KANSAS CITY, Mo. ( Associated Press) — Yadier Molina wasn’t going to let an illness that kept the Cardinals out of the previous day’s lineup also prevented him from walking the field with Adam Wainwright for the 310th time on Wednesday.
Molina was not going to take the rest of the day off after St. Louis jumped for a big lead.
“He felt terrible (yesterday) and feels terrible today,” Wainwright said of his longtime teammate, who helped him win a 10-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on a cold, damp day. Caught for seven innings of hit ball. Stadium.
“I told him that if he just wanted to play five and leave, I would understand. But he didn’t want to leave me out there.”
Rarely is one on the field without the other.
Wainwright and Molina, who went on to score 1 for 5 at the plate, took the Braves Warren Spahn and Dale Crandall to win the most team win by starting battery mates with their 202nd.
Now, Wainwright and Molina need just six more starts to match Spahn and Crandall for second place in history behind Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan of the Tigers.
“The battery mate is awesome,” Wainwright said, “but winning is the good part.”
Wainwright (3-3) allowed only one out single to Michael Taylor in the third against the weak-hit Royals, whose only other baserunner against the 40-year-old right-hander had come on a fielder’s pick, an error and a single. Walk.
Meanwhile, the sleeping St. Louis offense came alive in a big way: Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer and scored five, Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run shot and went for three, and Harrison Bader and Paul Djong also went in the runs.
“We just have to get better. I believe we are better,” Arenado said. “Some people just aren’t comfortable. That’s what will come.”
This year the final scheduled game between the cross-state rivals was moved from the night game to the afternoon due to the threat of rain, although sprinklers still fell on the sparse Kaufman Stadium crowd in the middle of it.
By that time, some fans were still wearing red in their seats.
Chris Bubic (0-3) for Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt to walk the leadoff and turn the pitch 2-1 to Arenado, depositing it into a left-field stand 410 feet away and giving the Cardinals. 3-0 lead.
There were three more runs scored against Kansas City in the last two games combined.
“You’re going to drop homers, it’s going to happen,” said Royals manager Mike Matheny, “but there’s going to be free base added in front of them.”
Albert Pujols, who ruthlessly declared pregame that “I’m going to do some damage today,” immediately passed out. But the rest of the St. Louis lineup kept dooming: Juan Yepez blew a single to right for his first major league hit, O’Neill took him out with a triple and Bader took a single to make it 5-0 before Provided the sacrificial fly. It was the turn of the Royals to bat.
Last line on Bubik: Four runs and two hits and two walks retiring a single batsman.
“I told Nolan that if they want to score five runs for me in the first innings of the year, that’s fine,” Wainwright said. “I’m good with that plan.”
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Yepez, who had been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to replace ill INF Edmondo Sosa the day before, made his big league debut in RF. He scored 2 for 3 with a pair of bloops that doubles down the right-field line.
Royals c MJ Melendez made his first start behind the plate on Wednesday. Last year’s minor league home run champions scored 1 for 3 after being hit as DH in their big league debut on Tuesday night.
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Cardinals: No new COVID-19 cases were reported after Sosa and four staff members tested positive and were sent back to St. Louis for quarantine. The Cardinals are taking RHP Jake Walsh and C Ali Sanchez with taxi squad on their upcoming trip in case the Cardinals are more positive. “If I need to, I will clean the toilet. I just want to stay,” Walsh said.
Royals: 1B Carlos Santana was placed on the injured list with bursitis of the right ankle and INF Emmanuel Rivera was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Santana was hitting just .159 with a homer and six RBIs.
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Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (1-1, 1.52 ERA) makes his four-match series debut in San Francisco on Thursday night. The Royals have a night’s rest before RHP Carlos Hernandez (0-1, 6.00) opens the three-game set in Baltimore on Friday.
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