Sunday’s Game Report: Diamondbacks 8, Cardinals 7 (10 innings)
By Rob Rains
Anyone who turned off the Cardinals game when they were leading 7-0 after the fifth inning on Sunday might be surprised by what happened afterward.
Anyone who has watched the Cardinals middle relief this season probably won’t be surprised.
The Cardinals blew the lead, giving up three runs in the sixth (all charged to starter Andre Pallante), two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth before the Diamondbacks won the game with a run in the 10th.
Geraldo Perdomo hit an inside-the-park home run off George Soriano in the seventh before Nolan Arenado’s two-run homer off Gordon Graceffo tied the game with two outs in the eighth.
In the 10th, Max Kepler doubled with one out off Luis Gastelum to drive in the winning run from second.
Combined, the four Cardinals relievers allowed five runs, plus allowing one inherited runner to score, on five hits in four innings.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals built the 7-0 lead with five runs in the third and two in the fifth. Blaze Jordan, playing for the first time since the All-Star break, had a big hit in each inning, an RBI triple in the third and a two-run single in the fifth, part of a three-hit day … Alec Burleson also had three hits and his single drove in two runs in the third … The other RBIs in the third came on a single by JJ Wetherholt and a double by Jordan Walker … Ivan Herrera also had three hits … Lars Nootbaar walked four times in his five plate appearances … The Cardinals left 13 runners on base, including two in the ninth and they left the automatic runner on third when they failed to score in the 10th.
On the mound: Two of the Diamondbacks’ runs in the sixth came on bases loaded walks, one by Pallante and one by Ryan Stanek. Pallante worked five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, before the trouble in the sixth … The inside the park homer by Perdomo was originally scored as a single and a three-base error on Jose Fermin, playing left field … Gastelum had worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two, before giving up the winning run in the 10th.
Key stat: Burleson’s three-hit day gave him a combined six hits in 13 at-bats in the three-game series with four runs scored. In the seven games going into the break he was just 4-of-24, although all four hits went for extra bases with three doubles and a homer.
Worth noting: Burleson and Walker are the first teammates to each record 100 hits before the Cardinals’ 100th game of the season since Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter did it in 2013 … Switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje made his first start on Sunday since he was promoted to Triple A but had a rough game against Iowa, the Cubs’ affiliate, allowing six runs in 3 2/3 innings … The Cardinals are in a stretch of playing 20 games in as many days, because of the rainout makeup on Thursday against Arizona at Busch Stadium. They are not scheduled to have a day off until Aug. 6.
Up next: The road trip continues on Monday night in Los Angeles with the first of three games against John Mozeliak’s Angels. Kyle Leahy will get the start.
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