Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 3, Twins 2
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals had only one hit with a runner in scoring position on Sunday but on this day, that was the only one they needed.
After a throwing error kept the ninth inning alive against the Twins, Lars Nootbaar guided a single between third base and shortstop to drive in two runs and give the Cardinals an improbable win over the Twins in Minneapolis.
The Cardinals trailed 2-1 when the miscue by Twins second baseman Edward Julien cost them a potential game-ending double play and instead set up the winning rally for the Cardinals.
It was only the fourth time this season the Cardinals won a game they were losing after eight innings and brought them back to the .500 mark at 65-65.
The Twins had snapped a 1-1 tie in the eighth against JoJo Romero on a leadoff walk and a pinch-hit double by Royce Lewis.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals’ only run through the first eight innings came on a home run by Victor Scott II with two outs in the fifth, his second of the season … They had only one more hit, a single by Tommy Pham in the seventh, until Nolan Arenado singled with one out in the ninth. Brendan Donovan hit a grounder to Julien, who threw the ball into left field, letting pinch-runner Jose Fermin advance to third and Donovan get to second. After Tommy Pham struck out, both runners scored when Nootbaar singled on the first pitch … That was the Cardinals’ only hit in four at-bats with a runner on second or third. They won two of the three games in Minnesota despite being a combined 3-of-23 with a runner in scoring position in the series.
On the mound: Willie Castro hit the fourth pitch from Erick Fedde for a home run, but that was the only runs the Twins would score until the eighth. Fedde allowed only one other hit in his six innings of work. He got into a bases-loaded jam in the fourth on a hit batter and two walks before getting an inning-ending strikeout … Andrew Kittredge gave up two hits in the seventh before getting a double play to get out of that jam … Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth after the Cardinals took the lead and pitched around a leadoff single to earn his league-leading 40th save.
Key stat: The two RBIs matched Nootbaar’s total in the ninth inning this season. He had been 3-of-19 in the ninth inning with the two runs driven in before his key hit on Sunday.
Worth noting: Willson Contreras is set to undergo additional tests on his broken finger on Monday after the Cardinals return home. The team hopes to get an idea of whether Contreras might be able to return before the end of the season. He suffered the injury when he was hit by a pitch on Saturday night … Ivan Herrera was recalled from Memphis, but Pedro Pages is expected to get most of the work behind the plate in Contreras’ absence … Paul Goldschmidt was out of the lineup for the second time in the last four games with Alec Burleson again starting at first base.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will open a four-game series against the Padres on Monday night at Busch Stadium. Kyle Gibson is the scheduled starter. It will be the first time that Padres manager Mike Shildt has been back to Busch Stadium since he was fired by the Cardinals after the 2021 season.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
