The St. Louis Cardinals closed out their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies with an important 7-4 victory Sunday at Busch Stadium, using timely hitting and a dramatic eighth-inning rally to secure another much-needed win in the National League Wild Card race.
St. Louis entered the series finale needing a victory to build momentum before beginning a critical three-game homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the teams directly ahead of them in the postseason chase. The Cardinals ultimately delivered, although the game was anything but comfortable.
The victory moved St. Louis back to the .500 mark and gave the club its fifth win in its last seven games. More importantly, the Cardinals showed the ability to respond after Colorado repeatedly threatened to take control late in the afternoon.
Michael McGreevy received the start for St. Louis and experienced a roller-coaster outing. He surrendered an early run, settled down through the middle innings and appeared to have the game under control before running into trouble again in the sixth.
Colorado wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
Jake McCarthy opened the game with a double on McGreevy’s second pitch, and Carrigg followed with a bunt single to put runners on first and third with nobody out. McGreevy managed to escape much of the early damage by inducing a double play, but Hunter Goodman eventually delivered a two-out RBI single that brought McCarthy home and gave the Rockies a 1-0 advantage.
The Cardinals answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning.
Rookie JJ Wetherholt began the rally by drawing a leadoff walk, and Iván Herrera followed with an infield single. Jordan Walker then came through with a run-scoring single, bringing Wetherholt home and tying the contest at 1-1.
St. Louis gradually began to take control as McGreevy found his rhythm.
The Cardinals pushed ahead in the third inning after Herrera singled and Alec Burleson drew a walk. Walker advanced both runners with a deep fly ball, setting up a productive opportunity with runners on second and third.
Jimmy Crooks took advantage of the situation with a sacrifice fly that brought Herrera across the plate. Masyn Winn then added an even bigger hit, driving an 83-mph changeup into the left-center-field wall to score Burleson and extend the Cardinals’ advantage to 3-1.
St. Louis added another run in the sixth, courtesy of Burleson’s power.
The Cardinals slugger crushed a 91-mph sinker from Colorado and launched it an estimated 441 feet into the right-center-field seats. The home run gave St. Louis a 4-1 lead and appeared to put the Cardinals in position to cruise toward victory.
But Colorado refused to go away.
With two outs in the top of the sixth, McGreevy surrendered a double before Brett Sullivan followed with a two-run homer to right field. The blast cut the Cardinals’ lead to 4-3 and suddenly put pressure back on the St. Louis pitching staff.
Justin Bruihl helped stabilize the situation, working the remainder of the sixth and the seventh without allowing another run. Still, the Cardinals were unable to add to their lead in the bottom of the seventh despite creating a promising opportunity.
Wetherholt and Herrera opened the inning with consecutive singles, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. However, St. Louis could not bring either runner home, with a flyout and two groundouts ending the threat.
That missed opportunity immediately looked costly.
In the eighth, Colorado’s Hunter Goodman crushed a 95-mph sinker from George Soriano and sent it 394 feet into the left-field seats. The solo homer tied the game at 4-4 and appeared to shift all the momentum toward the Rockies.
Instead of allowing the game to reach the ninth inning tied, however, the Cardinals’ offense responded with its biggest rally of the afternoon.
Masyn Winn and Nathan Church started the bottom of the eighth with consecutive singles, putting two runners on base with nobody out. José Fermín then executed a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt, moving both runners into scoring position.
After Bryan Torres struck out, the Cardinals were down to their final out in the inning with their two runners still waiting to score.
That’s when Wetherholt delivered.
Colorado turned to left-hander Parker Mushinski, but the pitching change did not work. Wetherholt attacked the first pitch he saw, a 92-mph four-seam fastball, and drove it deep toward center field.
The ball reached the wall, allowing both Winn and Church to score and putting St. Louis back in front 6-4. Although the official scoring classified the play as a double and an error rather than a triple, the result was the same: Wetherholt had produced the decisive blow.
Herrera then followed with another important hit, lining an RBI single into left-center field to score Wetherholt and push the Cardinals’ lead to 7-4.
The late offensive explosion provided the Cardinals with the cushion they desperately needed.
Riley O’Brien was then handed the ball for the ninth inning and quickly shut down Colorado’s final attempt at a comeback. McCarthy, who had started the game with a double, lined out to newcomer Everson Pereira in left field.
Carrigg followed, but Wetherholt made an impressive defensive play up the middle to record the second out. Alec Burleson completed the play with a strong stretch at first base after Colorado challenged the call.
With the Rockies down to their final out, T.J. Rumfield sent a ball toward left field, but Pereira made a spectacular diving catch to end the game and secure the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory.
The win was significant for St. Louis because it came immediately before one of the most important series of its season.
The Philadelphia Phillies arrive at Busch Stadium Monday for a three-game set, with the Cardinals attempting to close the gap in the National League Wild Card race. Philadelphia currently sits ahead of St. Louis, making the series an opportunity for the Cardinals to gain ground directly against one of their postseason competitors.
Hunter Dobbins is scheduled to start the series opener for St. Louis, while Philadelphia is expected to counter with rookie right-hander Andrew Painter, who has recently returned from hamstring trouble.
The Cardinals will enter the matchup with renewed confidence after winning five of their last seven games. Their offense has also shown encouraging signs, with Wetherholt, Herrera, Burleson, Winn and Walker all playing important roles in Sunday’s victory.
For a team trying to remain relevant in the postseason race, the timing could hardly be better.
The Cardinals will now turn their attention toward the Phillies, knowing that a strong homestand could dramatically change the complexion of their playoff chase. Sunday’s comeback victory against Colorado showed that St. Louis has the offensive firepower to overcome adversity.
Now, the Cardinals will find out whether they can carry that momentum into a much more consequential series against Philadelphia.
Leave a Reply