Come to think of it, that probably isn’t the best way to put things. Garcia, after all, didn’t throw a 1-2-3 top of the first. But he did well. Let me explain.
Cardinals vs. Brewers: Jaime Garcia Off To Blazing Start
Starting against the same lineup that ripped him for six runs in four innings in Game 1, Jaime Garcia came out with a first-pitch strike and a first-batter strikeout, getting Corey Hart to swing through a fastball down and in, off the plate. Jerry Hairston Jr. followed with an out to center, and Garcia was nearly through the frame.
Then the Brewers kind of did what the Brewers do, by which I mean Ryan Braun pulled a curveball for a grounder down the third base line. It went all the way down for a double, giving Milwaukee a runner in scoring position.
But no matter, because then lefty Prince Fielder came up against the lefty Garcia, and after getting ahead 0-2, Garcia eventually whiffed Fielder with a sharp curve. The Brewers got what they wanted - a big bat batting in a run-scoring situation - but they couldn't cash the runner in.
And oh, as I was writing this, Zack Greinke went 1-2-3 through the top of the Cardinals' order. Albert Pujols hit a grounder up the middle that would ordinarily go for a single, but for at least the second time in this series, Ron Roenick had a shift on, and Pujols was played perfectly. So Greinke had an even easier time than Garcia did. Through one, there's no score, with Garcia having thrown 16 pitches, and Greinke having thrown ten.
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