With the Cardinals having committed to selling at the trade deadline, there isn’t much to look forward to for the rest of 2025. However, a win like tonight’s will certainly do a lot to improve the vibes.
It was pretty much the Cardinals’ game from the start, but it had an interesting twist. Ivan Herrera started the game in left field. Not only that, but he had his first career putout in the outfield.
The scoring began in the third inning when Alec Burleson powered up for a home run to make it 1-0. Yohel Pozo also showed off his wheels a little bit when he advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Edward Cabrera and scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the fourth.
That proved to be the difference in the game, but the Cardinals put up five runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. The Marlins tallied one in the ninth to make it 7-1, but the Cardinals didn’t allow any more than that. Let’s break this one down.
Pallante shoves
Starting for the Cardinals was Andre Pallante, and boy did he need a bounce back start. He had turned in three consecutive clunkers against the Nationals, Diamondbacks and Rockies and returned to the Busch Stadium mound facing a red-hot Marlins team.
Tonight, he looked like the Andre Pallante we saw in 2024, when he was one of the Cardinals most consistent starters. He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while also recording four strikeouts.
This was encouraging to see. While Pallante, like Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas has struggled, I at least had faith that he could turn it around. He’s still relatively young and can get the job done when he’s at his best.
Tonight was a good opportunity for him to reset, and he really looked the part, playing the role of stopper after the Cardinals turned in two duds against the Padres over the weekend.
Winn comes up clutch
The big blow came in the bottom of the seventh inning. A run scored after a catcher’s interference call when Burly was up with the bases loaded. Then with two outs, Masyn Winn came to the plate and worked the count to 2-2. Finally, he let one rip, sending one into the left field corner to clear the bases, and he even reached third on an error.
While yes, the Marlins helped the Cardinals out a little bit, they did a good job of pouncing on mistakes, and that’s exactly what happened with Winn. While the Cardinals are selling, it’s good to see Winn taking advantage of the runway he’s been given.
That hit put the game out of reach and set up Steven Matz and Matt Svanson to get the final six outs of the ballgame.
The Cardinals are now 55-53 and will send Sonny Gray to the mound against former Cardinal Sandy Alcantara as they try for a series win. First pitch is at 6:45.