Cardinals Fall Short in 10 at Philadelphia

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Cardinals Fall Short in 10 at Philadelphia
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

PHILADELPHIA — The St. Louis Cardinals kept answering Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. They answered after Philadelphia erased an early lead. They answered after the Phillies went back in front in the sixth. They answered again in the 10th inning.

They just did not get the final answer.

The Cardinals took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th on José Fermín’s RBI single, but Philadelphia scored twice in the bottom half to beat St. Louis, 7-6, in the opener of a three-game series.

It was a tough loss, but not an empty one. The Cardinals played from behind, came back more than once and forced extra innings against a club holding one of the National League Wild Card spots. For a team trying to stay in the chase, there was plenty of fight. There just was not enough finish.

St. Louis jumped in front in the first inning against Jesús Luzardo. Jordan Walker reached ahead of Joshua Báez, and Báez continued his big first week in the majors by driving a two-run homer to right-center field. It was his fourth home run since joining the Cardinals and gave St. Louis a quick 2-0 lead.

Philadelphia answered in the second. Bryson Stott scored on Brandon Marsh’s double, and J.T. Realmuto followed with another double to bring home Marsh, tying the game at 2.

The Phillies moved ahead in the third when Luis Arraez scored on Alec Bohm’s single to right, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead against Hunter Dobbins.

Dobbins who left the game with forearm tightness, worked four innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. It was not his cleanest outing, but he kept the Cardinals close enough to stay in the game.

Luzardo, meanwhile, struck out nine over 5.2 innings, but the Cardinals got to him again in the sixth. Iván Herrera reached, and Walker drove a two-run homer to right-center, putting St. Louis back ahead, 4-3.

Walker has been one of the Cardinals’ most important bats during this stretch, and Friday was another example. He finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs, giving St. Louis production in the middle of the order and another big swing in a tight game.

The lead did not last.

Philadelphia came back in the bottom of the sixth against the Cardinals bullpen. Realmuto doubled to deep left, scoring Bohm and moving Marsh to third. Justin Crawford followed with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Marsh and giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

That could have been enough to bury the Cardinals. Instead, they kept grinding.

Alec Burleson came off the bench in the eighth and singled. Everson Pereira reached, and Bryan Torres delivered a two-out single to center, scoring Burleson and tying the game at 5.

That was the kind of at-bat that gives a team life on the road. Torres did not try to do too much. He found the grass, brought home the run and gave the Cardinals another chance.

Justin Bruihl helped make that chance matter. The left-hander worked two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and keeping the game tied long enough for St. Louis to push it into extras.

In the 10th, the Cardinals took advantage of the automatic runner. Burleson started at second, and Fermín singled to left to bring him home, putting St. Louis in front, 6-5.

For a moment, the Cardinals were positioned to steal the opener.

Philadelphia took it back.

The Phillies scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to finish the game and hand St. Louis a frustrating loss after the Cardinals had fought their way into position to win.

Báez finished 1-for-3 with the two-run homer. Walker went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Burleson came off the bench and scored twice. Fermín had two hits, including the go-ahead RBI in the 10th. Torres drove in the tying run in the eighth.

The Cardinals finished with 12 hits, but they also struck out 14 times and went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Those missed chances mattered in a one-run game.

Philadelphia had nine hits, led by Realmuto, who doubled twice and drove in two. Marsh also doubled, scored twice and drove in a run, while Bohm had two hits and an RBI.

For St. Louis, the loss snapped the momentum from a five-series winning streak and Thursday’s wild comeback in Cincinnati. The Cardinals had arrived in Philadelphia carrying a little energy after taking three of five from the Reds. They showed some of that same toughness Friday night, but the Phillies were able to match it and finish the game at home.

There is no shame in the way the Cardinals fought. They took an early lead. They came back after losing it. They tied the game late. They scored in the 10th.

But in August, close losses still count as losses.

The Cardinals played a gutsy game.

The Phillies made the final push.

Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 6, in 10 innings.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Joshua Báez, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB