ST. LOUIS — Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 2, Reds 0
After watching the Reds run wild on the bases in the first three games of this weekend’s series, Lance Lynn could come to a pretty easy conclusion.
If the Reds didn’t get on base, they wouldn’t be able to run. That analysis proved correct on Sunday.
Lynn allowed only three baserunners over six innings, on two hits and a walk, to lead the Cardinals to the shutout and a split of the four-game series at Busch Stadium.
The Reds did steal one base, their 12th in the series, but didn’t advance a runner past second base.
Ryan Helsley finished off the win, earning his 30th save to tie the franchise record for most saves before the All-Star break. That mark was set by Lee Smith in 1993, and Helsley has 13 games left before this year’s All-Star game to surpass that record. The major-league record for most saves before the All-Star break is 38, set by Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels in 2008.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Pedro Pages had three of the seven hits by the Cardinals, the first three-hit game of his career. He led off the fifth with his second single, then scored the game’s first run on a single by Alec Burleson – which snapped his 0-of-12 streak … Pages also had a single in the sixth, when the Cardinals scored their second run on a bloop double by Masyn Winn … Winn’s two hits came after he had been hitless in his previous 13 at-bats … Nolan Gorman was 0-of-4, striking out three times, and finished June with a .141 average for the month (14-of-99) with 42 strikeouts. Six of his hits were home runs. He was 2-of-27 on the homestand with 13 strikeouts.
On the mound: The only hits off Lynn were a two-out double by Jonathan India in the third and a one-out single by Stuart Fairchild in the fifth, who then stole second. Lynn also issued a two-out walk in the first … Lynn threw a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 21 hitters he faced and finished with six strikeouts, surpassing the 1,000 mark for his Cardinals’ career … Lynn was pulled after throwing just 79 pitches but Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero got through the seventh and eighth to get the game to Helsley, who needed just 10 pitches to convert his 30th consecutive save, extending his own franchise record.
Key stat: The win allowed the Cardinals to finish June with a 16-12 record. The 16 wins are their most in June since they were 18-8 in the month in 2015. They finished the homestand with a 6-3 record.
Worth noting: The 12 stolen bases for the Reds were the most in a four-game series against the Cardinals since the Expos also stole 12 in a series in 1990 … After working 4 1/3 innings in his major-league debut on Saturday, Gordon Graceffo was optioned to Memphis on Sunday to give the Cardinals a fresh arm. Jacob Bosiokovic, a 30-year-old righthander who began his career as an outfielder in the Rockies system before converting to pitching in 2019, was promoted from Memphis … The Reds had 18 extra-base hits in the series … The rosters for the Futures Game, part of the All-Star game festivities, are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will travel to Pittsburgh on Monday’s day off and begin a three-game series against the Pirates on Tuesday night. Kyle Gibson is the scheduled starter. Following the series the Cardinals will head to Washington, D.C. for four games against the Nationals before returning home.