Tuesday’s Game Report: Pirates 8, Cardinals 3
By Rob Rains
As bad as the month of August already had been for Andre Pallante, it got worse on Tuesday night.
Pallante came into his start against the Pirates at Busch Stadium with an 0-4 record for the month, having allowed 17 runs in 17 innings.
It took the Cardinals’ starter 27 pitches before he recorded his first out as he gave up five hits and a walk to the first six batters he faced. Pallante trailed 5-0 after getting the first out, on a sacrifice fly.
The Pirates added two more runs off Pallante in the second and another in the third en route to the victory. The eight runs are the most Pallante has allowed in 56 career starts.
The five runs in the first inning were the most scored by the Pirates in the opening inning in a game in St. Louis since they scored seven on Aug. 13, 2015.
The loss left Pallante with an 0-5 record in August. With seven of the eight runs on Tuesday night earned runs, his ERA for the month jumped up to 9.82, allowing 24 earned runs in 22 innings. He is just 1-9 in his last 10 starts.
The Cardinals offense wasn’t very good, either, as they were held to just three hits.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: One of the three hits for the Cardinals was a two-run homer by Nolan Gorman, his 13th of the season, with two outs in the fourth inning … That was the only hit for the Cardinals after the first inning, when they had consecutive one-out singles by Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson before Willson Contreras hit into an inning-ending double play … Contreras got the other RBI with a groundout in the sixth, following a walk and a hit batter … The Cardinals struck out 13 times in the game and were 0-of-4 with a runner in scoring position.
On the mound: The first six batters for the Pirates against Pallante recorded a single, single, double, walk, single and double before the sacrifice fly from Henry Davis. He allowed a single and double in the second, aided by an error on Lars Nootbaar, that produced two more runs before Davis homered in the third. Pallante did retire the last eight hitters he faced … Gordon Graceffo, Jorge Alcala and Ryan Fernandez kept the Pirates from adding to their lead over the final four innings.
Key stat: This marked the third time this season the Cardinals allowed five runs in the first inning. They have been outscored 84-39 in the first inning this season, and the 84 runs is the most they have allowed in any inning.
Worth noting: Major League Baseball announced that Contreras received a six-game suspension for his actions after he was ejected from Monday night’s game along with an undisclosed fine. Contreras is appealing the decision, and is eligible to play until a hearing can be scheduled … A Cardinals’ minor-league pitcher, righthander Zeke Wood, received an 80-game suspension on Tuesday after a positive PED test. Wood, 25, was signed as a non-drafted free agent earlier this season and pitched in Palm Beach before he was promoted to Peoria on Aug. 5 … Rising prospect Rainiel Rodriguez hit a grand slam for Palm Beach, his 11th home run with that club and 18th of the season overall.
Up next: Sonny Gray is the scheduled starter on Wednesday night for the third game of the series.
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