By Rob Rains
ST. LOUIS – So far, the month of April has been one of the worst offensive months in Dexter Fowler’s career, but he now has at least one moment he could enjoy.
Fowler’s single in the 13th inning drove in Jose Martinez from second base and gave the Cardinals the win over the Mets Thursday at Busch Stadium. It was only his second RBI that came on a hit out of the infield in his last eight games.
The Cardinals had rallied in the eighth inning to tie the game 2-2 and then had to score in the bottom of the 10th to extend the game again after the Mets had taken a 3-2 lead.
In the 13th, Martinez walked with one out and went to second on a single by Marcell Ozuna before Fowler’s game-winning hit. It was his only hit in five at-bats, leaving his average for the month at .188.
With three games left in April, Fowler’s average is currently the second lowest for any month in his career. He hit .158 in May 2010 and had a .189 average in May 2015.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: Tommy Pham was back in the lineup after having to come out of Wednesday night’s game because of a cut on his head, suffered in an accident in the batting cage. He went 4-for-6 and was involved in the three Cardinals’ rallies, doubling and scoring on a single by Ozuna in the seventh, getting the RBI single that tied the game in the eighth and singling and scoring on a double by Martinez that tied the game in the 10th … Pham’s four hits raised his average to .368, the top mark in the National League.
On the mound: Carlos Martinez saw one streak end and one continue early in his start. He hit the first batter he faced, giving him one hit batter in all six starts this season and seven total dating back to last year …. When the Mets scored, it snapped his streak of 18 consecutive scoreless innings … That was the only run Martinez allowed through six innings, as he scattered four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out four. Martinez has allowed only two runs in his last 33 innings … Bud Norris and Greg Holland each worked a scoreless inning of relief but the Mets went ahead in the 10th when Luke Gregerson allowed two hits and then walked two consecutive batters, the second forcing in a run … John Gant, recalled from Memphis before the game, pitched the final three innings and did not allow a hit to get the win.
Key stat: Paul DeJong’s double in the seventh inning extended his streak to six consecutive games with at least one extra-base hit (five doubles, two homers). Matt Carpenter had a streak of seven consecutive games with at least one extra-base hit last year, and Yadier Molina had an eight-game streak in 2016. The team record is 11 consecutive games, by Rogers Hornsby in 1924.
Worth noting: Gant took the place of John Brebba on the roster after Brebbia was optioned to Memphis before the game. Brebbia pitched three innings on Wednesday night, earning his first major-league save, and thus likely would not have been available to pitch for at least a couple of days … Molina did not start for only the second times this season but came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and stayed in the game, getting three at-bats and catching the last five innings.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals open a quick three-game trip to Pittsburgh on Friday night, with Miles Mikolas scheduled to start the opener.