Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 5, Nationals 3
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals closed out their home schedule on Sunday by offering a preview of what fans hope they see a lot more of next season.
Quinn Mathews provided a solid start and Leo Bernal’s two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Cardinals a win over the Nationals at Busch Stadium.
Bernal’s home run, which earned his first career curtain call, came three batters after Ivan Herrera tied the game with his second home run of the day.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak and allowed the Cardinals to salvaged the final game of the series against the National.
The Cardinals finished the home schedule with a 38-43 record. Sunday’s announced attendance was 27,814, bringing the season total to 2,233,902, an average of 27,519.
The next scheduled game at Busch Stadium is April 1, 2027 against Kansas City, but that is of course subject what happens in the labor negotiations this winter between the owners and players.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: The first of Herrera’s home runs came in the first inning before his 18th of the season with one out in the eighth. That homer was measured at 439 feet and gave him the third multi-homer game of his career … A double by Jose Fermin, a wild pitch and a single by JJ Wetherholt produced the Cardinals’ second run in the third … With two outs in the eighth, Jordan Walker drew a walk in front of Bernal’s go-ahead homer, his fourth in his first 18 games since he was promoted from Memphis at the start of the month. Bernal has 17 RBI in those games.
On the mound: Mathews allowed one run over the first five innings before giving up a two-run homer to C.J. Abrams in the sixth. Over his seven innings Mathews scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out three … After a 1-2-3 eighth inning from Luis Gastelum, Riley O’Brien also worked a perfect ninth, thanks to a diving catch in left center by Victor Scott II that retired leadoff hitter Dylan Crews and saved an extra-base hit. It was O’Brien’s 38th save.
Key stat: The Cardinals will need to win five of their final six games on the road to avoid having back-to-back losing seasons. The last time that happened in full seasons was in 1958 and 1959. They are 76-80 going into the final week of the season.
Worth noting: Minor-league pitcher Tink Hence underwent surgery on his right shoulder last week. The operation was to clean up a chipped bone which was trapping a muscle and did not involve the rotator cuff or labrum. The recovery time likely will keep Hence out until the middle of next season. Hence, 24, pitched a combined 41 2/3 innings the last two seasons because of a variety of medical issues. He was dropped from the 40-man roster earlier this summer and is eligible to be a minor-league free agent this winter.
Up next: After Monday’s day off the Cardinals will begin the final road trip of the season on Tuesday night with the first of three games in Pittsburgh. Andre Pallante is the scheduled starter.
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