deserved something better on his 91st birthday.

The teams will resume their four game series Saturday afternoon at the unusual hour of 4:15, preceded an hour earlier by a celebration in honor of the recently retired Buster Posey, after which Steven Matz (3-1 ERA 4.56) will go for the Cardinals against the Giants’ Logan Webb (3-1 ERA 3.26)