The Opener: Holmes, deGrom, Misiorowski/Sale

The Cardinals and Reds had a wild one on Thursday. Cincinnati erased a four-run deficit with five runs in the sixth inning. The Reds had the victory in hand in the ninth inning, but a Dane Myers error extended the game. The Cardinals ended up scoring six times in the frame. Cincinnati’s comeback attempt fell just short, as Matt McLain lined out with the bases loaded. 1. Holmes loses no-hit bid in seventh Braves right-hander Grant Holmes cruised through six frames with just a walk on the ledger against the White Sox on Thursday. He walked Miguel Vargas to lead off the seventh inning, then permitted a single to Andrew Benintendi. Didier Fuentes relieved Holmes and quelled the rally by striking out the side. It was the third time in four starts this month that Holmes has tossed six scoreless innings. There was a clunker in the middle (six earned runs vs. Arizona), but the righty has done enough to hold onto a rotation spot. Atlanta is currently rolling with a six-man look with AJ Smith-Shawver back in the majors. 2. deGrom reaches 2K strikeouts Rangers righty Jacob deGrom was featured in this space yesterday because of the uncertainty around his health. Apparently, he’s good to go. The two-time Cy Young winner fired six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Nationals. deGrom punched out Daylen Lile to lead off the game, then got Abimelec Ortiz on a backfoot slider to secure strikeout No. 2,000. He’s the second-fastest pitcher to reach the milestone, behind only Chris Sale. “He’s 38 and he’s still throwing 100,” catcher Danny Jansen said (h/t Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). “It’s remarkable.” 3. Misiorowski vs. Sale Speaking of Sale, he’ll get the ball in the first game of an intriguing series between the Braves and Brewers on Friday. Sale will be opposed by right-hander Jacob Misiorowski. The high-octane matchup could go a long way toward deciding which NL titan has to play in the first round of the postseason. Milwaukee is currently four games ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the National League. The Dodgers are sandwiched in between, two games back of the Brewers. The top two teams will earn first-round byes in the playoffs. Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images View Comments (8)