Sunday’s Game Report: Brewers 6, Cardinals 4
By Rob Rains
Despite another late-inning homer from Leo Bernal, the Cardinals’ season ended with another loss.
The Brewers pounced on Andre Pallante for three runs in the first inning en route to beating the Cardinals for the 11th time in 13 games this year in the season finale on Sunday in Milwaukee.
The Cardinals ended the season with a 77-85 record, losing the final four games and five of the six games on their season-ending road trip.
After staying in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot for much of the season with a young team, the Cardinals collapsed in September. They won only nine of their 24 games in the month and finished the year in fourth place in the NL Central, 26 games behind the Brewers. They were winless in six games in Milwaukee.
Here is how Sunday’s final game broke down:
At the plate: Jacob Misiorowski held the Cardinals to two hits through 5 1/3 innings, singles by Thomas Saggese and Pedro Pages … Trailing 6-0 in the eighth, Cesar Prieto tripled and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder from Jordan Walker, his 102nd RBI. Following a walk to Ivan Herrera, Bernal closed the gap to 6-4 with a three-run homer, his fifth since his promotion from Memphis … Trailing by two runs, the Cardinals were retired in order in the ninth … In the three-game series they had a combined eight at-bats with a runner in scoring position, had 13 hits and struck out 34 times.
On the mound: Pallante allowed singles to six of the first seven hitters he faced, producing the three runs. He also allowed a two-run homer in the third and another run in the fourth, the six runs coming on 10 hits and a walk over his five innings … Justin Bruihl retired all six hitters he faced and Hancel Rincon, recalled from Memphis on Friday, worked a perfect eighth with two strikeouts.
Key stat: Alec Burleson did not play but still finished the year with 116 RBIs, the most in the majors. It’s the first time a Cardinal has led the majors in RBIs since Joe Torre did it in 1971.
Worth noting: Walker was moved into the leadoff spot for the first time in his career to try to get him any extra at-bats as he tried unsuccessfully to reach the 30-homer mark. He struck out in the sixth inning, his 174th of the season, a franchise record. Paul Goldschmidt struck out 173 times in 2024 … Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, is scheduled to hold a season wrapup press conference at 3 p.m. on Monday.
Up next: The Cardinals are scheduled to play their first spring training game in 2027 on Feb. 19, but that could change if the owners and players union cannot agree on a new Collectiv Bargaining Agreement before that date.
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