Thursday 28th March 2024

cards-8-15-game

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Saturday.

Adam Wainwright pitched five effective innings and Dexter Fowler had a key two-run single, helping St. Louis beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Saturday in the Cardinals’ return from a coronavirus outbreak.

This was the first game St. Louis played since July 29. The Cardinals appeared to be much sharper than the White Sox while improving to 3-3 in the opener of a straight doubleheader. Every other team in the majors had played at least 13 games coming into the day.

Wainwright (2-0) allowed one run and two hits in his second start of the year. Giovanny Gallegos then struck out the side in the sixth before John Gant finished the seven-inning game, a new rule for doubleheaders in the pandemic-shortened season.

Wainwright also recorded the team’s previous win, beating Pittsburgh 9-1 on July 25. After defeating Pittsburgh 9-1 on July 25, the Cardinals dropped three in a row before a coronavirus outbreak left the team idle for weeks and resulting in 18 confirmed cases in the organization.

The White Sox finished with just three hits – two for Danny Mendick – and never recovered after Lucas Giolito (1-2) got off to a shaky start.

With one out and runners on first and second in the first, Giolito hit Tyler O’Neill and Matt Carpenter to force home a run. Top prospect Dylan Carlson then struck out in his major league debut, but Fowler and Andrew Knizner followed with consecutive singles to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals almost got another run in the first, but Fowler was cut down at home when he tried to score on Harrison Bader’s base hit.

Giolito allowed five runs, four earned, and six hits in five innings. The right-hander had looked good going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA over his previous three starts.

UP NEXT

Each team is planning a bullpen game for the second half of the doubleheader. Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-1, 8.31 ERA) and White Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel (2-2, 3.04 ERA) get the ball for the series finale Sunday.