Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Pirates 4
By Rob Rains
If there ever was a night to say the Cardinals hung on for a victory, it would be an accurate description of what happened in Wednesday night’s game in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates scored twice in the seventh, but left the bases loaded. They made it a one-run game with another run in the eighth. Then in the ninth, with a runner on first, Nick Gonzales hit a fly ball that appeared was going to be a walk-off homer before Nathan Church caught it at the wall in left field to end the game.
All the drama came against the Cardinals leaky bullpen after Andre Pallante allowed only one run over six innings while his teammates built a 5-1 lead.
The Cardinals have won the first three games of the series – getting a four-run rally in the ninth inning on Monday night and scoring 11 runs on Tuesday night before the survival act on Wednesday night. That puts them in a spot to sweep the four-game series on Thursday.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals had only three hits through the first six innings, but made the most of them – an RBI double by JJ Wetherholt in the third and a two-out double by Ivan Herrera and a two-run homer by Alec Burleson in the fifth … They scored what proved to be the winning runs in the seventh. Victor Scott II was hit by a pitch, stole both second and third and scored on Herrera’s single before Herrera scored on a single by Jordan Walker … The Cardinals drew six walks but only one led to a run.
On the mound: The only run Pallante allowed was a home run leading off the fifth by Spencer Horwitz. He scattered five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out six … The damage against the bullpen came against Ryne Stanek, who gave up a hit and two walks to the four hitters he faced, and JoJo Romero in the seventh, when Romero allowing his first two inherited runners to score. He was able to strand the bases loaded with a checked-swing strikeout and a groundout … Soriano allowed a single and walk to the first two hitters he faced in the eighth and gave up one run before getting out of the inning … O’Brien earned his eighth save, pitching around a one-out single thanks to Church’s catch that ended the game.
Key stat: In the first three games of the series, the top four Cardinals hitters – Wetherholt, Herrera, Burleson and Walker – were a combined 15-of-45 with 16 runs and 12 RBIs.
Worth noting: The Cardinals will have to make a roster move before Thursday’s game, dropping a pitcher to open a spot for Hunter Dobbins, who will be making his Cardinals’ debut … Matt Pushard made another rehab appearance for Memphis on Wednesday but had a rough outing. In his one inning of work he allowed five runs on three hits, one of which was a home run. Two of the runs were unearned because of his throwing error and another by Jimmy Crooks, both on bunt plays.
Up next: The Cardinals have not completed a four-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh since 2020. Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, will start for the Pirates against Dobbins. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. St. Louis time.
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