Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 9, Astros 4
By Rob Rains
It was a happy homecoming for Masyn Winn on Friday night.
Playing in front of family and friends about 30 minutes from where he grew up, Winn delivered a two-run single in the third inning that sent the Cardinals to their third win in a row, defeating the Astros in Houston.
With the one swing, Winn drove in twice as many runs as he had driven in in his first 14 games of the season, during which he had collected only one RBI.
Winn also had been just 1 of 16 with a runner in scoring position, including a popout in the first inning, when he came to bat in the third with the Cardinals leading 1-0.
They had loaded the bases without a hit, on two hit batters and a walk, but Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman both struck out before Winn came through with the single to left.
A three-run homer by Gorman in the seventh and a two-run homer by Ivan Herrera in the eighth blew the game open.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI single in the first … Gorman struck out in his first three at-bats before hitting the homer in the seventh, which followed a double by Alec Burleson and a walk to Walker. That blast took the Cardinals from a 4-3 lead to a 7-3 advantage … Herrera’s homer also followed a walk … JJ Wetherholt reached base three times on an infield single, a hit by pitch and a walk and each time came around to score … Every Cardinal starter except Victor Scott II had at least one hit and six scored at least one run.
On the mound: Kyle Leahy picked up the victory despite allowing three homers, all solo shots, in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out six … The other run for the Astros came in the eighth, when Ryne Stanek allowed a leadoff double, followed by a pair of two-out walks and a single, but then was able to get out of the bases-loaded jam with his third strikeout of the inning.
Key stat: At 11-8, the Cardinals are three games above .500 after the first 19 games of the season for the first time since they also were 11-8 in 2022.
Worth noting: Chaim Bloom, the president of baseball operations, told reporters in Houston that pitcher Richard Fitts underwent surgery this week that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Fitts was pitching at Memphis when he was placed on the seven-day IL last week because of a lat strain. Further medical evaluation led to the decision to have the operation … At Memphis on Friday night, catcher Jimmy Crooks hit two home runs, increasing his season total to six.
Up next: Andre Pallante will get the start on Saturday night in the second game of the series.
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