De La Cruz Walks Off Cardinals in Nightcap

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
De La Cruz Walks Off Cardinals in Nightcap
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The St. Louis Cardinals had a chance to sweep a doubleheader Monday night at Great American Ball Park, but Cincinnati came back late and beat St. Louis, 6-5, in 10 innings on Elly De La Cruz’s first career walk-off hit.

The Cardinals won the opener, 2-1, behind a strong bullpen effort and Riley O’Brien’s National League-leading 31st save. In the nightcap, St. Louis built a 4-1 lead, went back in front in the eighth and still could not finish it.

Dane Myers tied the game with a two-out solo home run in the ninth, and De La Cruz ended it in the 10th by sending a ball past third baseman Blaze Jordan and into the left-field corner.

It was a missed chance for the Cardinals, who came into Cincinnati with momentum after taking two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field and then winning the first game of Monday’s doubleheader.

Andre Pallante did not have a clean night, but he gave the Cardinals six innings and kept them in position to win. He allowed four runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out five. The Reds had traffic throughout his outing, but Pallante limited the damage until the sixth.

Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead in the first when De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday opened the inning with consecutive singles. Eugenio Suárez followed with a sacrifice fly, but Pallante kept the inning from getting away by getting Michael Toglia to line into a double play.

Iván Herrera helped Pallante in the third with a notable defensive play. After De La Cruz walked with one out, Herrera threw him out trying to steal second. Spencer Stewart later struck out to end the inning, and the Reds came away empty.

For Herrera, whose throwing game has been under the microscope for much of the season, it was a welcome moment behind the plate. It did not change the final result, but it belonged in the story.

Herrera then led off the fourth with a home run to center field, tying the game at 1. Alec Burleson followed with a single, Jordan Walker added another hit, and Joshua Báez reached on a fielder’s choice that moved Burleson to third. Masyn Winn singled to right, scoring Burleson and giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

The Cardinals added two more in the sixth. Walker doubled to left, Báez moved him to third with a deep fly ball, and Nathan Church singled to left-center to make it 3-1. Bryan Torres walked, and Blaze Jordan singled to left to score Church, although Torres was thrown out trying to advance to third.

That gave St. Louis a 4-1 lead, but the Reds answered in the bottom half. Bleday and Suárez singled, Toglia doubled home Bleday, and Héctor Rodríguez followed with a two-run single to center that tied the game at 4.

The Cardinals regained the lead in the eighth. Walker singled, stole third and scored on Torres’ infield single, putting St. Louis ahead, 5-4.

Peter Strzelecki worked a scoreless seventh and got through the eighth despite Suárez doubling off the third-base bag. The Cardinals could not add insurance in the ninth, however, and Myers made them pay in the bottom half, tying the game with a solo homer to left-center.

St. Louis had the automatic runner at second in the 10th and could not bring him home. Báez struck out, José Fermín walked, Winn struck out, and Everson Pereira reached on a fielder’s choice that ended the inning.

Cincinnati took advantage in the bottom half. With the winning run in scoring position, De La Cruz delivered his first career walk-off hit, giving the Reds the win and leaving the Cardinals with a split instead of a sweep.

The loss wasted a strong offensive night from Walker, who went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and his 17th stolen base. Herrera homered, walked and threw out De La Cruz at second. Wetherholt had two hits, and Torres reached three times with an RBI.

The Cardinals finished with 11 hits but left 10 men on base and struck out 12 times. Those missed chances mattered in a one-run game.

The doubleheader opener still counts, but the nightcap stings. The Cardinals had a three-run lead in the sixth, a one-run lead in the ninth and the automatic runner at second in the 10th. They were in position to sweep the day and turn the first two games in Cincinnati into a bigger statement.

Instead, they settled for a split.

There is still plenty left in the series, but games like this matter in August. The Cardinals did enough to put themselves in position to win. They did not do enough to finish it.

Reds 6, Cardinals 5.

A doubleheader split for St. Louis.

A missed opportunity in the nightcap.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds | MLB