Quick Stats:
· Andre Pallante(STL)- 5.0 IP, 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 Walks, 2 Strikeouts (Loss)
· Shota Imanaga-(CHC)-5.0 IP, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 Walk, 3 Strikeouts (Win)
· Willson Contreras-0-1, 2 Walks, 1 Strikeout
· Alec Burleson-1-4, 1 Hit
· Masyn Winn- 1-4
· Garrett Hampson- 1-3, 1 Strikeout
STL: 3 Hits, 3 BB, 7 Strikeouts, 0 Runs
CHI: 9 Hits, 2 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 Strikeouts, 3 Runs
The Game Story: The Cardinals send out Andre Pallante to face off against Cubs ace Shota Imanaga.
1st Inning: Ian Happ opens the game by hitting a single to left. Kyle Tucker strikes out swinging. Ian Happ takes off running to second on a hit and run by Seiya Suzuki as he hits a fly out to right, and Happ forgot to touch second base on the way back to first and gets thrown out at first to end the top half of the inning. Brendan Donovan grounds out to first—Masyn Winn singles to left. Alec Burleson flies out to center for the second out. Willson Contreras strikes out swinging to end the inning.
2nd Inning: Pete Crow-Armstrong lines out to third. Dansby Swanson flies out to center for the second out. Michael Busch hammers a solo homer to right to put the Cubs up 1-0. Carson Kelly singles to left. Nico Hoerner grounds out to short to end the top half of the inning. Nolan Arenado grounds out to second. Thomas Saggese flies out to right for the second out. Nolan Gorman flies out to left to end the inning.
3rd Inning: Matt Shaw singles to center. Ian Happ grounds out to second, and Shaw moves to second. Kyle Tucker grounds out to first for the second out, and Shaw moves to third. Seiya Suzuki draws a walk. Pete Crow-Armstrong flies out to center to end the top half of the inning. Pedro Pages pops out to second. Garrett Hampson strikes out swinging for the second out. Brendan Donovan strikes out to end the inning.
4th Inning: Dansby Swanson grounds out to short. Michael Busch after becoming the first player with the last name spelled Busch hit a home run at Busch Stadium earlier in the game, singles to center. Carson Kelly singles to left, moving Busch to second. Nico Hoerner singles to left, and the bases are loaded. Matt Shaw lines out to third for the second out. Ian Happ draws a walk to bring in a run to put the Cubs up 2-0. Kyle Tucker grounds out to Masyn Winn up the middle to end the top half of the inning. Masyn Winn pops out to third. Alec Burleson lines out to Swanson for the second out. Willson Contreras draws a walk. Nolan Arenado pops out to the catcher to end the inning.
5th Inning: Seiya Suzuki flies out to center. Pete Crow-Armstrong strikes out swinging for the second out. Dansby Swanson grounds out to third for a 1-2-3 top of the fifth. Thomas Saggese flies out to center. Nolan Gorman flies out to center for the second out. Pedro Pages grounds out to second to end the inning.
6th Inning: Cardinals send out Riley O’Brien to start the sixth to end Pallante’s outing. Michael Busch strikes out swinging. Carson Kelly pops out to third for the second out. Nico Hoerner draws a walk. Matt Shaw pops out to the pitcher to end the top of the sixth. Cubs send out Caleb Thielbar in relief to end Imanaga’s outing. Garret Hampson flies out to third. Brendan Donovan grounds out to second for the second out. Masyn Winn flies out to deep left to end the inning.
7th Inning: JoJo Romero enters the game for the Cardinals. Ian Happ strikes out looking. Kyle Tucker flies out to left for the second out. Seiya Suzuki strikes out swinging to end the top half of the inning. Alec Burleson lines out to center. Cubs go to the bullpen and bring in Brad Keller. Willson Contreras draws his second walk of the game. Nolan Arenado comes up to bat. Keller throws a wild pitch, and Contreras moves to second. Arenado draws a walk, and the Cardinals have runners on first and second. Thomas Saggese grounds out to third to get the lead runner, and the Cardinals have first and second with two outs. Nolan Gorman hits a rocket to the warning track in center that Pete Crow-Armstrong catches to end the inning.
8th Inning: Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a squibber down the third base line with the shift on and gets a single. Kyle Leahy comes in to relieve JoJo Romero. Dansby Swanson hits a line drive single to left, sending Pete Crow-Armstrong to third with no outs. Michael Busch pops out to Masyn Winn for the first out. Dansby Swanson attempts to steal second and gets caught in a rundown for the second out as PCA crosses the plate to put the Cubs up 3-0. Carson Kelly lines out to left to end the top half of the inning. Cubs bring in Drew Pomeranz to relieve Brad Keller. Pedro Pages strikes out swinging. Garrett Hampson hits a single to left for his first Cardinals hit and the Cardinals’ second hit of the game. Brendan Donovan pops out to third for the second out. Masyn Winn flies out to left to end the inning.
9th Inning: Nico Hoerner grounds out to second. Matt Shaw lines out to right for the second out. Ian Happ flies out to center to end the top half of the inning. Cubs bring in closer Daniel Palencia. Alec Burleson hits a double to the gap in right center. The pitch hits Willson Contreras, and the Cardinals have runners on first and second with no outs. Cubs challenge the hit by pitch, but the call on the field stands. Nolan Arenado strikes out swinging. Thomas Saggese strikes out swinging for the second out. Nolan Gorman strikes out looking to end the game after the third out. Palencia mouths off at Contreras, which almost leads to a bench-clearing brawl between these two rivals.
Final Score: Chicago-3, St. Louis-0
Cardinals Player of the Game
With little offense provided, Alec Burleson’s ninth-inning double gives him the nod.
Better to Forget:
For the second game in a row against the Cubs, the Cardinals do not get a run
My Thoughts: The Cardinals ended up splitting this series with the Cubs and now sit at 4.5 games behind their rival in the NL Central. After putting up 16 runs over the first two games of the series, the last two saw the offense go cold. The pitching in this game was a lot better than Wednesday’s game. Andre Pallante kept the Cardinals in the game after the Cubs were working the count throughout the game. The bullpen for the Redbirds also did a good job, only giving up one run in relief. The Cardinals putting the first two on in the ninth showed that no matter the circumstances, this team will battle til the end. Shota Imanaga, pitching for the first time since May, showed that his hamstring seems to be healed. After the game ended and a brawl almost erupted between Contreras and Palencia, it will add some more excitement for the series in Chicago next weekend.
Next Up: St. Louis travels to Cleveland to take on the Guardians. St. Louis will send out Sonny Gray to the mound, facing off against the Guardians’ Luis Ortiz. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm CST.