ST. LOUIS — Saturday’s Game Report: Phillies 1, Cardinals 0
In need of a run to tie the game and get it to extra innings, the Cardinals had a runner on third base with nobody out in the ninth inning on Saturday – and that 90 feet might as well have been a mile.
Three batters later, Juan Yepez was finally able to get off of third base, but only to walk back to the dugout after the game was over, the Cardinals shut out by the Phillies at home for the second game in a row.
It was their fourth shutout in the last seven games, the third time against the Phillies.
The game was scoreless until the top of the ninth, when the Phillies turned a leadoff double, an infield single and a sacrifice fly into the only run of the game.
In the bottom of the inning, Yepez drew a leadoff walk. Paul Goldschmidt grounded to third, but Alec Bohm made a wild throw to second for an error that advanced Yepez to third.
Nolan Arenado, the cleanup hitter, took a 3-2 pitch for strike three, with Goldschmidt stealing second on the play. Dylan Carlson grounded out, with the runners holding, before Corey Dickerson – just off the injured list – flied out to the warning track in right to end the game.
It was the first time the Cardinals have been shut out in consecutive games at home since 2015, versus the Reds, and the first time it’s happened against the Phillies since 1951.
Here is how the game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals managed just two hits, both coming with two outs. Andrew Knizner singled in the third and Lars Nootbaar doubled in the fifth, their only two baserunners until Dickerson drew a leadoff walk in the eighth – the first time in 17 innings the Cardinals had put their leadoff hitter on base … He went to second on a wild pickoff throw before Albert Pujols, pinch-hitting for Knizner, was intentionally walked. Nolan Gorman, hitting leadoff, flew out to end the threat … Not counting the two extra inning runs on Thursday, when they started the inning with a runner on second, the Cardinals have scored two runs in their last 48 innings.
On the mound: Dakota Hudson allowed just two hits over six innings. He walked two while striking out four … The Cardinals starters combined have allowed five runs in their last 25 innings but are 0-2 with two no-decisions … Jordan Hicks bailed out Genesis Cabrera after Cabrera issued back-to-back two-out walks in the seventh and Ryan Helsley pitched around a leadoff single in the eighth to keep the game scoreless … Giovanny Gallegos took over for the ninth, and allowed the double on his second pitch that led to the game’s only run.
Key stat: It was a week ago, last Saturday, that the Cardinals hit four consecutive home runs in the first inning against the Phillies. Since then, they have hit three homers in a combined 263 at-bats.
Worth noting: Not counting the two extra-inning runs, the Cardinals have not had a hit that drove in a run since the first inning on Tuesday … The last time the Phillies won 1-0 in St. Louis was on May 3, 2016, the run coming on a Ryan Howard home run off Michael Wacha … To make room for Dickerson on the roster, Conner Capel was optioned to Memphis … Brendan Donovan was home sick on Saturday and was not at the ballpark … The last time Gorman hit leadoff was for a few games at Class A Peoria in 2019.
Looking ahead: Andre Pallante will get the start in Sunday’s game.