Cardinals Survive Late Push, Clinch Series

The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals Survive Late Push, Clinch Series in Pittsburgh
St. Louis, Mo. — By Ray Mileur

If there was ever a night when survival counted as style points, Wednesday was it.

The St. Louis Cardinals built an early four-run cushion behind a strong outing from Andre Pallante, then spent the final three innings hanging on for dear life before escaping with a tense 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

When the final out settled into Nathan Church’s glove against the left-field wall — on a drive off the bat of Nick Gonzales that looked destined for a walk-off homer — the Cardinals could finally exhale.

That’s three straight wins in Pittsburgh.

Series clinched.

Sweep on the table Thursday.

And while the Cardinals have taken three very different paths to get there — Monday’s dramatic ninth-inning comeback, Tuesday’s offensive eruption, and Wednesday’s white-knuckle finish — they all count exactly the same in the standings.

This one may have been the hardest-earned of the bunch.

Pallante set the tone early, giving St. Louis exactly what it needed: six efficient innings, one run allowed, no walks, and five strikeouts. He attacked the strike zone, pitched with tempo, and looked in complete command for most of the night.

His only blemish came in the fifth inning, when Spencer Horwitz connected for a solo home run, briefly cutting the Cardinals’ lead to 3-1.

Otherwise, Pallante was steady as a church bell.

His final line: 6.0 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts.

Old-school winning baseball.

The Cardinals offense didn’t pile up hits, but it made its opportunities count.

JJ Wetherholt continued his breakout series in the third inning, ripping an RBI double to score Ramon Urias and give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Two innings later, Ivan Herrera doubled with two outs, setting the stage for Alec Burleson, who unloaded on a two-run homer that pushed the lead to 3-0 and gave the Cardinals breathing room.

They added what proved to be critical insurance in the seventh.

Victor Scott II was hit by a pitch, then immediately became chaos on the bases — stealing second, then third, before scoring on Herrera’s infield single. Moments later, Jordan Walker lined an RBI single to left to score Herrera and extend the lead to 5-1.

At that point, the game looked safely tucked away.

Then came bullpen turbulence.

Ryan Stanek opened the seventh and struggled badly, allowing traffic everywhere — hits, walks, and wildness — before JoJo Romero was summoned to put out the fire. Romero allowed two inherited runners to score on a two-run double, trimming the lead to 5-3, though he managed to get through the inning without giving up any more runs.

The eighth inning brought more drama.

On in relief, George Soriano allowed another run as Pittsburgh loaded the bases and made it a one-run game at 5-4, putting all the pressure squarely on Riley O’Brien in the ninth.

O’Brien bent, but did not break.

After allowing a runner aboard, he got what appeared to be a nightmare swing from Gonzales — a towering drive to left that had walk-off written all over it.

Then Church went back, timed his leap, and stole the game at the wall.

Ballgame.

Sometimes baseball is artistry.

Sometimes it’s grit.

And sometimes it’s simply finding a way.

The Cardinals found a way.

Worth noting: Through the first three games of this series, the top of the Cardinals lineup — Wetherholt, Herrera, Burleson, and Walker — has powered the offense, combining for 15 hits, 16 runs scored, and 12 RBIs.

Up next: The Cardinals will go for their first four-game sweep in Pittsburgh since 2020 on Thursday afternoon. Hunter Dobbins is expected to make his major-league debut for St. Louis, while Pittsburgh counters with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. CDT

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports

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Twitter/X Intro:
Find a way. That’s what good clubs do.
The Cardinals survive late bullpen drama, hold off Pittsburgh 5-4, and clinch the series behind Andre Pallante’s quality start and Nathan Church’s game-saving catch at the wall in the 9th.
Sweep opportunity tomorrow. 🐦⚾ #STLCards #ForTheLou #CardinalNation