Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 6, Reds 1
By Rob Rains
In his five previous starts coming into Friday night’s game, Andre Pallante had allowed 39 baserunners in 28 innings with no wins and a 6.23 ERA.
He looked like a different pitcher in the opener of the Cardinals’ three-game series against the Reds at Busch Stadium.
Pallante pitched into the seventh inning, allowing only two singles and no runs as he picked up his first victory in more than a month.
It was only the second time in 15 starts this season that Pallante held the opponent scoreless and the first time since his third start of the season on April 11. He protected a 1-0 lead from the third inning to the seventh, when the Cardinals broke the game open.
The win was the fourth in a row and fifth in their last six games for the Cardinals.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Alec Burleson’s sacrifice fly in the third inning produced the only run of the game until the seventh … In that inning, the Cardinals scored five runs with only two hits, RBI singles from Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar, as they took advantage of three walks, a hit batter and an error … Winn and Nootbaar each had two of the Cardinals’ total of seven hits … Thomas Saggese, promoted from Memphis earlier in the day, was in the lineup as the designated hitter and had an infield single in four at-bats.
On the mound: The only hits off Pallante were a single with two outs in the third and a single leading off the seventh which knocked him out of the game. He walked one, with two outs in the fifth, and struck out four … John King struggled, retiring only one of the four hitters he faced and allowing the only run for the Reds in the eighth.
Worth noting: Saggese replaced Ivan Herrera on the roster after Herrera was placed on the injured list because of a left hamstring strain. Initial projections are for Herrera to miss between two and six weeks. This is the second IL stint this season for Herrera … Saggese hit .341 in 14 games with the Cardinals earlier this season and has been hot at Memphis, posting a .420 average (21-of-50) with one home run and 11 RBIs in 13 games in June … Andre Granillo became the first MLB pitcher in history to win the first game of his career and earn the first save of his career on the same day in Thursday’s doubleheader in Chicago … The Double A Springfield Cardinals clinched the first half championship in the Texas League on Thursday night to secure a spot in the postseason for the third consecutive year … Tink Hence made his first non-rehab start of the season for Springfield on Friday night and did not allow a hit over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight, throwing 66 pitches … Both Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras had Friday night off, with day games on the schedule for both Saturday and Sunday.
Up next: Sonny Gray will get the start on Saturday in the second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
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