DENVER — Erick Fedde apparently did not get the memo about how difficult it is supposed to be to pitch at Coors Field.
Fedde turned in his best start since being acquired by the Cardinals at the trade deadline, allowing one run over seven innings with 10 strikeouts on Wednesday night in a win over the Rockies in Denver.
The victory was only the second for Fedde in 10 starts for the Cardinals.
Pitching for Washington in 2022, Fedde also had a start at Coors Field in which he allowed one run over seven innings.
Ryan Helsley also had a memorable night – and it only took him one pitch. After the Rockies closed the margin to three runs in the ninth inning, making it a save situation, Helsley relieved and got a 1-6-3 double play on his first pitch to record his 48th save of the season.
That tied the franchise record set by Trevor Rosenthal in 2015.
The win also was the 81st of the year for the Cardinals, assuring that they will finish no worse than at the .500 mark and will avoid a second consecutive losing season.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals scored single runs in five consecutive innings, from the second through the sixth. Masyn Winn had a triple and double and scored twice, Thomas Saggese had an RBI double and a single. Ivan Herrera had a single and double and Pedro Pages drove in two runs with a pair of singles …. The Cardinals also got sacrifice flies from Brendan Donovan and Paul Goldschmidt.
On the mound: Fedde scattered six hits in his 87-pitch outing, helped out by three double plays and a runner thrown out trying to steal second. He only issued one walk in his longest outing for the Cardinals … A leadoff home run off Matthew Liberatore in the ninth made it a three-run game, and after a one-out walk, he was relieved by Helsley, who became the first Cardinal to get a save on one pitch since Randy Flores in 2008.
Key stat: This was the 107th Cardinals game at Coors Field and marked only the third 10-strikeout game from a St. Louis pitcher. Michael Wacha struck out 10 batters in a start in 2015 and Adam Wainwright had 11 strikeouts in a game in 2009.
Worth noting: The Cardinals placed reliever JoJo Romero on the injured list on Wednesday because of inflammation in his left forearm. Chris Roycroft was recalled from Memphis … The rosters for the Arizona Fall League were announced on Wednesday. The Cardinals will have four pitchers and three position players on the Glendale Desert Dogs, where Memphis’ Ben Johnson will be the team’s manager. Joining Saggese on the team will be catcher Leo Bernal, outfielder Nathan Church and pitchers Alex Cornwell, Matt Svanson, Trent Baker and Ixan Henderson. The season begins on Oct. 7.
Looking ahead: Kyle Gibson will make his final start of the season as the Cardinals go for a series sweep against the Rockies in the 2:10 p.m. St. Louis time game on Thursday.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains