CINCINNATI • _ The Cardinals worked over Cincinnati ace Luis Castillo to the point that the righthander required 52 pitches to escape the first two innings on Friday night.
The 50th of those pitches was a 3-0 fastball to Dexter Fowler with two on and two out in the second inning. Instead of having Fowler potentially walk to load the bases, the Cardinals had flashed the hit sign to the veteran outfielder. Hit he did, launching his 14th homer, a three-run shot to right center, that gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
Fowler and Texas' Hunter Pence are the only two players to have two homers on 3-0 counts this season.