Sunday’s Game Report: Padres 3, Cardinals 2 (10 innings)
By Rob Rains
Everything was in place for the Cardinals to cap a big weekend in San Diego with another shutout win over the Padres on Sunday.
Everything, that is, except for one swing of the bat by Nick Castellanos.
The Cardinals were one strike away from a 2-0 win when Castellanos hit a two-run homer off Riley O’Brien, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, to tie the game. The Padres then won it in the 10th without a hit, getting a game-winning sacrifice fly from Manny Machado.
It was only the second time this season the Cardinals lost a game they were leading after eight innings.
Instead of winning three of the four games in the series, the Cardinals had to settle for a split. It also marked the first time the Cardinals lost consecutive road games in more than a month, April 4 and 5 in Detroit.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals only had three hits in the game, and both of their runs came on a two-run homer by Jordan Walker in the fourth inning. Walker’s 11th homer of the season followed a two-out single by Alec Burleson … Their only other hit was a single by JJ Wetherholt in the sixth … Ivan Herrera was hitless in four at-bats, snapping his 25-game streak of reaching base with either a hit or a walk … The Cardinals failed to score in the 10th when Walker and Nolan Gorman struck out with the automatic runner on second and Jose Fermin popped out, following a walk to Masyn Winn.
On the mound: Kyle Leahy only allowed two hits over five shutout innings but walked four and struck out five, which ran his pitch count up to 95 pitches … The Padres only had one baserunner off the Cardinals bullpen in the sixth through the eighth innings, when Fernando Tatis Jr. walked in the eighth … In the ninth, O’Brien allowed a leadoff single to Xander Bogaerts, then struck out the next two hitters before Castellanos delivered the home run on a 3-2 pitch … Gordon Graceffo relieved to start the 10th, and following an intentional walk to Jackson Merrill, walked Tatis to load the bases. Machado hit the next pitch to right, just deep enough to drive in the winning run ahead of Walker’s throw to the plate.
Key stat: This was the first game-tying or game-winning home run by the Padres against the Cardinals in the ninth inning or in extra innings in San Diego since Jerry Hairston homered off Mitchell Boggs in the 13th inning on May 26, 2010.
Worth noting: The home run by Castellanos was the first allowed by O’Brien since June 9 of last season. He had faced 249 batters since that home run before the blast by Castellanos … The Cardinals’ starters in the four games allowed only four runs and nine hits over a combined 23 innings … Sunday’s game was the end of the 17 games in 17 days schedule for the Cardinals, which was broken up by a rainout. They went 9-7 in those 16 games … Lars Nootbaar is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment early this week, but which affiliate he will be joining has not been announced.
Up next: After a day off on Monday the Cardinals will begin a three-game series against the A’s on Tuesday night in their temporary home in Sacramento before their eventual relocation to Las Vegas. It will be the first time the Cardinals have played in Sacramento.
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