Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 10, Reds 3
By Rob Rains
Lars Nootbaar made his season debut on Friday night and contributed to a good night for the Cardinals’ offense.
Nootbaar had two hits, drove in a run and scored one and the Cardinals used a six-run sixth inning to beat the Reds in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
The seven-run margin of victory matched the Cardinals’ biggest winning margin of the season; they also beat the Reds by an 8-1 score on May 23. It was only the third time this season the Cardinals have won a game by more than five runs.
It also was also the first time the Cardinals scored 10 runs in a game since April 30.
Nootbaar, who missed the first two months of the season while recovering from surgery on both of his heels, had one of the Cardinals’ four hits in the sixth inning, doubling in a run.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals sent 12 batters to the plate in the sixth and took advantage of four walks and a hit batter … Eight players finished the game with an RBI … Jordan Walker had his second consecutive three-hit game, which including a pair of doubles, and Alec Burleson had two hits, including his eighth home run, and scored four runs … The Cardinals also took advantage of three errors by the Reds in the first five innings which allowed them to tie the game and then take a 4-3 lead on Walker’s RBI double in the fifth … They scored 10 runs despite going 3-of-17 with a runner in scoring position and leaving 12 runners on base.
On the mound: After giving up the three runs in the top of the first, Kyle Leahy shut out the Reds over the next three innings before he was pulled from the game after the fourth, allowing only two singles and a walk … Hunter Dobbins pitched the final five innings, shutting out the Reds on four hits, to earn his first victory with the Cardinals. He walked two and struck out six.
Key stat: This was only the second time this season the Cardinals won a game in which they allowed two or more runs in the first inning. The other was in the first game of this homestand, against the Cubs, after they also fell behind 3-0 in the first. They lost the first six games this season when they allowed two or more runs in the opening inning.
Worth noting: JJ Wetherholt was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game because of tightness in his groin. The Cardinals are hoping he will be able to play on Saturday … To make room for Nootbaar on the roster, Thomas Saggese was optioned to Memphis. It’s the second time this season the team has tried to option him, but the first time he never left town and was back on the roster 12 hours later because of an injury. “He was forced into being a backup because of need, but he needs to play,” said manager Oli Marmol … In another roster move, Ryan Fernandez was placed on the injured list because of a sore back and Matt Svanson was recalled from Memphis … Former first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe appeared in a game on Friday for the first time since July 2, 2024 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe needed just 11 pitches to retire the three hitters he faced in his start in the Florida Complex League, getting a strikeout, a groundout and a pop out.
Up next: Matthew Liberatore will get the start on Saturday in the second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
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