ANAHEIM, Calif. — The box score for Tuesday night’s game will show that the Cardinals’ JoJo Romero threw a scoreless eighth inning, protecting a one-run lead.
What the box score doesn’t show was just how much of a roller-coaster inning it was, helping the Cardinals to escape with their third consecutive victory as they topped the Angels in Anaheim.
The Cardinals called on Romero with a 7-6 lead and after he struck out the first batter, he gave up a two-strike bloop double. A pitch-clock violation on ball four on the next hitter put runners on first and second, and another walk loaded the bases with just one out.
That’s when Romero pulled off his escape act as the Angels tried an ill-advised squeeze play, with the batter missing the pitch and the runner tagged out at the plate. A final strikeout ended the inning, in which Romero threw 31 pitches.
Romero had a 3-2 count on all five batters in the inning.
The effort by Romero and closer Ryan Helsley followed the Cardinals’ Sonny Gray blowing a 5-0 lead and a go-ahead home run from Alec Burleson in the seventh.
It’s the second time this season the Cardinals have won three consecutive games. The other time was from April 24-27.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals had their fourth consecutive game with a double-digit hit total but still struggled with runners in scoring position, going 2-of-15 in those situations … They scored their first two runs on a wild pitch and an error … One of their hits with runners on second and third was the first career hit for Pedro Pages, a double in the third inning that drove in all three runners … In the seventh Nolan Arenado led off with a single before Burleson unloaded his fourth home run of the season, his third hit of the game … The Cardinals struck out 14 times, four by Nolan Gorman and three by Paul Goldschmidt.
On the mound: The big hit off Gray was a three-run homer by Logan O’Hoppe in the fourth. Gray allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out nine over his six innings, getting credit for the win thanks to Burleson’s homer … Ryan Fernandez allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh to make it a one-run game … Helsley recorded his 13th save, getting two strikeouts in the ninth.
Key stat: Masyn Winn became the fifth hitter used in the leadoff spot in the first 42 games of the season, 36 by Brendan Donovan. Winn was 1-of-5, making the team’s combined average from the leadoff spot .205, which ranks 28th in the majors. They have a combined on-base percentage of .288, which ranks 29th.
Worth noting: This is the first time the Cardinals have had 10 or more hits in four consecutive games since they did it in the first five games of last season … Dylan Carlson’s single in the second inning was his first of the year after going 0-of-17 … The Cardinals stole four bases in the game, including a double-steal pulled off by Goldschmidt and Burleson … Keynan Middleton made his first rehab appearance at Double A Springfield but was only able to face one batter, whom he walked, before the game went into a rain delay … Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to nine games at Memphis in the first game of a doubleheader but his streak was snapped as Memphis was held to just one hit in the second game.
Looking ahead: Lance Lynn will get the start on Wednesday night as the Cardinals try to complete the sweep of the three-game series.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains.
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