Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Rockies 6
By Rob Rains
Ivan Herrera saved the Cardinals from another tough loss on Friday night with one swing of his bat.
The Cardinals trailed the Rockies by two runs going to the ninth inning when they put the tying runs on base with one out after a walk and a throwing error. Herrera followed with a blast over the center field wall for a three-run homer that flipped the game.
A 4-1 Cardinals lead had disappeared in the sixth, when the Rockies scored four runs and manager Oli Marmol was ejected by home plate umpire Doug Eddings. They increased the lead to 6-4 with another run in the seventh.
Riley O’Brien who had blown the game in the ninth inning on Thursday night in Los Angeles, retired the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth to close out the victory.
It was the fifth win for the Cardinals this season when they were losing after eight innings.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals scored a pair of runs in both the second and fifth innings. Jordan Walker’s sacrifice fly in the fifth gave him his 100th RBI of the season and Alec Burleson also drove in a run with an infield single, his 102nd RBI … The other RBIs came on a double from Thomas Saggese, which deflected off the pitcher into the outfield, and a base hit by Nolan Gorman … They had only one hit after the fifth inning, a two-out single by Joshua Baez in the eighth, before Herrera’s home run.
On the mound: Andre Pallante was activated from the injured list before the game and worked five innings. He allowed two hits and walked four but limited the Rockies to one run … Hancel Rincon made his major-league debut but only retired one of four hitter he faced in the sixth, giving up three runs, one coming on an inside-the-park home run … Another home run in the seventh came off Justin Bruihl .,.. In the ninth, O’Brien allowed a two-out single before getting the final out for his 36th save … Cade Winquest earned his first career victory.
Key stat: Herrera’s homer was the first three-run homer for the Cardinals in the ninth inning this season and the first homer that gave them the lead in a game they were losing.
Worth noting: To make room for Pallante on the roster, Ryan Fernandez was optioned to Memphis … Masyn Winn likely will be coming off the IL before Saturday night’s game … Marmol was ejected for arguing with Eddings about the umpire wanting Rincon to adjust how he was wearing his hat, and for assessing Bruihl with a pitch-clock violation while Marmol was talking with him.
Up next: Matthew Liberatore will get the start on Saturday night in the second game of the series.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
