Mayers makes the most of his second chance

PITTSBURGH — The juxtaposition in Tuesday’s box score was glaring, as next to Mike Mayers’ name was listed one win and a 34.71 ERA. Given the starting point, however, every figure there was welcome.

“Redemption” was the word Mayers selected to describe Tuesday’s performance, a clean eighth inning that kept the Cardinals’ deficit at one. An inning later, the Cardinals blasted three home runs to stun the Pirates in a come-from-behind win that earned Mayers his first Major League victory.

Though not necessarily the situation manager Mike Matheny intended for Mayers’ first September performance, the Cardinals had included him among their Minor League callups in order to give him an opportunity to make a second first impression.

Mayers’ Major League debut as a spot starter in a nationally televised game on July 24 couldn’t have gone much worse, as he was chased from the game after allowing nine runs on eight hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Until Tuesday, that had been Mayers’ only day in the big leagues. He …

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