St. Louis at San Francisco

St. Louis at San Francisco

This is Missed It. St. Louis at San Francisco, Tuesday, September 8, 72 and partly cloudy at Oracle Park, wind 10 miles an hour varies, with the Cardinals. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here in San Francisco, folks. The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road taking on the San Francisco Giants. We're just getting underway, and there's nothing on the board yet. It's a new day, a new ballgame, and we're looking to get things started on the right foot. Let's play ball.

Innings 1-3

We get through the top of the first without much fuss. Four batters come up for us, and we don't push anything across. It's a quick inning, and we're back out there on the mound. Score stays at nothing to nothing. Then the bottom of the first. Two outs, bases empty. And Bryce Eldridge steps in for San Francisco. He gets a pitch he likes and he doesn't miss it. He sends a fly ball deep to left center field. That ball is gone. Just like that, a solo homer, and the Giants have the lead. One to nothing. It's a punch to the gut, but there's a lot of baseball left. The Giants aren't done. With two outs and a runner on, Turner Hill steps up. He takes a ground ball and rips it down the right field line, past our right fielder Jordan Walker. Osleivis Basabe, who's on base, motors around to third. Hill ends up on second with a double. Now there's a runner in scoring position with two outs. And that brings up Andrew Knizner. The crowd is on its feet. But Knizner gets under one, and it's a fly ball. Our second baseman Thomas Saggese settles under it and makes the catch. Inning over. We escape with just the one run, but that could have been worse. It's one to nothing, Giants. Top of the second, we go down in order. Three batters, no runs. We're still chasing that first hit, that first spark. Bottom of the second, two outs, bases empty again. And wouldn't you know it, Christian Koss gets a hold of one. A fly ball to left field, and it's out of here. Another solo shot. Two to nothing, San Francisco. Two solo homers with two outs. That's the kind of thing that stings. Top of the third, and we finally get something going. We work the count, we get some runners on. Before we know it, the bases are loaded with two outs. This is our chance. Jordan Walker is at the plate. The whole dugout is on its feet. But he gets a ground ball, and it's right at shortstop Christian Koss. He flips to second, and Alec Burleson is forced out. Inning over. Bases loaded, two outs, and we come away with nothing. That one hurts. That's the kind of missed opportunity that comes back to bite you. The Giants get out of the third without any trouble, and we head to the fourth still down two.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, we go down quietly. Three batters, no runs. Bottom of the fourth, San Francisco gets a few guys on, but they can't push anything across. We get out of it. Still two to nothing. Top of the fifth, same story. We can't get anything going. Three up, three down. Bottom of the fifth, the Giants get four batters up, but again, no runs. We're keeping it close, but we're running out of time. Top of the sixth. No outs, bases empty. Iván Herrera steps in and hits a ground ball to second. Osleivis Basabe fields it, but he bobbles it. Herrera is safe on a fielding error. That's a break. That's the kind of thing we need. Then Alec Burleson works a walk. Herrera moves to second. No outs, two on. This is it. This is our chance to get back in this game. Jordan Walker steps to the plate. We need a hit here. We need something. But he hits a ground ball to third. Shay Whitcomb fields it, steps on third, fires to second, and then on to first. A double play. Herrera advances to third, but Burleson is out at second, and Walker is out at first. Two outs, runner on third. And then the next batter makes the final out. We get a runner to third with nobody out, and we can't bring him home. That's the game right there, folks. That's the missed opportunity that's going to haunt us.

The Sequence

Bottom of the sixth, the Giants go down in order. Three batters, no runs. We're still down two, but we're running out of at-bats. Top of the seventh. Four batters come up for us, but we can't push anything across. No runs. Bottom of the seventh, San Francisco gets six batters up, but they can't score either. We're still in this, but the clock is ticking. Top of the eighth. This is our last real chance. One out, two on. Jordan Walker is up again. He's had a rough day, but this is a chance at redemption. He hits a fly ball to right field. Grant McCray is there. He makes the catch. Two outs, but we still have two on. Then Leo Bernal steps in. He's battling. He works the count. And then, a passed ball by catcher Andrew Knizner. Herrera advances to third. Burleson moves to second. And Bernal, he's still at the plate. He swings and misses. Strike three. But the ball gets away. He's safe at first. Bases loaded. Two outs. Joshua Báez is up. This is the moment. The whole dugout is on its feet. But he hits a fly ball to center field. Jonah Cox is there. He makes the catch. Inning over. Bases loaded, two outs, and we come away with nothing. Again. Bottom of the eighth, the Giants go down in order. We get one more chance. Top of the ninth. Two outs. A runner on. Nathan Church is on base. Bryan Torres steps to the plate. He's our last hope. He takes a ground ball and sends it through the right side, past Grant McCray. Church rounds third and heads for home. He scores. We're on the board. One to two. That's a run, folks. That's a glimmer of hope. But that's all we get. The next batter makes the final out. And that's the ballgame.

Wrap-up

Final score: St. Louis Cardinals one, San Francisco Giants two. We came up short. We had our chances, bases loaded twice, and we couldn't cash in. Two solo homers with two outs did us in. We fought to the end, we got that run in the ninth, but it wasn't enough. It's a tough one to swallow, but we'll be back at it tomorrow. That's the game.

Outro

That was St. Louis at San Francisco, from the Cardinals side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

St. Louis at San Francisco

This is Missed It. St. Louis at San Francisco, Tuesday, September 8, 72 and partly cloudy at Oracle Park, wind 10 miles an hour varies, with the Giants. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a beautiful day for baseball here at Oracle Park, and we've got a good one on our hands. The St. Louis Cardinals are in town to take on our San Francisco Giants. The Giants are looking to keep things rolling, and the Cardinals are hoping to spoil the party. We've got a full nine innings ahead of us, and it all starts right now.

Innings 1-3

The Cardinals come up first, and our guys waste no time getting to work. Four batters, no runs, and we're back in the dugout. Scoreless after the top of the first, and now it's our turn. Bottom of the first, two outs, bases empty. And then it happens. Bryce Eldridge gets a hold of one and sends it deep to left center field. That ball is gone. Gone. A solo home run, and just like that, we're on the board. One to nothing, Giants. The crowd is on its feet, and Eldridge is rounding the bases like he owns the place. That's how you start a ballgame. But we're not done yet. Two outs, and Turner Hill steps in. He rips a ground ball down the right field line, and it's into the corner. Osleivis Basabe is running on contact, and he's flying around the bases. Hill ends up on second with a double, and Basabe is standing on third. Two runners in scoring position, two outs, and Andrew Knizner is up. The crowd is buzzing, we can feel another run coming. But Knizner gets under one and flies out to the second baseman. Inning over, but we've got the lead. One to nothing after one. Top of the second, and the Cardinals go down in order. Three batters, three outs, no damage. We're back in the dugout, and the bats are still warm. Bottom of the second, two outs, bases empty. And here we go again. Christian Koss steps in, and he doesn't waste any time. He crushes one to left field, and it's out of here. A solo shot, and we've doubled our lead. Two to nothing, Giants. Koss is jogging around the bases with a smile on his face, and the crowd is loving every second of it. Back-to-back innings with a home run. That's how you build a lead. Top of the third, and the Cardinals finally start to put something together. They load the bases with two outs, and Jordan Walker is up. The tension is thick, you can feel it in the air. Walker hits a ground ball to short, and Christian Koss fields it cleanly. He flips to Basabe at second, and Alec Burleson is out at second. Force out, inning over. The Cardinals had their chance, and we slammed the door. Two to nothing after three, and we're feeling good.

Innings 4-6

The middle innings roll around, and it's a pitcher's duel now. The Cardinals go down in order in the top of the fourth, and we can't add on in the bottom half. Five batters come up, but nobody crosses the plate. Still two to nothing. Top of the fifth, three more Cardinals, three more outs. They're not going anywhere. Bottom of the fifth, four batters for us, and still nothing. The lead is holding, but we'd love some insurance runs. Top of the sixth, and things get a little dicey. Iván Herrera leads off and reaches on a fielding error by Osleivis Basabe at second. That's not what we needed. Then Alec Burleson draws a walk, and suddenly there are two on with nobody out. The Cardinals are threatening, and we need a big play. Jordan Walker steps in, and he hits a ground ball to third. Shay Whitcomb fields it, steps on the bag, fires to Basabe at second, and on to Rafael Devers at first. Double play. A beautiful, textbook double play. Herrera advances to third, but the damage is limited. Two outs, and the Cardinals can't cash in. Inning over, still two to nothing.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. Bottom of the sixth, three batters for us, no runs. Top of the seventh, four Cardinals, no runs. Bottom of the seventh, six batters for us, but we still can't push another run across. The tension is building, and we're clinging to a two-run lead. Top of the eighth, and the Cardinals are making their move. With one out and two on, Jordan Walker flies out to Grant McCray in right. Two outs, but they're still threatening. Then Leo Bernal strikes out swinging, but the ball gets away from Andrew Knizner. Passed ball. Herrera moves to third, Burleson to second, and Bernal reaches first on the strikeout. Bases loaded, two outs, and Joshua Báez is up. The crowd is holding its breath. Báez gets under one and flies out to Jonah Cox in center. Inning over. We escape. Still two to nothing. Bottom of the eighth, three batters, no runs. We're heading to the ninth with a two-run lead, and we need three more outs. Top of the ninth, and the Cardinals aren't done fighting. With two outs and a runner on, Bryan Torres singles to right field. Nathan Church scores. The lead is down to one. Two to one, and the tying run is on base. The crowd is nervous, but we need one more out. And we get it. Inning over. Ballgame.

Wrap-up

Final score, St. Louis Cardinals one, San Francisco Giants two. We held on. We fought, we scraped, and we came away with the win. Bryce Eldridge and Christian Koss provided the fireworks, and the pitching and defense did the rest. It wasn't always pretty, but it was a win, and that's all that matters. The Giants take this one, and we're heading home happy.

Outro

That was St. Louis at San Francisco, from the Giants side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.