(TSX / STATS) — ST. LOUIS — Two months into the season, St. Louis Cardinal fans were grumbling, with some justification, that left-handed reliever Brett Cecil wasn’t paying enough dividends on the $30 million, four-year deal the team awarded him in the offseason.
Fast-forward to Thursday, and the conclusion is that Cecil has become the most reliable performer in a bullpen that isn’t exactly reminding anyone of the Cincinnati Reds’ Nasty Boys from 1990.
Cecil’s 13th straight scoreless outing helped St. Louis hold on to a one-run lead as it held off the Miami Marlins 4-3 in Busch Stadium.
Luke Voit homered and knocked in three runs for the Cardinals (41-44), while Randal Grichuk added a solo homer in the sixth inning that ended up being the margin of victory. Michael Wacha (6-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings to earn his third straight win.
But the story was how St. Louis’ bullpen repelled one threat after another over the last four innings from Miami (38-46). Cecil, who has pitched 13 2/3 straight scoreless innings, was involved in quelling seventh- and eighth-inning rallies.
“He’s a heck of a pitcher and he’s got extremely good stuff,” Wacha said of Cecil. “He had a rough first part of the season, but he’s definitely turned it around. He’s one of our go-to guys.”
Manager Mike Matheny waved for Cecil with two on and one out in the seventh and Marcell Ozuna striding to the plate. Ozuna became the first batter to hit safely off Cecil since June 21 with an RBI single, his third of the game.
Cecil bounced back, inducing a foul-out from Justin Bour and a groundout from Martin Prado to keep the Cardinals’ lead at a run.
In the eighth, Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single — his 3,054th big league hit, most among foreign-born players, passing Rod Carew — and JT Riddle bunted for a single.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly sent A.J. Ellis up to hit for pitcher Junichi Tazawa, hoping he could bunt the runners to second and third. Cecil responded with a changeup that Ellis bunted right to third baseman Jedd Gyorko.
Gyorko forced Suzuki at third. Shortstop Alex Mejia, inserted before the inning for defense, zinged a throw across the diamond to second baseman Greg Garcia. The rare 5-6-4 bunt double play left Riddle at second with two outs.
Cecil retired Dee Gordon on a comebacker to end the threat.
“If a hitter tries to bunt a changeup, he might think it’s a fastball,” Cecil said. “You might get him to stab at it, so when he did, it went right to Jedd.”
In the ninth, Seung-Hwan Oh bagged his 17th save after one more high-wire act. J.T. Realmuto singled and moved to second on Christian Yelich’s infield out. Oh fanned Ozuna with a slider.
Justin Bour, who homered off Oh in the ninth inning Wednesday night, was intentionally walked. Matheny’s decision to throw away the “book” was validated when Oh whiffed Prado for the final out.
Wacha tied his season high with nine strikeouts, allowing six hits and two runs with a pair of walks. His offensive support came mostly from Voit, who for the time being has locked down the first base job.
Voit drilled a 446-foot homer into the third deck off Tom Koehler in the second, then lined a two-run double off the right field wall an inning later to put St. Louis ahead for good.
“I’m just trying to do my job, whatever it takes,” said Voit. “Whether it’s a sacrifice fly, getting a guy over or driving in runs … I really like hitting in key situations.”
Koehler (1-4) gave up four hits and three runs in five innings, walking three and fanning seven, but fell to 1-4 in six career starts against the Cardinals.
“Tom pitched good enough to keep us in the game,” Mattingly said. “I thought the guys fought all day long. It was a really good game.”
NOTES: St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko (left groin strain) was back in the lineup Thursday after not starting the previous two games. He appeared in Wednesday night’s game as a pinch-hitter in the fourth inning, lofting a sacrifice fly to center. … Miami gave RF Giancarlo Stanton a day off Thursday after he belted a pair of homers in Wednesday night’s 9-6 win. Ichiro Suzuki got a start in right field for the Marlins, batting seventh. … Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) started a rehab assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Springfield, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Wong will play at least four more games there and could be back with St. Louis after the All-Star break.
Photo credit – Jeff Roberson / Associated Press / St. Louis, MO
