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THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Liberatore Takes Step Back as Cardinals Fall to Rockies St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals spent Saturday night chasing the Colorado Rockies.More specifically, they spent Saturday night chasing Jake McCarthy.McCarthy opened the game with a home run, added another two-run shot in the sixth, scored four times and helped carry Colorado to an 8-6 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.For St. Louis, this was the kind of game that looked available early and frustrating late.The Cardinals answered McCarthy’s leadoff homer with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. They kept pushing back. They cut into the deficit multiple times. Jordan Walker hit a long home run in the eighth. Nathan Church singled home a run in the ninth.But the Cardinals never fully caught up.They trailed after the third inning, trailed by four after the sixth, and even with late traffic and late fight, they could not undo the damage from another rough Matthew Liberatore start and a Rockies lineup that kept adding on just enough.Colorado beat St. Louis, 8-6, evening the weekend series and handing the Cardinals a loss they simply should not be comfortable absorbing at home.The Rockies came in with one of the worst records in baseball.The Cardinals came in needing to stack wins.That did not happen.McCarthy set the tone immediately. He led off the game by driving a home run to right-center field, giving Colorado a 1-0 lead before Liberatore had settled into the night. It was a loud first swing from a hitter who would become the biggest problem of the game for St. Louis.The Cardinals answered right away.In the bottom of the first, Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson reached, and José Fermín delivered a double to left field, scoring both runners and giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.That should have been the moment the Cardinals grabbed control.Instead, it became the last time they led.Liberatore could not hold the advantage. Colorado came back in the third inning, with McCarthy again right in the middle of it. Kyle Karros and McCarthy reached ahead of Cole Carrigg, who drove a double to center field to score both runners and put the Rockies back in front, 3-2.Hunter Goodman followed with a single to right, scoring Carrigg and stretching Colorado’s lead to 4-2.That was the inning that flipped the game.The Cardinals had taken the lead. The Rockies took it right back. From that point on, St. Louis was playing uphill.Liberatore continued to labor. Colorado added another run in the fifth when Carrigg scored on TJ Rumfield’s single to left, making it 5-2. The Rockies were not just hitting the ball out of the park. They were finding ways to keep innings alive and make contact matter.That was the difference.Colorado finished with eight runs on 11 hits. The Rockies did not need a massive inning. They scored in five different frames and kept forcing the Cardinals to respond.St. Louis did respond at times.Just not enough.In the bottom of the fifth, Herrera got aboard again and later scored on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly to center, trimming the deficit to 5-3. It was a productive at-bat and another example of Herrera continuing to be in the middle of things offensively.But just as quickly as the Cardinals chipped away, McCarthy answered.In the top of the sixth, Ezequiel Tovar reached ahead of McCarthy, and McCarthy launched his second home run of the night, a 417-foot shot to center field. That pushed Colorado’s lead to 7-3 and gave the Rockies the separation they needed.That swing hurt.It came at the exact moment the Cardinals had started to make the game feel manageable again. Instead of a two-run deficit, St. Louis was back down four.That is what good leadoff hitters do when they are locked in. They do not just start games. They change them.McCarthy was locked in all night.He finished 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs and four runs scored. He scored half of Colorado’s runs by himself. He had the first swing of the game and the biggest swing in the middle innings. Every time the Cardinals seemed to create a path back, McCarthy helped widen it again.The Cardinals kept trying.In the bottom of the sixth, Everson Pereira reached and Herrera singled to left, scoring Pereira and cutting the lead to 7-4. Herrera had another strong night at the plate, continuing to show why his bat remains one of the most valuable parts of the current roster.Still, the Cardinals could not build the bigger inning.That was a problem throughout the game.St. Louis finished with 10 hits and six runs, so this was not one of those nights where the lineup completely disappeared. But the Cardinals left 12 men on base, and that number tells a major part of the story. They had chances to do more. They had traffic. They had opportunities to turn this into a different kind of game.They did not finish enough innings.Colorado did.That is how a team loses despite reaching double-digit hits.Walker gave the Cardinals one more jolt in the eighth, hitting a 432-foot home run to left-center field to cut the deficit to 7-5. It was a big swing from Walker, and for a moment, it put energy back into the ballpark.The Cardinals were within two.The tying run felt close enough to matter.Then Colorado scored again.McCarthy led off the ninth with a single and eventually came around on Karros’ sacrifice fly to left, pushing the Rockies’ lead to 8-5. That insurance run mattered, because the Cardinals had one more push left in the bottom half.Fermín singled to open the ninth and later scored when Church singled to right, cutting the deficit to 8-6. The Cardinals had life. They had the tying run within reach. They had forced Colorado to work to the finish.But they could not finish the comeback.Jordan Romano closed it down for the Rockies, and St. Louis was left with another frustrating loss at Busch Stadium.Liberatore took the loss, falling to 5-9. He allowed five runs on nine hits over five innings, walking two and striking out three. After six shutout innings in Toronto his last time out, this was a step back. The Rockies were on him early, stayed on him often and forced the Cardinals to play from behind most of the night.That has been the concern with Liberatore all season.There are nights when the ability shows up and you can see why the Cardinals continue to give him opportunities. Then there are nights like Saturday, when he struggles to stop contact, struggles to put away innings and leaves the offense trying to dig out of a hole.The bullpen was not perfect either. Colorado added two runs in the sixth and one more in the ninth, and those runs proved important. The Cardinals were trying to climb back into the game, but the Rockies kept placing another run just out of reach.That is losing baseball.Not because the Cardinals quit.They did not.They answered enough to keep the game interesting. Fermín drove in two runs with the first-inning double and scored in the ninth. Herrera had another productive night, scoring twice and driving in a run. Winn added a sacrifice fly. Walker homered. Church drove in the final run.There were good individual moments.The problem was the total result.A team trying to stay in the Wild Card conversation cannot keep giving away games like this at home against Colorado. The Rockies can hit. They can have a night. McCarthy was terrific. But the Cardinals cannot look at the schedule, see Colorado at Busch Stadium, and come away satisfied with splitting the first two games.Friday night, the Cardinals won a tight 3-2 game despite being outhit.Saturday night, the Rockies flipped the script. They were the team that kept applying pressure. They were the team that got the big swing. They were the team that added on late. They were the team that made the Cardinals chase the game.That is not where St. Louis needed to be.The Cardinals are back below .500, and every time they appear to be ready to build a little momentum, another game like this knocks them backward. That has been the story of this club. Win a game that feels useful. Follow it with one that feels avoidable.Saturday felt avoidable.The Cardinals had an early lead. They had 10 hits. They had a chance to take control of the series against a last-place club.Instead, they allowed eight runs, let McCarthy beat them all night and could not turn late offense into a full comeback.Now Sunday becomes important.Not because one August game solves everything, but because the Cardinals cannot afford to keep wasting chances. They need series wins. They need to beat teams they should beat. They need to stop hovering around the .500 mark and start stacking games if they are serious about staying in the fight.Saturday night was not that.It was another reminder that talent and urgency are not the same thing.The Rockies won, 8-6, and once again, St. Louis walked away from a game that felt like it should have been there for the taking. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Liberatore Takes Step Back as Cardinals Fall to Rockies

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE The Cardinal Catcher Nobody Is Talking About St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurIn a Cardinals system loaded with catching names, Ryan Campos may be the one getting lost in the crowd.That is understandable, at least on the surface.The Cardinals have Rainiel Rodriguez in Double-A, one of the most exciting young bats in the system. They have Leo Bernal at Triple-A Memphis, a strong defensive catcher with a developing offensive profile. They have organizational depth, positional traffic and enough names behind the plate to make any prospect discussion crowded in a hurry.But tucked inside that group is Campos, a 23-year-old catcher at Double-A Springfield who deserves more attention than he is getting.Campos was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. He was not drafted as a toolsy lottery ticket. He was drafted because he could hit, control the strike zone and bring a mature offensive approach to a position where those skills are hard to find.That part still matters.Campos is not the biggest catcher in the system. At 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, he does not fit the old scouting-room picture of what a catcher is supposed to look like. He is not going to win attention based on frame alone. But baseball has changed, and production still has a way of dragging a player back into the discussion.And Campos is producing.Through his work at Double-A Springfield, Campos has carried a batting average in the .263 to .267 range, with an OPS around .800, while reaching double digits in home runs. He hit his 11th home run of the season in early August and has already driven in more than 50 runs.That is not nothing.Especially for a catcher.Campos entered pro ball with the reputation of a bat-first catcher with advanced zone control. The book on him was pretty clear. He made a lot of contact, controlled the strike zone, rarely expanded and had the kind of offensive foundation that usually gives a player a chance to keep climbing.The question was power.Some public scouting reports saw the raw power as below average, more gap-to-gap than over-the-fence. Yet Campos has started to challenge that label. He may never be a classic middle-of-the-order masher, but double-digit home run production at Double-A changes the way the profile reads.At a position where offense is scarce, a catcher who can manage the strike zone, put the ball in play and still run into enough power has real value.That is where Campos becomes interesting.The defensive questions are fair. He is not viewed as a premium defender behind the plate, and the arm is generally considered average. But he moves well enough, blocks well enough and has enough exchange quickness to remain part of the catching conversation. I have seen him gunning down runners and controlling the running game, with a less than a plus arm. He has also seen time in left field, which could matter if the Cardinals eventually view his bat as the carrying tool.That may be the bigger point.Campos does not have to be the organization’s No. 1 catching prospect to matter. He does not have to jump Rainiel Rodriguez. He does not have to pass Leo Bernal. He does not have to become the face of the position.He just has to keep hitting.If the bat continues to translate at Double-A, the Cardinals will have to keep finding ways to get him at-bats. Catcher, left field, designated hitter, utility bat with emergency catching value however the defensive home eventually sorts out, the offensive profile is worth tracking.Campos also brings a college background that should not be overlooked. At Arizona State, he was known for being a consistent, tough out. He reached base at a high level, controlled the zone and built a reputation as one of the better offensive catchers in the college game.That kind of player can get underestimated in a system filled with higher-ceiling names.But there is a difference between being overlooked and being overmatched.Campos has not looked overmatched.He has handled Double-A pitching, added more power than expected and remained productive in a Springfield lineup that has plenty of bigger prospect names. When a catcher is putting up an OPS around .800 at Double-A, hitting double-digit home runs and driving in runs, that deserves more than a passing mention.The Cardinals’ catching depth is real.Rainiel Rodriguez may have the highest ceiling. Leo Bernal may be the more polished defensive option. Jimmy Crooks has already put himself into the upper-level conversation. The path is crowded.But Ryan Campos is still standing there with a bat in his hands, quietly putting together the kind of season that should make people pay attention.Why aren’t more people talking about Ryan Campos?Because maybe they should be. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Ryan Campos, Springfield Cardinals | MLB

The Cardinal Catcher Nobody Is Talking About

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Eagen Settles In for Springfield St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurDaniel Eagen had one rough inning Saturday night, but what came after that is why he gets the spotlight.Eagen is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after giving Springfield six innings in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss to San Antonio.His final line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 KThe first inning did the damage. San Antonio scored three runs before Eagen had a chance to settle in, and that proved to be enough in a one-run game.But Eagen did settle in.After that opening inning, he gave Springfield length, limited traffic and kept the Cardinals close enough to make a game of it. He allowed only three hits total, walked two and struck out six, giving the bullpen a chance to keep the game within reach.That is what you want to see from a starter after early trouble.It would have been easy for the game to get away from him. Instead, Eagen kept pitching. He worked through six innings, threw 80 pitches, 48 for strikes, and gave Springfield a chance to climb back into the game.The offense tried. Josiah Ragsdale hit his second Springfield home run. Rainiel Rodriguez doubled twice and scored. Ryan Campos drove in a run. But the Cardinals could not quite erase the early deficit.The bullpen did its part. Jack Findlay worked a scoreless seventh, and Sandro Santana struck out two in a scoreless eighth.Still, the pitching headline belonged to Eagen.Not because the line was perfect.Because he recovered.Six innings. Three hits. Six strikeouts. A one-run game.Sometimes the best thing a pitcher can do after a rough start is stop the bleeding and keep his team alive.That is exactly what Daniel Eagen did.Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Eagen, RHP, Springfield Cardinals Final Line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Daniel Eagen, Springfield Cardinals | MLB

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Eagen

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Jalin Flores Drives in Five for Peoria St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurJalin Flores did everything he could to pull Peoria back into Saturday night’s game.Flores is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored in the Chiefs’ 7-6 loss to Quad Cities at Dozer Park.His final line: 3-for-4, HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 RFlores drove in five of Peoria’s six runs, hit his 15th home run of the season, added two doubles and pushed his RBI total to 73. On a night when Peoria came up one run short, Flores was the reason the Chiefs had a chance at all.The Chiefs trailed 7-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth before Flores helped make things interesting. Peoria scored three times in the inning, cutting the deficit to one, but could not finish the comeback in the ninth.Flores was right in the middle of the offense from start to finish.Three hits. Three extra-base hits. Five RBIs. Two runs scored.That is not just production. That is carrying an offense.Ryan Weingartner added two hits and an RBI. Sammy Hernandez doubled, walked twice and stole his 16th base. Josh Kross also doubled, and Caden Ferraro added a hit.But the offensive headline clearly belonged to Flores.Peoria has had its share of big individual performances this week, and Flores added another one Saturday night. The final score did not go the Chiefs’ way, but his bat deserves the spotlight.Sometimes a player earns the honor even in a loss.This was one of those nights.Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day: Jalin Flores, SS, Peoria Chiefs Final Line: 3-for-4, HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Jalin Flores, Peoria Chiefs | MLB

MiLB Player of the Day: Jalin Flores

The Cardinal Chronicle Farm Report: Flores Drives in Five, Palm Beach Staff Blanks Jupiter St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe Cardinals’ full-season affiliates went 1-3 on Saturday, with Palm Beach providing the lone win behind a combined shutout and Peoria nearly stealing the night behind a monster performance from Jalin Flores.Flores was the clear offensive standout of the day, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored for Peoria. On the mound, Daniel Eagen turned in the top starting performance, giving Springfield six innings with six strikeouts in a narrow loss at San Antonio.Memphis, Springfield and Peoria all came up short, while Palm Beach used late offense and strong pitching to shut out Jupiter.Memphis Redbirds — Nashville 4, Memphis 3 Record: 62-51 overall, 15-23 second halfMemphis dropped its third straight, falling 4-3 to Nashville at AutoZone Park.The Redbirds carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, but Hancel Rincon gave up three runs in the frame as Nashville flipped the game. Memphis answered with one run in the ninth, but the comeback fell short.Ramón Urías supplied most of the offense, going 2-for-4 with two solo home runs and two RBIs. Chase Davis tripled and scored, Thomas Saggese added a double, and Ramon Mendoza went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Victor Scott II singled and stole his 13th base of the season, while Joshua Báez went 1-for-4.Mason Molina started for Memphis and gave the Redbirds 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. The bullpen was strong before the eighth, with Brycen Mautz recording two outs and Matt Svanson striking out four over two perfect innings. Rincon was charged with the loss after allowing three runs in the eighth. Ryan Murphy worked a scoreless ninth.Memphis is now 15-23 in the second half, nine games back in the International League standings.Springfield Cardinals — San Antonio 3, Springfield 2 Record: 55-51 overall, 24-14 second halfSpringfield dropped a tight one in San Antonio, falling 3-2 despite another productive night from Rainiel Rodriguez and a solid start from Daniel Eagen.San Antonio scored all three of its runs in the first inning, and Springfield spent the rest of the night trying to climb back. The Cardinals scored once in the fourth and once in the eighth, but could not find the tying run.Rodriguez continued to swing the bat well, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. Josiah Ragsdale homered, his second since joining Springfield, and Dakota Harris added a double. Ryan Campos drove in Springfield’s other run with an RBI single.Eagen settled in after the first inning and gave the Cardinals six innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Jack Findlay followed with a scoreless inning and one strikeout, while Sandro Santana continued his strong work with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts. Santana now owns a 0.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP.Springfield remains in first place in the Texas League second-half standings at 24-14, three games ahead of Tulsa.Peoria Chiefs — Quad Cities 7, Peoria 6 Record: 52-54 overall, 20-20 second halfPeoria lost a tough one at Dozer Park, falling 7-6 to Quad Cities despite a huge night from Jalin Flores.Flores carried the offense, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored. His three-run homer in the eighth helped Peoria cut into a late Quad Cities lead and gave him 15 home runs and 73 RBIs on the season.Sammy Hernandez doubled, walked twice, scored a run and stole his 16th base. Josh Kross added a double before leaving for Michael Dattalo, and Ryan Weingartner went 2-for-4 with an RBI.On the mound, Brandon Clarke showed more swing-and-miss stuff, striking out seven over 4 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on three hits and one walk. Christian Worley followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.The game turned in the eighth, when Dylan Driessen allowed four runs on one hit and four walks. Gerardo Salas finished with 1 1/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts.Peoria is now 20-20 in the second half, 4 1/2 games back in the Midwest League standings.Palm Beach Cardinals — Palm Beach 2, Jupiter 0 Record: 53-53 overallPalm Beach delivered the best pitching performance of the night, shutting out Jupiter 2-0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.The Cardinals were held quiet for seven innings before finally breaking through in the eighth. Trevor Haskins launched his 11th home run of the season to give Palm Beach the lead, and Dee Kennedy followed with an RBI single to add insurance.Palm Beach managed only four hits, but the pitching staff made it stand up.Jan Cabrera opened the game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six. Dallis Moran followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jaden Alba added 2 1/3 scoreless frames with three strikeouts, Yadiel Batista struck out three over 1 2/3 hitless innings, and Brian Garmon finished it with a scoreless ninth.The staff combined for 13 strikeouts and held Jupiter to 0-for-the-night on the scoreboard.Yairo Padilla singled, walked, scored and stole his 10th base. Alexander Frias stole his third base, and Cristofer Lebrón added a hit and his fifth steal.Player of the Day Jalin Flores, SS, Peoria ChiefsFlores had the biggest offensive night in the system, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored.It was a complete power night from the Peoria shortstop, and the production nearly carried the Chiefs to a comeback win. Flores now has 15 home runs and 73 RBIs on the season, and Saturday’s performance was one of his best games of the year.Pitcher of the Day Daniel Eagen, RHP, Springfield CardinalsEagen took the loss, but his final line still stands out as the best starting performance of the day in the system.After a rough first inning, Eagen settled in and gave Springfield six innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He kept the Cardinals in the game and gave the bullpen a manageable night.Quick HitsRamón Urías homered twice for Memphis and drove in two runs.Matt Svanson struck out four over two perfect innings for the Redbirds.Rainiel Rodriguez doubled twice for Springfield and pushed his OPS to .887.Josiah Ragsdale hit his second home run with Springfield.Sandro Santana threw another scoreless inning and lowered his ERA to 0.50.Brandon Clarke struck out seven over 4 1/3 innings for Peoria.Sammy Hernandez reached base three times and stole his 16th base.Palm Beach pitchers combined for a six-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts.Trevor Haskins hit his 11th home run of the season.Yairo Padilla reached twice, scored and stole his 10th base.Affiliate Standings SnapshotMemphis sits at 15-23 in the second half, nine games back in the International League.Springfield remains in first place at 24-14, three games ahead in the Texas League.Peoria is 20-20 in the second half, 4 1/2 games back in the Midwest League.Palm Beach moved back to .500 overall at 53-53. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Jalin Flores, Peoria Chiefs | MLB

Farm Report: Flores Drives in Five, Palm Beach Staff Blanks Jupiter

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE Herrera Homers, Cardinals Hold Off Rockies 3-2 St. Louis, MO By Ray MileurThe St. Louis Cardinals did not make this one easy.They did make it count.Behind Iván Herrera’s solo home run, two early sacrifice flies and a pitching staff that kept bending without fully breaking, the Cardinals held off the Colorado Rockies, 3-2, Friday night at Busch Stadium.It was not a loud offensive night.It was not a clean runaway against a team the Cardinals needed to beat.But it was a win.And for a club trying to steady itself after a messy stretch of baseball, that part matters.The Cardinals came into the weekend needing to take care of business against Colorado. They had just finished a difficult road swing through Toronto and New York, had played better baseball in the Bronx, and now had a chance to come home and build something against a Rockies club buried near the bottom of the National League West.They got the first one.Barely.Colorado outhit St. Louis, 10-4, but the Cardinals made their early chances stand. The Rockies had traffic throughout the night, especially against Kyle Leahy, but St. Louis limited the damage and protected a one-run lead through the middle and late innings.That was the game.Survive the traffic.Protect the lead.Get the final out.Leahy started for the Cardinals and had to work from the beginning. Colorado put runners on base, forced him into traffic, and collected eight hits against him over five innings. But Leahy did not walk a batter, struck out eight and kept the Rockies from turning contact into a big inning.That was the difference.It was not a dominant start in the traditional sense. Colorado had too many baserunners for that. But Leahy competed, missed bats when he needed to and kept the game under control long enough for the Cardinals to play from ahead.The Rockies struck first in the second inning.TJ Rumfield reached and came around when Troy Johnston grounded out to shortstop, giving Colorado a 1-0 lead. Willi Castro moved to third on the play, but Leahy prevented the inning from getting worse.That mattered because the Cardinals answered immediately.Jimmy Crooks singled to get the inning started, and Masyn Winn followed with a double to right, putting runners at second and third. Nathan Church then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Crooks and tying the game, 1-1.Bryan Torres followed with a sacrifice fly of his own, bringing Winn home and giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead.It was not a big inning built on rockets all over the ballpark.It was situational baseball.A hit. A double. Two productive outs.For a team that has wasted plenty of chances lately, that was important.The Cardinals did not pile up hits Friday night. They were not going to win this game by waiting for a seven-run inning. They had to score when the opportunity was sitting in front of them, and in the second inning, they did exactly that.Then Herrera added the swing that turned out to decide the game.Leading off the third inning, Herrera drove a solo home run to left field, his 13th of the season, pushing the Cardinals’ lead to 3-1. It was the only home run of the game for St. Louis and the only extra jolt the offense found after the second inning.That made it all the more important.Herrera continues to be one of the more interesting players on this roster. There are fair questions about where he fits defensively long term, but the bat continues to matter. Friday night was another reminder. In a game where the Cardinals managed only four hits, Herrera supplied the one swing that gave the pitching staff just enough cushion.They needed every bit of it.Colorado cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth, and once again it was Johnston driving in the run without needing a hit. Rumfield scored on Johnston’s groundout to second, and Castro moved to third. The Rockies had pushed another run across, but Leahy again kept the inning from getting away.That became the story of his night.Colorado kept putting the ball in play. Colorado kept finding hits. Colorado kept applying pressure.Leahy kept the Cardinals in front.He finished with five innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, walking none and striking out eight. That is not a spotless line, but it was a winning line. On a night when the Cardinals’ offense did not create much after the third inning, Leahy gave them enough.Ryan Feltner started for Colorado and gave the Rockies 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He walked three, struck out two and gave up Herrera’s homer. Feltner settled in after the early damage, and the Cardinals did not do much against the Rockies’ bullpen.That is the part that still nags a little.St. Louis scored three times in the second and third innings, then went quiet. The Cardinals had only four hits on the night. JJ Wetherholt walked but went hitless. Jordan Walker had a hit. Alec Burleson drew a walk but did not do damage. Crooks and Winn helped create the second-inning rally, and Herrera homered.That was enough Friday.It will not always be enough.The Cardinals left seven men on base and did not create much separation after taking the lead. Against better teams, that can catch up with you. Against Colorado, with Leahy and the bullpen able to make pitches, it survived.The bullpen did its job.Justin Bruihl followed Leahy with a clean inning. Caleb Ferguson handled his work. Ryan Stanek helped bridge the late innings. The Cardinals’ relievers protected the one-run lead and kept Colorado from finding the hit that would flip the game.That was not a small thing.Colorado had already shown it could put pressure on the pitching staff. Jake McCarthy had three hits. Rumfield reached and scored both Rockies runs. Castro had multiple hits. Johnston drove in both Colorado runs. The Rockies were not shut down from a contact standpoint.They were shut down where it mattered most.They never got the big inning.The Cardinals did.Even if it was only two runs in the second and Herrera’s homer in the third, that proved to be enough.There is a difference between winning impressively and winning necessarily. Friday fell into the second category. The Cardinals needed to open this series with a win. They needed to avoid giving away a home game against a club they should beat. They needed to get back to .500 and give themselves a chance to build a good weekend at Busch Stadium.They did all of that.It was not pretty.It was useful.For this version of the Cardinals, useful matters.The larger picture remains what it has been for weeks. St. Louis needs to stack wins. The Cardinals have spent too much of the season hovering around the edges of contention, unable to fully fall out and unable to fully push forward. A game like Friday is the kind they simply have to win if they are going to keep talking about staying in the fight.Colorado came in with one of the worst records in the league.The Cardinals were at home.The schedule gave them an opportunity.They took it.That is the positive.The caution is that the offense still did not do enough to feel comfortable. Four hits and three runs leaves a thin margin. The Cardinals made the margin stand Friday because the pitching staff handled the pressure. But if this team is going to build any kind of momentum, the lineup has to do more than hope three early runs hold up every night.Still, this was a win.Herrera gave the Cardinals the big swing.Church and Torres delivered productive outs.Winn helped set the table.Leahy struck out eight and limited the damage.The bullpen finished it.The Rockies had more hits, but the Cardinals had more runs.That is the only math that mattered Friday night at Busch Stadium.The Cardinals beat the Rockies, 3-2, and opened the weekend series the way they had to.Not with fireworks.Not with comfort.With just enough. The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports &amp; MiLB Today Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary: www.cardinalchronicle.comPhoto Credit: Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB

Herrera Homers, Cardinals Hold Off Rockies 3-2

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle 

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle is dedicated to preserving Cardinals history, covering today’s game, and following the next generation through the minor leagues. Written in the tradition of the old beat writers, it’s baseball with perspective — steady, faithful, and rooted in a lifelong love for the game.

The St. Louis Cardinal Chronicle, Ray Mileur

The Cardinal Notebook

Liberatore Takes Step Back as Cardinals Fall to Rockies

The Cardinal Catcher Nobody Is Talking About

MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Eagen

MiLB Player of the Day: Jalin Flores

Farm Report: Flores Drives in Five, Palm Beach Staff Blan...

Herrera Homers, Cardinals Hold Off Rockies 3-2