In the first inning, there were runs. In the second inning, there were runs. In the third inning, there was a run. But in the fourth inning? Nothing! For the first time tonight, nothing!
Cardinals vs. Brewers: Fourth Inning The First Scoreless Inning
But I guess we left you after Mark Kotsay's home run in the top of the third. So we should talk about the bottom of the third. The bottom of the third was all right, I guess. David Freese hit a two-out double. It was his second double of the game. But Freese didn't score, because Nick Punto grounded out.
Now then, the fourth. For Chris Carpenter, the top of the fourth wasn't bad. Yuniesky Betancourt singled when Freese couldn't corral a hot-shot grounder at third, but that was all the Brewers would do, with Gallardo making the final out.
For Gallardo, the bottom of the fourth was a little scary. Carpenter led off and hit a rocket to short that Betancourt couldn't handle. Then Rafael Furcal showed bunt and walked on four pitches. Just like that, Gallardo found himself in another jam.
But he escaped this one. After Furcal's walk, Jon Jay swung at the first pitch and grounded into a double play, leaving a runner on third with two down. Gallardo and Ron Roenicke elected to intentionally walk Albert Pujols to put runners on the corners, and though Pujols advanced to second on a wild pitch, he died there - and Carpenter died on third - when Matt Holliday whiffed at a 2-2 high fastball.
So it's still 4-3 Cardinals as we go to the fifth. Gallardo's pitch count is up to 82, and he's thrown an incredible 42 balls, but he hasn't allowed a run since that nightmare first. And it's not like Carpenter has been extraordinary, himself.
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