Pallante, Burleson Help Cardinals Salvage Finale Against Rangers
The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinals 5, Rangers 3
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Pallante, Burleson Help Cardinals Salvage Finale Against Rangers
ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals needed one clean, steady baseball game before getting a day to breathe.
They got it Wednesday night.
After dropping the first two games of the series to Texas, St. Louis avoided the sweep with a 5-3 win over the Rangers at Busch Stadium, getting a strong start from Andre Pallante, a three-RBI night from Alec Burleson and timely production from Jordan Walker, Nelson Velázquez and Thomas Saggese.
It was not a perfect night, but it was a needed one.
The Cardinals entered the series finale trying to avoid being swept for the third time this season, and with Thursday’s open date ahead before Cincinnati comes to town, this was one of those games that felt a little bigger than the calendar might suggest. St. Louis had lost the first two games of the series and needed to stop the slide before turning its attention back to the National League Central.
Pallante gave them the foundation. The right-hander worked 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits while walking two and striking out five. He was not overpowering, but he was efficient enough, aggressive enough and composed enough to keep Texas from building the kind of inning that had hurt the Cardinals earlier in the series.
That matters.
The Rangers came in looking for a sweep and carrying momentum, but Pallante kept the game under control. His only run allowed came in the third, when Josh Jung singled home Kyle Higashioka to tie the game 1-1. Outside of that, Pallante gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed — a starter who kept the ballgame in front of him and handed the bullpen a lead.
The Cardinals got started in the first inning. Masyn Winn opened with a walk, Jordan Walker reached on a fielder’s choice, Nelson Velázquez walked, and Burleson came through with a two-out RBI single to right to put St. Louis ahead 1-0. (ESPN)
Texas tied it in the third, but the Cardinals answered immediately.
Walker singled, Velázquez doubled, and Burleson delivered the swing of the night with a two-run double to right, giving St. Louis a 3-1 lead. Burleson finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and his at-bats carried the look of a hitter who understood the moment. No wasted motion. No trying to do too much. Just drive the baseball and bring home runs.
That is winning baseball.
The Cardinals added on in the fifth when José Fermín doubled and Saggese followed with an RBI triple to right, pushing the lead to 4-1. In the sixth, Walker singled, stole second and scored on Velázquez’s RBI single to make it 5-1. Walker finished with three hits and three runs scored, while Velázquez reached base three times, added two hits and drove in a run. (ESPN)
That is the part of the night Cardinal fans should like. The offense did not depend on one swing. It stacked good at-bats, used speed, took extra bases and got production from the middle of the order.
The Rangers did not go quietly. Joc Pederson, who had already been a problem in the series, cut the Cardinals’ lead to 5-3 in the seventh with a two-run triple off JoJo Romero. That brought the tying run into scoring position and gave Texas one more chance to turn the game.
Ryne Stanek stopped it right there.
Stanek entered and stranded Pederson at third, then returned for the eighth and kept the game in order. Riley O’Brien, coming off a rough outing Tuesday night, handled the ninth. It was not entirely stress-free, but he finished it, and the Cardinals walked away with the win.
That was important for O’Brien, and it was important for the bullpen. Tuesday night got away late. Wednesday night did not.
The Cardinals also played without rookie JJ Wetherholt, who was out of the lineup with lower-body soreness. The expectation is that he will be back in the lineup Friday night when the Cardinals open a weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds. That is worth watching, but for now it sounds more like caution than crisis.
For one night, the Cardinals looked more like the club they have been trying to be. Pallante gave them length. Burleson delivered in run-scoring spots. Walker looked active and dangerous. Velázquez continued to give the lineup some right-handed thump. Saggese added a needed extra-base hit. The bullpen bent, but did not break.
After two frustrating losses to Texas, that was enough.
The Cardinals now get Thursday off before welcoming Cincinnati to Busch Stadium for a three-game series. Kyle Leahy is scheduled to start Friday night against Brady Singer, with first pitch set for 7:15 p.m.
The Rangers still took the series. That part does not change.
But the Cardinals avoided the sweep, steadied themselves before the off day, and reminded everyone that this lineup can still do damage when it strings together quality at-bats.
Sometimes a win is more than a win.
Sometimes it is a needed reset.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals | Newsday