Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Phillies 1
By Rob Rains
For about a minute, as he stood on second base following a two-run double, Alec Burleson got to enjoy being tied with Jordan Walker for the Cardinals’ RBI lead.
The tie lasted for one pitch, until Walker hit his own double, driving in Burleson, to regain the lead in their personal battle in what turned out to be a four-run fifth inning that carried the Cardinals over the Phillies on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
It turned out, however, that Burleon would get another RBI chance in the seventh, and his single drove in his third run of the game to once again tie him with Walker with 84 RBIs.
Walker followed that hit by drawing a walk, ensuring that he and Burleson will remain tied at 84 RBIs until at least Friday.
The Cardinals won two of the three gsmes against the Phillies, holding them to a combined one run in the last two games. They moved back above .500 for the season with a 61-60 record.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Cesar Prieto’s first hit in the majors this season led to the four-run fifth, which featured singles by JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera and the doubles by Burleson and Walker, all with two outs … Walker also reached on an error, stole second and scored on a double by Nathan Church in the second … The Cardinals added the two insurance runs in the seventh, when back-to-back walks led to Burleson’s single and a sacrifice fly from Church.
On the mound: Kyle Leahy was once again limited to five innings, coming out of the game after throwing 81 pitches. He allowed the Phillies’ only run on six hits. He struck out six and for the second game in a row did not walk a batter … Leahy has only walked two batters in his last 31 innings … Justin Bruihl, Gordon Graceffo and Luis Gastelum didn’t allow a hit over the final four innings.
Key stat: In the 26 games since the All-Star break, Burleson has posted a .340 average (33-of-97) with 17 RBIs. At the break, Walker had driven in 74 runs while Burleson had 67 RBIs.
Worth noting: Prieto’s hit broke an 0-of-27 streak with the Cardinals this season. He had one hit in six at-bats last season … Walker’s steal was his 16th of the season, and he also turned in what was perhaps his best defensive play of the season with a diving catch on a line drive by Brandon Marsh leading off the seventh … Quinn Mathews was scheduled to start on Wednesday night for Memphis at Durham, which would put him in line to start one of the games in the Cardinals’ doubleheader on Monday in Cincinnati.
Up next: After a day off on Thursday the Cardinals will open a three-game series on Friday in Chicago. Matthew Liberatore is the scheduled starter. The game will be broadcast on Apple TV. It’s the start of an 11-game trip to Chicago, Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
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