Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Brewers 1
By Rob Rains
In a season where a lot of things did not go the way the Cardinals wanted, three that did turn out well were on display on Sunday in the final home game at Busch Stadium.
Matthew Liberatore continued to establish himself as a starter, allowing one run over five innings, while Ivan Herrera hit a booming home run and Matt Svanson turned in two scoreless innings in relief.
The combination helped the Cardinals close out their home schedule with a win over the Brewers, but Milwaukee still was able to clinch the NL Central when the Cubs lost 1-0 to the Reds.
Liberatore, who went through a stretch of nine starts without a win earlier this year, picked up his second win in his last four starts. He struck out six, giving him a combined 20 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in those games.
Herrera’s homer, a two-run shot in the third inning, went over the Brewers’ bullpen. It was his 17th homer of the season and sixth in September.
Svanson, who has become one of the team’s most trusted relievers, lowered his ERA for the year to 2.05 with his fifth consecutive scoreless outing.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals added to their 2-0 lead when Jose Fermin doubled in two runs following back-to-back walks to open the fourth inning. Fermin added a third RBI when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning … Four of the five runs scored after the batter reached base with a walk … The Cardinals finished with just three hits, with their only hit other than the Herrera homer and Fermin double an eighth-inning single by Alec Burleson.
On the mound: The only run Liberatore allowed came in the fifth, his final inning. Joey Ortiz tripled with one out and scored on a sacrifice fly. Liberatore gave up five hits and walked one while recording his six strikeouts … Svanson allowed two hits, walked a batter and hit one but was able to pitch around that traffic … Ryan Fernandez and Riley O’Brien also each hit a batter in their inning of work.
Worth noting: Outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game and was honored with a video tribute … Nolan Arenado, who might be traded this winter, was a late insertion into the Cardinals lineup and took his defensive position at third base but was then pulled from the game before the first pitch to give fans a chance to salute him on what could have been his final game in the home uniform at Busch … Sunday’s game drew a crowd of 32,723, bringing the total attendance for the season to 2,250,007, an average of 27,778 for the 81 home games. That’s the fewest fans the Cardinals have drawn in a non-Covid restricted year since 1995 … The Double A Springfield Cardinals lost the first game of the best-of-three Texas League championship series 6-3 to Midland on Sunday. Game two will be Tuesday night in Midland.
Up next: The Cardinals left for San Francisco after the game to begin the final week of the season. They will play three games against the Giants before ending the year next weekend with three in Chicago against the Cubs. Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter on Monday night. The Cardinals. next game at Busch will be March 26 next year, the 2026 opener against Tampa Bay. That’s just 186 days away.
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