The St. Louis Cardinals let a promising performance slip away Wednesday night, committing a series of costly mistakes in the late innings that allowed the Cincinnati Reds to rally for a 5-4 victory at Great American Ball Park.
For much of the game, St. Louis appeared to have the upper hand. The Cardinals received an excellent start from Matthew Liberatore, timely hitting from the middle of the lineup and several opportunities to build a comfortable lead. Instead, defensive miscues, poor execution and missed chances ultimately turned a 2-0 advantage into a painful one-run defeat.
Both starting pitchers controlled the game during the opening three innings. Cincinnati starter Chase Burns and Liberatore kept opposing hitters quiet, with neither offense able to generate much momentum early.
The Cardinals finally broke through in the fourth inning. Alec Burleson worked a one-out walk and moved into scoring position when Burns threw a wild pitch. Nathan Church then delivered a two-strike RBI single to bring Burleson home and put St. Louis ahead 1-0.
The Cardinals added another run moments later. After Masyn Winn walked to extend the inning, Bryan Torres came through with another two-strike hit, driving in Church and giving St. Louis a 2-0 advantage.
Liberatore looked particularly sharp through the first five innings. He managed his pitch count effectively, avoided issuing a walk and continued to demonstrate the ability to miss bats. He also surpassed his previous career high for strikeouts in a season during the outing.
The sixth inning, however, completely changed the complexion of the game.
Liberatore surrendered a one-out double to McLain before Elly De La Cruz hit a ball toward the middle of the infield. JJ Wetherholt nearly made an outstanding defensive play, but the ball glanced off his glove and rolled into center field. Suddenly, Cincinnati had runners on first and third with only one out.
Liberatore then made the mistake that proved most costly. He left a 94-mph fastball in a dangerous location to Sal Stewart, who crushed the pitch deep into center field for a three-run homer. The blast traveled an estimated 422 feet and immediately put Cincinnati ahead, 3-2.
It was a frustrating ending to what had otherwise been a terrific outing from Liberatore. Through five innings, he looked dominant, striking out nine while issuing no walks. But allowing the three-run homer in the sixth erased the Cardinals’ advantage and shifted the momentum toward Cincinnati.
St. Louis had opportunities to respond. In the seventh, Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker drew walks, putting runners on base and creating a chance to regain the lead. However, José Fermín could not capitalize, popping out and leaving the Cardinals empty-handed.
Luis Gastelum then gave St. Louis a much-needed clean inning in the bottom half, retiring the Reds in order and keeping the Cardinals within striking distance.
The Cardinals continued to threaten in the eighth. Joshua Báez worked a patient walk after an impressive plate appearance and later stole second base, putting himself in scoring position. However, Blaze Jordan struck out, and Jimmy Crooks also went down swinging to end another promising opportunity.
Then came the decisive defensive collapse.
Cincinnati’s Trevino opened the bottom of the eighth with a single. A wild pitch from Justin Bruihl allowed him to advance to second, immediately putting the Cardinals under pressure.
McLain followed with a well-executed sacrifice bunt, but the Cardinals failed to handle the play cleanly. Jordan hesitated before making his throw, and the ball sailed past Burleson at first base and into right field. Trevino scored, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 4-2.
The Reds added another insurance run after Elly De La Cruz flew out to advance McLain to third. St. Louis intentionally walked Sal Stewart, but the strategy did little to stop Cincinnati. Myers then attempted another sacrifice bunt, and the Cardinals again failed to cover first base properly. McLain scored as Myers reached safely, giving Cincinnati a 5-2 lead.
What had been a tightly contested game suddenly looked like it was slipping completely away because of St. Louis’ own mistakes.
The Cardinals, however, refused to go quietly.
Wetherholt opened the ninth by getting hit by a pitch, giving St. Louis an immediate baserunner. After Herrera flew out, Burleson appeared poised to keep the inning alive, but his bat broke on contact and Stewart was able to field the ball and record the second out.
Jordan Walker then delivered a massive swing. He drove a pitch deep to the opposite field and over the wall for a two-run homer, cutting Cincinnati’s lead to 5-4 and bringing the Cardinals back to life.
The comeback nearly became reality moments later. Fermín doubled down the left-field line, putting the tying run at second and moving the potential go-ahead run to the plate.
Cincinnati pitcher Emilio Pagán then threw a wild pitch, allowing Fermín to advance to third. With the tying run only 90 feet away, the Cardinals had an opportunity to complete an improbable comeback.
But the rally ended when Masyn Winn grounded a ball weakly toward third. Pagán managed to field it and throw Winn out at first, ending the game and leaving St. Louis one hit away from potentially forcing extra innings.
The defeat was particularly frustrating because the Cardinals had several chances to win. Liberatore provided five excellent innings before the sixth-inning collapse, while the offense produced timely hits early and nearly erased the deficit in the ninth.
Ultimately, Cincinnati’s late surge was aided by St. Louis’ own mistakes. A wild pitch, an errant throw and a failure to cover first base in the eighth inning created the additional opportunities the Reds needed.
The Cardinals will have an immediate chance to respond Thursday afternoon when they finish the Cincinnati portion of their road trip. Michael McGreevy is scheduled to start for St. Louis, while the Reds are expected to counter with right-hander Brady Singer.
After coming so close to completing a dramatic comeback, the Cardinals will need cleaner defense, sharper late-inning execution and better situational baseball if they hope to avoid another painful loss.
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