Series Sweep: Big Winn in Texas!

The Cardinal Chronicle
Big Winn in Texas
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

HOUSTON — The hometown kid came through in the biggest spot of the afternoon.

Masyn Winn, a Katy, Texas native, ripped a bases-clearing double in the 10th inning Sunday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, finishing off a three-game sweep and pushing the club’s winning streak to five games. It was the Cardinals’ first three-game sweep in Houston since April 2004, and it kept them perfect in extra-inning games at 5-0 this season. (CBS Sports)

This one had a little bit of everything.

For four and two-thirds innings, Astros starter Mike Burrows had the Cardinals handcuffed. He retired the first 14 hitters he faced and looked in complete control. Then the game flipped in a hurry in the fifth. St. Louis sent nine men to the plate and scored four times, turning a quiet afternoon into a 4-1 lead. What had been a sleepwalk became a fistfight. (ESPN.com)

Michael Liberatore gave the Cardinals exactly what they needed. The left-hander worked six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while keeping Houston’s lineup off balance most of the day. The only damage against him came in the third inning, when Taylor Trammell tripled and scored on a Carlos Correa sacrifice fly. Outside of that, Liberatore was steady, efficient, and in command. (ESPN.com)

St. Louis appeared to be on cruise control after building the 4-1 lead, but baseball has a way of making a club earn every last out.

Ryan Stanek delivered a clean seventh, but the eighth inning turned into trouble. Houston struck with two outs, and suddenly a game that looked secure was back on the table. Yordan Alvarez launched his league-leading 10th home run, Jose Altuve followed with a single, and after a long walk to Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes tied the game with a two-run single. Just like that, a three-run Cardinals lead was gone. (ESPN.com)

That could have been the moment the whole afternoon got away from St. Louis.

Instead, the Cardinals answered like a club playing with some backbone.

Winn, who had already helped ignite the fifth-inning rally, came up in the 10th and delivered the swing of the day — a three-run double down the third-base line off Bryan King that cleared the bases and put St. Louis back in front for good. He finished 3-for-5 and closed out the series with seven RBI. Jordan Walker also stayed hot, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. (ESPN.com)

The bullpen still had to finish the job, and it wasn’t exactly a Sunday stroll.

Riley O’Brien picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, continuing what has been a spotless start to his season. John Bruihl allowed an unearned run in the 10th, and Gordon Graceffo was summoned to get the final out with traffic on the bases. He did just that, recording his first save of the season and slamming the door on Houston’s comeback hopes. (CBS Sports)

There is something worth noting here beyond just one extra-inning win in April.

The Cardinals did not play a perfect game Sunday. They let a late lead slip away. They were quiet early. They had to survive some real heat in the final innings. But they kept answering. That is what good clubs do. They don’t always win pretty, but they keep showing up for the next big moment. In Houston, that moment belonged to Masyn Winn. (ESPN.com)

St. Louis now heads to Miami carrying momentum, confidence, and a broom packed neatly in the luggage.

The Cardinal Chronicle in association with Gateway Sports