Monday’s Game Report: Phillies 6, Cardinal 5
By Rob Rains
After being no-hit into the sixth inning by Andrew Painter, the Cardinals’ bats woke up in the late innings Monday night at Busch Stadium but they could not get the big hit they needed to tie the game or take the lead.
Trailing 6-2 in the eighth, the Cardinals got RBI doubles from Alec Burleson and Maysn Winn and a run-scoring single by Jose Fermin to close the gap to 6-5.
With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first, however, Jimmy Crooks struck out. Fermin stole second, but then pinch-hitter Bryan Torres flied out to end the threat.
The Cardinals went down in order in the ninth to complete the one-run loss.
The Phillies had built their lead in part on mistakes by the Cardinals, including a three-base throwing error by pitcher Hunter Dobbins, a fielding error by Jordan Walker and seven walks, two of whom later came around to score.
Here is how Monday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Painter kept the Cardinals hitless through 5 1/3 innings before Ivan Herrera doubled on Painter’s 91st pitch of the night and Burleson ripped a two-run single to also drive in JJ Wetherholt, who had reached on a walk … In the eighth, Herrera and Burleson opened the inning with back-to-back doubles in front of a single by Jordan Walker. With one out, Winn hit a ball that ricocheted off the pitcher’s leg into right field. He went to third on Fermin’s single but was stranded there.
On the mound: Dobbins allowed three runs, but two of them were unearned because of his throwing error … Caleb Ferguson walked three batters and gave up a double to Kyle Schwarber in the seventh, producing one run, but Gordon Graceffo was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam with a double play to keep more runs from scoring … Graceffo wasn’t as lucky in the eighth, when the Phillies added two runs on a leadoff walk and back-to-back one-out doubles, the second by former Cardinal Edmundo Sosa, who had three RBIs on the night.
Key stat: The three RBIs by Burleson increased his season total to a career-high 81. He and Walker (83 RBIs) are the first Cardinals teammates with 80 or more RBIs in a season since Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in 2022 when both surpassed the 100 mark. The Cardinals have 43 games left in the season.
Worth noting: Cesar Prieto was hitless in three at-bats, leaving him 0-of-26 for the season in the major leagues. He was robbed of a hit in the seventh inning on a diving catch by Derek Hill in right field … The Cardinals announced before the game that Nelson Velazquez, who had been designated for assignment last week, was claimed off waivers by the Astros.
Up next: Andre Pallante will get the start on Tuesday night in the second game of the series.
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