Wiesloch allgemein » The Cardinals‘ offense was pretty good, too.

St. Louis pitcher Luke Weaver flirted with perfection Ryquell Armstead Jersey , had to overcome a little frustration, and settled for domination.


Weaver pitched two-hit ball over eight innings and St. Louis beat the San Francisco Giants 11-2 on Thursday night.

”He was making quality pitches at the top of the zone, down, changeup, breaking ball,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said ”Everything was spot on but he controlled the count with his heater and got a lot of early balls in the air. He was aggressive.”

Weaver (5-7) faced two over the minimum and had seven strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a single and Hanson’s two-run homer. Weaver then bounced back to retire the final seven batters he faced.

Weaver didn’t allow a hit until Gorkys Hernandez reached on an infield single with one out in the sixth. Gyorko made a diving stop on Hernandez’s sharp liner near third base but the ball popped out of his right hand as he attempted to throw. Hanson followed with his homer.

”As soon as chopped it and Jedd had to dive, I had a feeling there was not going to be a chance to get him,” Weaver said. ”It would have had to have been an incredible slide jump-up throw and I still don’t think he would have got him. It wasn’t a big deal. I was pretty upset about the home run.”

Jedd Gyorko had three hits including a home run and drove in five runs to spoil the return of Johnny Cueto after two months on the disabled list. Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader also went deep while Yadier Molina singled three times.

The Cardinals had a season-high 18 hits – their most since getting 19 against the New York Mets on Aug. 24 Gardner Minshew II Jersey , 2016.

Alen Hanson homered for San Francisco. The Giants have scored five runs while losing four straight.

Cueto (3-1) was rocked in his long-awaited return from the 60-day disabled list. He gave up four runs in the first inning – one more than he had in 32 innings before going out with right elbow inflammation.

”Everything was fine except in the first inning when I was trying to be too fine,” Cueto said. ”Instead of just pitching, I was just trying to place the ball in the strike zone. I just have to continue working my way back to where I was.”

WHAT’S THE COUNT?

San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval appeared to draw a two-out walk in the fifth and began trotting to first base before being called back after Matheny noticed there were only three balls. Two pitches later, Sandoval struck out to end a 12-pitch at-bat.

”I whistled and had the umpire stop for a second,” Matheny said. ”At about the same time, the replay called and then they figured it out on the field by the time we needed to come out of the dugout.”

BABY BULL RETURNS

Orlando Cepeda attended the game for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest in February that left the Hall of Famer in critical condition. The Baby Bull was in the parking lot of a gym when he fell and hit his head during the incident. The 80-year-old is one of the most popular players in franchise history.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler was reinstated from the paternity list before the game. … Tyler O’Neill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. … RHP Matt Bowman (blister) was activated off the DL and optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

Giants: Manager Bruce Bochy said that RHP Jeff Samardzija will have fewer restrictions than Cueto when he returns from the disabled list to start Saturday’s game. Samardzija hasn’t pitched since May 29 because of shoulder tightness. … INF Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. … RHP Roberto Gomez was released.

UP NEXT

John Gant (2-2, 3.48 ERA) pitches for St. Louis on Friday. The right-hander has had mixed success since rejoining the rotation and allowed four runs in 5 1/3 against Atlanta in his most recent start. RHP Dereck Rodriguez (3-1 3.16) starts for San Francisco.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — From the moment he took over the Kansas City Chiefs‘ front office, general manager Brett Veach has been willing to go out on a limb Christian Wilkins Jersey , whether it was signing a big-name free agent or swinging a trade or releasing a well-known player.Now, he will finally have a chance to show what he can do in the draft.Veach was hamstrung last year by the decision in 2017 to trade away the Chiefs’ first-round pick and move up to 10th overall and select Patrick Mahomes.And while nobody is lamenting that decision after the quarterback’s record-breaking MVP season, it still left Veach without a first-round choice in his first draft — a big challenge when it comes to plugging holes in a roster.He will have the No. 29 choice this year after the Chiefs came within an overtime of beating New England and reaching the Super Bowl. But he also has an additional second-round choice from the trade of volatile cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, and that means ample opportunity to get creative.“The fact we have a one and two twos, and then a one and two twos next year, puts us in a position to be aggressive from now until the start of the season,” Veach said. “Looking toward not just next season, but for the next two, three Michael Deiter Jersey , four, five years, if you’re not proactive in your approach then you’re always chasing your tail.”Veach is one of the more open GMs in the league, willing to offer his opinion on just about any subject. But when it comes to discussing details, he’s as savvy and coy as a card shark.Then again, it doesn’t take a genius to realize help on defense will top his draft to-do list.The Chiefs fired coordinator Bob Sutton, ditched his 3-4 system and hired Steve Spagnuolo to put in a 4-3 scheme. They’ve already made a series of moves to create better fits for their personnel, but they still need help getting to the passer and in the defensive backfield.Fortunately for the Chiefs, this year’s draft is particularly deep in both of those areas.“I’m always looking for a smart Daniel Jones Jersey , aggressive, tough-minded defense,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “You don’t have to be the fastest guy, but effort becomes a huge thing for me. Toughness becomes huge for me. The ability to make plays, understand the game — that’s important.”So with that framework in mind, here are some areas of need heading into the draft:PRESSURING THE PASSERThe Chiefs signed Alex Okafor and traded for Emmanuel Ogbah, but they still need help. They hope Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell could fall to them late in the first round, and Montez Sweat of Mississippi State and TCU’s L.J. Collier are also possibilities.PLAYING CENTERFIELDThe Chiefs released longtime but injury prone Eric Berry and signed Tyrann Mathieu in free agency, but they may not be done at safety. Jordan Lucas and Daniel Sorensen have some experience and Armani Watts made great strides before a season-ending injury as a rookie Dexter Lawrence Jersey , but quality depth remains important. Someone like Maryland’s Darnell Savage might fit nicely.ON THE OUTSIDEKendall Fuller excelled in his first season in Kansas City, and Bashaud Breeland joined in free agency. But things are thin beyond those two, making CB arguably the biggest need in the draft. Georgia standout Deandre Baker, Greedy Williams of LSU and Rock Ya-Sin of Temple all have the kind of size and athleticism that the Chiefs value on the outside.WHAT ABOUT WIDEOUT?Tyreek Hill’s uncertain legal situation — he was involved in a child welfare case — means the Chiefs could be on the lookout for a WR in the middle rounds.HELP ELSEWHEREOffensive and defensive lines always seem to be a priority for Reid, himself an old-school OL coach. The Chiefs lost C Mitch Morse in free agency and could use not only depth but a player with upside who could develop into a potential starter.