Tuesday’s Game Report: Yankees 2, Cardinals 0
By Rob Rains
Hunter Dobbins got the first chance to move into the vacant spot in the Cardinals’ rotation following the trade of Dustin May on Tuesday night and there were only two pitches he wished he could have had back.
Dobbins gave up solo home runs on those two pitches, and they resulted in the only runs of the game as the Yankees shut out the Cardinals in New York.
The Yankees had only two other hits off Dobbins in his 6 1/3 innings.
One night after hitting five home runs and scoring 13 runs, the Cardinals’ offense was held to just six hits.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals did have three good scoring chances, but each time could not get a big hit. In the sixth, a walk to JJ Wetherholt and a single by Ivan Herrera put runners on first and third with two outs but Jose Fermin flew out to end the inning … In the seventh, Nelson Velazquez led off the inning with a double but was stranded at third base … In the eighth, the Cardinals loaded the bases on a single by Pedro Pages, a walk to Bryan Torres, a groundout that advanced the runners and a two-out intentional walk to pinch-hitter Alec Burleson but Velazquez struck out to end the inning … They were hitless in seven at-bats with a runner in scoring position.
On the mound: Dobbins gave up a home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the second and a homer to George Lombard Jr., making his major-league debut, in the fifth. He walked three and struck out four before coming out of the game … Caleb Ferguson made his Cardinals debut with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit.
Key stat: The Cardinals were shut out for the sixth time this season. This was the first time they were shut out the day after scoring 13 or more runs since they beat the Dodgers 16-8 on May 18, 2023 then lost 5-0 the following day.
Worth noting: Jordan Walker was a late scratch from the lineup because of inflammation in his right knee … In addition to Dobbins, the Cardinals recalled Cesar Prieto from Memphis to fill the roster opening created by trading Lars Nootbaar … To make room for Ferguson on the roster, the Cardinals optioned Quinn Mathews to Memphis … With the roster re-shuffing in the minors, there were a few more promotions to note – former first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe, recovering from injuries, was promoted from Springfield to Memphis; pitcher Yhoiker Fajado and first baseman Jack Gurevitch went from Peoria to Springfield, and lefthander Brandon Clarke joined Peoria from his rehab assignment in Palm Beach. He was one of the players acquired from the Red Sox last winter.
Up next: Andre Pallante will get the start on Wednesday night in the final game of the series and the road trip.
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