Cardinals Routed in Philadelphia

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Cardinals Routed in Philadelphia
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

PHILADELPHIA — One night after the St. Louis Cardinals pushed the Phillies into extra innings, there was no late drama, no comeback push and no narrow finish.

This one got away early.

Philadelphia scored three runs in the first inning, added four more in the third and rolled past the Cardinals, 12-3, Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.

It was an ugly loss for St. Louis, which followed Friday night’s 7-6, 10-inning defeat with a game that never found much traction. The Cardinals fell behind before their offense could get settled, and the Phillies kept adding on against a pitching staff that had little room to breathe.

Quinn Mathews took the loss, allowing seven runs on 10 hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out three, but Philadelphia put pressure on him from the start.

Kyle Schwarber opened the first with a walk, Trea Turner singled, and Alec Bohm drove in the first run with a single to left. Edmundo Sosa followed with a two-run double to right-center, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead before Mathews could get out of the inning.

The Cardinals had a chance to answer in the third after Jimmy Crooks reached on an infield single and JJ Wetherholt singled to right, but Iván Herrera grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Philadelphia broke it open in the bottom half.

Bryce Harper struck out to begin the inning, but Luis Arraez, Bohm and Sosa followed with consecutive singles to load the bases. Bryan De La Cruz singled to center, scoring Arraez and Bohm, and J.T. Realmuto added a sacrifice fly. Derek Hill then doubled to left, bringing home De La Cruz and pushing the Phillies’ lead to 7-0.

That was enough for Andrew Painter, who kept the Cardinals quiet for most of the night. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowed one run on five hits, walked none and struck out eight.

St. Louis finally scored in the sixth when Blaze Jordan doubled to right, moved to third on Wetherholt’s fly ball and came home on Alec Burleson’s two-out single to left-center.

The Phillies answered immediately in the bottom half against Ryan Fernandez. Realmuto doubled, Justin Crawford singled, Schwarber lifted a sacrifice fly, and Harper hit a three-run homer to right to make it 11-1.

Wetherholt gave the Cardinals their best swing in the eighth, homering to center off José Alvarado. It was his 17th home run of the season and one of the few bright spots in an otherwise rough night.

Schwarber answered in the bottom of the inning with his 38th homer, restoring Philadelphia’s 10-run lead.

Nathan Church tripled in the ninth and scored on José Fermín’s groundout, giving the Cardinals their final run.

Wetherholt finished 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Church had two hits and scored a run, while Burleson, Fermín and Wetherholt drove in the Cardinals’ runs. Jordan doubled and scored.

The Cardinals finished with seven hits, did not draw a walk and struck out nine times. They left 11 men on base, including several chances to at least make the score more respectable.

Philadelphia finished with 15 hits. Schwarber homered, walked, scored twice and drove in two. Harper drove in three with his sixth-inning homer. Sosa had two hits and two RBIs against his former club, while De La Cruz also drove in two.

For St. Louis, this was the kind of loss that needs to be flushed quickly. The Cardinals had been playing better baseball, winning five straight series before arriving in Philadelphia, but the first two games of this series have gone the other direction.

Friday was a game they nearly stole.

Saturday was a game they never controlled.

The Cardinals still have a chance to salvage the finale, but this one was a reminder of how thin the margin can be against playoff-caliber clubs. If the pitching is not sharp early and the offense is chasing all night, the game can get away fast.

This one did.

Phillies 12, Cardinals 3.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies | MLB