You really can’t ask for more than Dustin May delivered Monday night at Busch Stadium. The San Diego Padres had no answer for him and the St. Louis Cardinals bats were sufficient to pull off a victory from the Californians who seemed only half-aware that they were supposed to play a baseball game tonight.
Let’s start with the Cardinals offense which threatened in the bottom of the second when Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker singled to lead off the inning. Walker’s hit only registered a single although
if you ask the Padres third baseman Will Wagner, it was actually a cruise missile with stitches on it. Unfortunately, the Cardinals wouldn’t have any runs to show for their effort as Masyn Winn lined out to shortstop, Jimmy Crooks flew out to left and Blaze Jordan popped out to shortstop to end the threat.
St. Louis would finally break through in the bottom of the 4th inning as Lars Nootbaar cracked a two-out single. After Masyn Winn reached on an infield single, Jimmy Crooks would lace a ball into the left-center field gap scoring both Nootbaar and Winn giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.
St. Louis would add to that lead in the following inning and it would begin again with 2 outs. After Nathan Church walked, JJ Wetherholt hit into a double play, but Iván Herrera walked and then took second on a wild pitch by Padres pitcher Giolito. Alec Burleson, one of the hottest hitters on Earth, tomahawked a double down the right field line increasing the Cardinals lead to 3-0 at the end of 5 innings.
It’s not often that I can say this about a human being, but Dustin May was perfect. Literally. At least until the start of the 7th inning when he walked Fernando Tatis Jr. who was the first Padres baserunner of the game. The next batter Merrill drilled a ball nearly past Masyn Winn who made a stellar grab and used his lightning arm to throw him out and maintain the no-hitter which would be broken up by the next batter Manny Machado. Masyn Winn would make sure that the Padres stayed scoreless as he turned a remarkable double-play to end the inning on a ground ball by Sheets.
I am thrilled to not have to report about the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen Monday night because the team didn’t need any of them. Dustin May went out to complete what he started and he was not to be denied. By the time it was done, he threw a complete game 1-hit shutout against a team that was supposed to compete for the National League pennant. “Supposed” is such a big word, isn’t it? To quote the late great Jack Buck when he was calling Mark McGwire’s home run chase in 1998, “Pardon me while I stand up and applaud!”. I applaud you, Dustin May. You were brilliant.
The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their brief homestand against the San Diego Padres Tuesday night as Andre Pallante will answer the bell for the Cardinals. RHP Michael King is scheduled to start for the Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium.
