Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693 and Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals won their eighth straight game.
Pujols hit his seventh homer in 10 games and 14th overall in his final season. The crowd of 29,719 cheered when the three-time NL MVP stole second base.
Pujols homered off 449 pitchers to match Barry Bonds’ record. It was Pujols’ 940th multihit game, tying Paul Waner for 10th all-time.
Smyly, who has a record of 5-7, acknowledged that it was a difficult way to lose, given that the pitch was well outside of the strike zone.
Montgomery (7-3) needed one run. In his first complete game, the left-handed pitcher struck out seven batters and didn’t walk anyone. He is now 4-0 with an ERA of 0.35 in his four starts since being traded from the Yankees on August 2.
Chicago’s only hit came from rookie Christopher Morel in the third. Paul DeJong mishandled Tyler O’Neill’s relay, allowing Morel to advance. Nick Madrigal’s grounder to DeJong ended the inning.
In the first game of a five-game series, NL Central leaders Montgomery threw 99 pitches, with 65 of those pitches going for strikes.
After winning their previous five games in a row, Chicago has now lost two in a row, despite a strong performance by Smyly (7-7). In seven innings of work, the left-handed pitcher only gave up four hits while fanning six batters and walking two.
What do you think, leave a comment below?
