Quick Stats:
· Mathew Liberatore(STL)- 6.0 IP, 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 5 Walks, 5 Strikeouts(Win)
· Logan Allen-(CLE)-6.0 IP, 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 Walks, 6 Strikeouts(Loss)
· Nolan Gorman- 1-3, HR, 3 RBIs, 1 Walk
· Victor Scott II- 2-4, HR, 2 RBI’s
· Nolan Arenado-2-3
· Masyn Winn-2-4, 1 RBI
STL: 11 hits, 7 Runs, 3 Walks, 10 Strikeouts
CLE: 3 hits, 0 Runs, 8 Walks, 11 Strikeouts
The Game Story: The Cardinals send out Mathew Liberatore to face off with the Guardians’ Logan Allen in a battle of lefties.
1st Inning: Brendan Donovan starts the game off striking out looking. Masyn Winn draws a four-pitch walk. Willson Contreras rips a single to left, and the Cardinals have runners on first and second with one out. Nolan Arenado lines out to right for the second out, and Winn tags up and reaches third. Nolan Gorman hammers a ball to deep right center for his seventh home run, and the Cardinals are up 3-0. Thomas Saggese grounds out to third to end the top half of the inning. Steven Kwan grounds out to second. David Fry strikes out looking for the second out. Jose Ramirez draws a walk. Carlos Santana singles to center and Ramirez reaches third. Lane Thomas draws a walk, and the bases are loaded with two outs. Angel Martinez grounds out to third to end the inning.
2nd Inning: Pedro Pages draws a four-pitch walk. Garrett Hampson strikes out looking. Victor Scott II singles to center, and Pages is thrown out at third. Brendan Donovan comes up to the plate, and Victor Scott II is caught stealing for the third out to end the top half of the inning. Gabriel Arias grounds out to the pitcher. Johnathan Rodriguez flies out to center for the second out. Austin Hedges strikes out swinging to end the inning.
3rd Inning: Brendan Donovan flies out to left. Masyn Wynn singles to left, and on the play, Guardians shortstop Arias hurts his ankle and is carted off the field, and is replaced by Daniel Schneemann. Willson Contreras strikes out swinging for the second out. Nolan Arenado hits a soft ground ball to short and beats out the throw for a hit to put runners on first and second with two outs. Nolan Gorman strikes out looking to end the top half of the inning. Steven Kwan grounds out to second. David Fry grounds out to third for the second out. Jose Ramirez flies out to deep left to end the inning.
4th Inning: Thomas Saggese flies out to center. Pedro Pages strikes out swinging for the second out. Garrett Hampson flies out to right to end the top half of the inning. Carlos Santana pops out to first. Lane Thomas strikes out looking for the second out. Angel Martinez singles to right. Daniel Schneemann comes up to the plate, and Martinez is caught stealing for the third out to end the inning.
5th Inning: Victor Scott II strikes out swinging. Brendan Donovan grounds out to second for the second out. Masyn Winn flies out to left to end the top half of the inning. Daniel Schneemann grounds out to second. Johnathan Rodriguez singles to right. Austin Hedges draws a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Steven Kwan pops up to Contreras on an infield fly rule for the second out. David Fry strikes out swinging to end the inning.
6th Inning: Willson Contreras grounds out to second. Nolan Arenado doubles to right, and on an error in right, Arenado reaches third. With the double, Arenado reaches his 400th double of his career. Nolan Gorman grounds out to first for the second out. Thomas Saggese grounds out to first to end the top half of the inning. Jose Ramirez flies out to left. Carlos Santana strikes out swinging for the second out. Lant Thomas pops out to short to end the inning.
7th Inning: Cleveland brings in Hunter Gaddis to end Allen’s outing—Pedro Pages singles to left center. Garrett Hampson strikes out looking for the second out. Victor Scott II hammers a ball to right for a home run and the Cardinals are now up 5-0. Brendan Donovan grounds out to first—Masyn Winn singles to left. Willson Contreras flies out to left to end the top half of the inning. Angel Martinez draws a walk. Daniel Schneemann draws a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Cardinals make a pitching change, bringing in JoJo Romero to end Liberator’s outing. Johnathan Rodriguez strikes out swinging. Austin Hedges strikes out swinging for the second out. Steven Kwan grounds out to second to end the inning.
8th Inning: Jose Fermin comes in to replace Nolan Arenado, who seemed to have tweaked something running the bases—Fermin singles to center. Cleveland brings in Tim Herrin to relieve Gaddis. Nolan Gorman draws a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Thomas Saggese strikes out swinging for the first out. Pedro Pages comes up to the plate. Cardinals do a double steal and have runners on second and third with one out. Page hits a sac fly to center, and Fermin scores, putting the Cardinals up 6-0 as Gorman heads to third. Cleveland brings in Matt Festa to relieve Herrin. Garrett Hampson singles to center, and Gorman scores, and the Cardinals lead 7-0. Victor Scott II grounds out to second to end the top half of the inning. Cardinals bring Riley O’Brien to relieve Romero. Cleveland sends in pinch hitter Kyle Manzardo to hit for David Fry. Manzardo strikes out swinging. Jose Ramirez strikes out looking for the second out. Carlos Santana draws a walk. Lane Thomas comes up to the plate. Wild Pitch by O’Brien sends Ramirez to second. Thomas draws a walk putting runners on first and second with two outs. Angel Martinez strikes out swinging to end the inning.
9th Inning: Cleveland brings in Emmanuel Clase to relieve Festa. Brendan Donovan grounds out to first. Masyn Winn strikes out looking. Willson Contreras strikes out looking to end the top half of the inning. Cardinals bring in John King to relieve O’Brien. Daniel Schneemann strikes out looking. Johnathan Rodriguez draws a walk. Austin Hedges comes to the plate. Wild pitch by King sends Rodriguez to second. Hedges flies out to right, and Rodriguez moves to third. Steven Kwan flies out to left to end the game.
Final Score: St. Louis Cardinals-7. Cleveland Guardians-0
Cardinals Player of the Game
Matthew Liberatore, who kept the early lead intact without surrendering any runs, gave the Cardinals the sweep.
My Thoughts: For the first time in history, the Cardinals have swept Cleveland. The pitching staff pitched a good game. If there’s one gripe, it would be the number of walks given up. However, when you throw a shutout, it’s always a good outing. It was good to see some power being shown today with home runs by Gorman and Scott. With a three-game set in Pittsburgh starting tomorrow, the Cardinals can begin to make up even more ground on the division-leading Cubs, as the Cardinals currently sit at 3.0 games behind the leader, with the Cubs game against Houston ongoing. Nolan Arenado left the game with what appears to be a precaution, as he had some leg issues while running the bases. Arenado hit his 400th career double in his last at-bat of the game.
Next Up:
St. Louis will head to Pittsburgh for a three-game set and send out Erick Fedde to face off against the Pirates’ Andrew Heaney. The first pitch is set for 5:40 PM CST