PHILADELPHIA — Saturday’s Game Report: Phillies 6, Cardinals 1
Getting Phillies starter Ranger Suarez out of the game after the second inning probably seemed like a good idea to the Cardinals.
It just didn’t work out like they had hoped.
Suarez, who came into Saturday night’s game with a 9-1 record and a 1.70 ERA, had to come out of the game after he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Alec Burleson. The Phillies later said he had suffered a bruised left hand.
The Cardinals could not muster much offense against the Phillies bullpen, however, as five relievers combined to cover the final seven innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out 11.
In the first two games in Philadelphia, the Cardinals have gone a combined 8-of-62, a .129 average, with a total of three runs scored.
Here is how Saturday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals lone run came in the third inning when Nolan Gorman singled, went to third on a double by Phiadelphia native Michael Siani and scored on a sacrifice fly by Masyn Winn … They did not have another hit until the seventh when Ivan Herrera doubled. He went to third on an infield single by Dylan Carlson but was stranded when Gorman struck out … Carlson’s hit was the only one for the Cardinals in seven at-bats with a runner on second or third.
On the mound: Sonny Gray struck out 10 over his five innings of work but also gave up four runs, three of which scored in the first inning … The loss snapped Gray’s three-game winning streak … Bryce Harper increased the Phillies lead to 6-1 with a two-run homer off John King in the seventh … After being on the roster for 12 days and not pitching, Washington U. grad Ryan Loutos finally made his major-league debut, pitching the eighth inning. He allowed one hit and a walk before getting out of the inning without allowing a run.
Key stat: Gray had allowed only three total runs in the first inning in his first nine starts of the season, all coming in his start on May 9 in Milwaukee. Opponents had been 6-of-31, a .194 average, against Gray in the first inning in his first nine games.
Worth noting: Jordan Walker hit his first home run of the season for either the Cardinals or Memphis on Saturday night in his 28th game at Triple A since he was optioned in late April … Brendan Donovan was out of the lineup for a second consecutive night because of a stiff neck.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will try to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday night, in their second consecutive appearance on ESPN’s Sunday night baseball. Lance Lynn is the scheduled starter.
