Lance Berkman singled in Matt Holliday with two out in the 11th inning to lift St. Louis over Milwaukee 8-7 on Tuesday. It’s the Cardinals first win at Miller Park in five games and it snapped the Brewers’ seven-game winning streak and cut their division lead to 2.5 games. The Cardinals won the battle, but the war is just beginning.
Albert Pujols and Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun were hit by pitches in the seventh, and catcher Yadier Molina went crazy when he was ejected in the 10th inning that home plate umpire Rob Drake wiped his face during the argument. The umpire declined to speak with after the game, but Molina said he didn’t spit at Drake and believed the umpire bumped him first.
“He was pushing at me,” Molina said. “I would never spit on any face of a man. That’s not me. I was so sweaty, my face was so sweaty and I was yelling, yelling at him. I would never spit on anybody’s face.”
Leave it to Tony LaRussa who has a reputation of beaning opposing players even if it was unintentional on the other side. Here’s what happpened.
Takashi Saito loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh after hitting Pujols on the left wrist. Holliday grounded into a double play to score Rafael Furcal which tied the game at 7-7. Berkman then grounded out.
Jason Motte then plunked Braun in the back with a 97 mph fastball. La Russa said the pitch that hit Pujols wasn’t intentional, but he still hasn’t liked the way the Brewers have thrown to his biggest star.
“Real scary. They almost got him yesterday. There’s nothing intentional about it,” La Russa said. “That’s what all these idiots up there — not idiots, fans are yelling and yell. Do you know how many bones you have in the hands and the face? That’s where those pitches are. And Braun, we were trying to pitch him in, too, it’s just a little stinger. I don’t want to even hear about Braun getting a little pop in the back when we almost lose (Pujols) in several ways.” X-rays on his heavily iced wrist were negative.
Molina was out for arguing a called third strike in the tenth and did bump Drake. A suspension is likely coming.
Before all of the fireworks, the Brewers had a 3-1 lead until Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia hit his first career home run, a three run shot that was a part of a five run inning. The Brewers scored four unearned runs in the fifth to take a 7-6 lead.