The St. Louis Cardinals jumped out quickly and held off a late surge to defeat the Houston Astros 7-5 on Saturday, securing an interleague series win behind a power-heavy offensive showing and strong early pitching.
Rookies Masyn Winn and José Fermin both hit their first career home runs, while Alec Burleson also went deep as St. Louis built an early cushion against Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.
The Cardinals struck immediately in the first inning, loading the bases before a two-run single from Nolan Gorman gave them an early 2-0 advantage. McCullers struggled with command throughout his outing, issuing multiple walks and hitting batters while failing to settle in. He later surrendered a two-run blast to Winn in the third and finished with four runs allowed over five innings.
Houston briefly responded with a solo homer from Yordan Alvarez in the first, but the offense was largely contained early by St. Louis starter Andre Pallante. Pallante delivered a steady five-inning outing, allowing just one run while striking out five and consistently working out of minor traffic.
The Cardinals continued to add insurance runs late, with Fermin and Burleson each hitting solo home runs in the middle innings to extend the lead. Although Houston’s Shay Whitcomb hit a ninth-inning three-run homer to close the gap, closer Riley O’Brien shut the door by retiring the final two dangerous hitters.
The loss marked the Astros’ third straight defeat and their 11th in 13 games, while the Cardinals continued their strong start to the series with a balanced mix of power hitting and timely pitching.
Leave a Reply