In the concluding matchup of a four-game series, the St. Louis Cardinals secured a decisive 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday. Cardinals’ shortstop Masyn Winn delivered a notable performance, going 2-5 with two RBIs, complemented by starting pitcher Andre Pallante’s (2-2) five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and one walk while striking out six. The Cardinals wasted no time taking the lead, scoring 1-0 early against Rockies starting pitcher Ty Blach (2-4) as catcher Pedro Pages, despite a batting average of .056, drove in right fielder Dylan Carlson with a sacrifice fly to center.
Photo Cred: KMOV
In the second inning, the Rockies attempted to mount a comeback with consecutive singles by catcher Elias Diaz and center fielder Brenton Doyle. However, Pallante extinguished the threat, inducing a double-play from left fielder Jake Cave before striking out first baseman Michael Toglia. The Cardinals further solidified their lead in the third inning with a 399-foot homer to right field by designated hitter Alec Burleson, extending the advantage to 2-0. Following a strong inning from Pallante, the Cardinals widened the gap to 4-0 in the fourth inning with a two-out single to left by Winn, bringing in left fielder Brendan Donovan and Pages.
Reflecting on the game, Winn emphasized the urgency for the Cardinals to approach every matchup with a must-win mentality, irrespective of the opponent’s record: “We definitely didn’t want to lose the series to these guys, but my personal opinion is I feel like every game is a must-win. We’re two games under .500 now, we’ve got to get going.”
Despite their loss, the Rockies showed improvement compared to previous outings in St. Louis. StatMuse reports that the Rockies hold a 46-76 record in regular-season and playoff games against the Cardinals on the road. While the Rockies managed to secure a narrow 6-5 victory in the third game of the series with a three-run rally in the eighth inning, the Cardinals dominated, scoring at least five runs in three out of the four games. The Cardinals accumulated 10 hits compared to the Rockies’ five and kept them scoreless for eight innings.
Photo Cred: AP News
The game marked second baseman Adael Amador’s major league debut for the Rockies, called up from Double-A Hartford following Saturday’s game to fill in for second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who landed on the 10-day IL due to a hamstring injury. Amador marked his debut with a significant milestone, securing his first career hit in his first major league at-bat with a single to right in the third inning.
Speaking on Amador’s achievement, Rockies’ manager Bud Black remarked, “He swung at that first pitch he saw and blooped it into right, I’m sure he was fired up today to get hits.”
Amador concluded the game with a 1-3 record, while Diaz stood out with a 2-4 performance, driving in the Rockies’ sole run in the ninth inning. Burleson further extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-0 in the sixth inning with a fielder’s choice to first, scoring Pages. Looking ahead, the Rockies continue their road trip with a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, commencing Monday at 5:40.
Left-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson (2-7, 5.25 ERA) will start for the Rockies against Twins’ right-handed pitcher Chris Paddack (4-3, 5.26 ERA). Meanwhile, the Cardinals will start a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas (4-6, 5.32 ERA) facing Pirates’ rookie sensation right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes (3-0, 3.00 ERA).
