Everything was clicking tonight in Kansas City. The bats busted out and the pitching staff stayed strong. The Cardinals scored four runs against Cole Ragans, who left the game with an injury and added six more against the bullpen, with John Schrieber surrendering three runs.
Brendan Donovan had three hits and drove in a run, Willson Contreras had two hits and knocked in a run of his own, and even Pedro Pages had an RBI hit. But the main story was Ivan Herrera, who drove in four runs and had three hits.
Andre Pallante went seven innings and allowed two runs, and Gordon Graceffo took over in the eighth. He allowed a run but worked through the damage and finished off a 10-3 Cardinals win. St. Louis is now a season-high five games over .500 and remain just one game back of the Cubs. Let’s break this one down.
Pallante shoves
I was a little worried about Pallante early in the season. I was especially worried after his clunker against the Mets earlier this month. However, he bounced back with a solid effort in D.C. last weekend and followed it up with another gem.
He didn’t walk any batters tonight, allowed just seven hits and fanned four batters. His only mistake was a home run to Vinnie Pasquantino, which got the Royals on the board.
An interesting moment took place in the fifth when Pallante delivered a pitch to Bobby Witt Jr.
I disagree with this call wholeheartedly, but a balk was called, which allowed Kyle Isbel, who had tripled, to score and make it a 3-2 game. Pallante and Contreras let the umpiring crew have it after this play. Apparently, according to Jeff Jones on BlueSky, he had gone to his mouth, which for whatever reason resulted in a balk, and that makes zero sense to me.
But that was just a subplot and what truly was a great game for the right-hander. I really think he’s starting to find his groove, and it was good to see him in control basically from the start.
Like I said, I was a bit skeptical, and thought maybe some time in Memphis would benefit him. Thankfully, I was wrong. This rotation continues to shove, and it remains a strength for this team.
Herrera keeps on hitting
Josh Jacobs at Redbird Rants wrote a piece examining whether Herrera was the impact bat the Cardinals thought Nolan Gorman, Dylan Carlson and Jordan Walker were meant to be, or in other words, what they’ve been waiting for over the course of several years.
Personally, I think Josh is on point here. All Herrera does is hit, and having him as the designated hitter really is paying dividends for the Cardinals. He may not be a 30-homer guy, but he puts the ball in play, and when he does, good things happen. I truly think this is the right role for him. I’m not saying the Cardinals should avoid having him catch, but regardless, you need his bat in the lineup. He’s now hitting .419.
I don’t think it was any coincidence that the offense struggled a bit when he went down. I truly believe he was the missing piece, and that his presence makes this offense elite. Perhaps it’s time to think about giving him an extension.
Are the Cardinals actually good?
I said to myself before this game that if the Cardinals win this series, two things will happen. Fans will show up next homestand, and I will believe this team is legit. Obviously, there are two games left in the series, and we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. But you have to wonder if this team could actually do the unthinkable.
I really love what I’m seeing, and while I’m not sold yet, I’m very close to being sold. The Cardinals took it to the Phillies and did the same tonight in Kansas City. Even against good teams, the Cardinals are firing on all cylinders. Oli Marmol has more to work with, and the team also just seems to be having fun playing baseball.
This is great to see, and I hope they’ll keep it up.
Game 2 of the series starts at 6:10 tomorrow. Miles Mikolas gets the ball against Noah Cameron as the Cardinals try for a series win.