Saturday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Reds 0
By Rob Rains
Ivan Herrera needed a big hit. The Cardinals needed it too.
It came in the sixth inning on Saturday night when Herrera lined a double into the left field corner that scored two runs, igniting a six-run inning that carried the Cardinals over the Reds at Busch Stadium.
Andre Pallante had protected a 1-0 lead since the first inning before the uprising en route to his 11th victory.
Herrera, moved from second to fourth in the Cardinals’ lineup this week, had not hit a double since July 1 and since July 5, had gone 9-of-63 over his last 16 games. He matched his RBI total in those 16 games which that one swing of his bat.
The Cardinals sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, with six consecutive hitters reaching base and five of them coming around to score.
Here is how Saturday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Alec Burleson had three hits, driving in an unearned run in the first and then adding another single in the big sixth inning … Bryan Torres’ single drove in another run in the inning before Blaze Jordan drove in two runs with a single. A squeeze bunt by Nathan Church drove in the final run … Herrera added a second hit in the seventh inning, joining Burleson and Jordan Walker with a multi-hit game.
On the mound: Pallante allowed only two hits over his seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight and only walked one and only allowed one hitter to reach second base. Pallante retired the last 12 hitters he faced from the fourth through the seventh inning … Gordon Graceffo worked the final two innings. The Reds loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth before Graceffo got two strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.
Key stat: The Cardinals have hit only one home run in their last eight games, covering 233 at-bats. This was the first time they won a game without hitting a home run since June 22.
Worth noting: The Cardinals signed former major-leaguer Peter Strzelecki to a minor-league contract on Saturday. The 31-year-old righthander last pitched in the majors with the Guardians in 2024. He had pitched in Triple A this season in the Brewers and Yankees organizations. He will report to Palm Beach so he can work at the Cardinals’ spring training complex.
Up next: Kyle Leahy will get the start on Sunday in the final game of the series.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
