Sunday’s Game Report: Rangers 8, Cardinals 1
By Rob Rains
It had been nearly six years since the Cardinals last faced Jacob deGrom, so long ago that nobody who was in their lineup for that 2019 game against the Mets was still there for Sunday’s game against the Rangers.
What didn’t change, however, was how deGrom performed on the mound.
After he allowed two hits and a run in the first inning, deGrom blanked the Cardinals on just two hits through the next five innings to send the Rangers to the win in Texas.
The Cardinals have not defeated deGrom since 2016 and in his three starts against St. Louis since 2017 they have scored a combined four runs in 18 2/3 innings.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Lars Nootbaar led off the game with a walk, went to second on a ground out and scored on a two-out single by Willson Contreras. Ivan Herrera also singled in the inning, but both runners were left stranded … The Cardinals had only three more hits off deGrom and three Texas relievers after the first inning and had only three at-bats after the first with a runner in scoring position.
On the mound: Erick Fedde allowed just two runs on four hits over six innings, keeping the game close, but the Rangers blew it open late against the Cardinals bullpen, scoring six runs in the seventh and eighth innings … Kyle Leahy allowed one run and Steven Matz three, two of which were unearned because of an error by Yohel Pozo, in the seventh before the Rangers scored their final runs in the eighth off Roddery Munoz.
Key stat: The Cardinals were outscored 19-4 in the three-game series, winning their only game when they scored two runs, reducing their run differential for the season to plus 30.
Worth noting: deGrom’s last start against the Cardinals had been on June 13, 2019 when he had a no-decision in a game won by the Cardinals 5-4 in 10 innings. deGrom gave up a home run to Paul DeJong in that game that produced their only runs against deGrom in seven innings …
Up next: After a day off on Monday, the Cardinals return home to start a nine game homestand on Tuesday night with a three-game series against the Royals. The Dodgers and Blue Jays also will play three games each in St. Louis following the series against Kansas City.
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