Game Report: Brewers 4, Cardinals 2
One of the keys to Dakota Hudson’s success in 2018, both in Triple A and with the Cardinals, was his ability to not allow home runs. He wasn’t able to do that on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Making his first career start in the major leagues, Hudson gave up three homers in 4 1/3 innings as the Brewers won for the second time in the first three games of the series.
Christian Yelich homered in the first inning, and then Hudson allowed two more homers in the third, a solo shot to Travis Shot and a two-run homer by Mike Moustakas.
Hudson pitched a combined 139 innings last season between Triple A Memphis and the Cardinals and allowed just one home run, on May 14. He did not allow a home run in his final 12 Triple A starts or in any of his 26 relief appearances for the Cardinals, covering 27 innings.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Kolten Wong continued his hot start to the season by going 3-of-3 and driving in one of the Cardinals runs with a double … Paul Goldschmidt’s single accounted for the other run … Marcell Ozuna had a pair of singles, and the Cardinals’ only other hit was a double by Paul DeJong … Tyler O’Neill got the start in center field in place of Harrison Bader but was 0-of-4 and struck out three times.
On the mound: One of the four runs off Hudson was unearned because of an error by Goldschmidt … Hudson struck out six and walked two, giving up seven hits … Mike Mayers worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief and Dominic Leone did not allow a run over the final two innings.
Key stat: Yelich’s homer gave him a home run in each of the first three games of the season. The major league record for consecutive games with a home run at the start of a season is four, last accomplished by Trevor Story of the Rockies in 2016.
Worth noting: Jedd Gyorko is expected to join the Cardinals in Pittsburgh on Monday but he is not eligible to be activated from the injured list until Thursday when the Cardinals will play their home opener. Gyorko has been in Florida, getting at-bats and playing in the field in minor-league spring games as he recovers from a calf injury which forced him to miss much of spring training.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals wrap up the four-game series against the Brewers on Sunday. Michael Wacha will get his first start of the season.
