PHILADELPHIA — Baseball weather has returned to Citizens Bank Park.
On a perfect night for America’s pastime, the Philadelphia Phillies opened up a 3-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals entered Monday evening’s game with an 8-game win streak and were riding a wave of momentum. The Phillies were coming off a big win on the road in Cleveland, which marked their 5th straight series win.
Similar to their game Friday night against the Guardians, the Phillies’ offense was cold on Monday night. While they did not get shut out, a lack of run support would come back to bite the club. The Cardinals’ late-inning home run proved to be the difference, giving St. Louis their 9th straight win.
Cristopher Sanchez
Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez took the mound on Monday night to build another series win. Sanchez entered with a 4-1 record and a 2.89 earned run average in his 7 starts this season. Facing the Cardinals for the second time this year, both sides knew what to expect.
Sanchez was dialed in from the start, flashing 98 miles per hour with his sinker in the first inning. The left-hander was able to make quick work of the Cardinals’ offense. In the second, a lead-off double would get the Cards in the hit column. However, Sanchez bounced back by punching out the next 3 hitters in order.
It wasn’t until the top of the fourth inning that the Phillies starter would get beaten. However, it was not the Cardinals that beat him; rather, it was the Phillies who beat themselves.
After a lead-off walk to Nolan Arenado, the following batter, Willson Contreras, would fly out to center. The veteran Arenado would attempt to tag on the ball, sliding into second base. The umpire called him out, but after review, the call on the field was overturned. Rojas’s throw beat Arenado, but a missed tag by Trea Turner would move a runner into scoring position. Another walk and a fielder’s choice would push the Cardinals’ third baseman across the plate for the first run of the game.
In the fifth inning, Sanchez walked his way into more trouble. An infield single paired with a walk to Masyn Winn put 2 men on with 1 out. Strong pitching helped get the Phillies out of the jam, but Sanchez’s pitching count rose because of it.
In the top of the 6th, the Cardinals got another run off of Sanchez. This time, the Cards had to earn it. Designated hitter Ivan Herrera smacked a ball into the right field seats to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. The lefty would bounce back, however, getting the next 2 batters to go down on strikes. That would conclude his evening.
His line for the evening was 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 8 K, and 1 HR.
Schwarber Goes Streaking
After scoring on what should have been ruled an error against Nolan Arenado in the 4th, the Phillies finally had a run against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. Going back to his first start against the team, Liberatore had gone 9 scoreless innings before the club broke through.
Aside from the 1 run, the Phillies’ offense could not sustain an inning against the powerful left-hander. Liberatore was cruising through 5 innings but ran into some trouble in the 6th.
Kyle Schwarber would lead off the inning with a bloop single to center field. This extended his on-base streak to 47 consecutive games, extending back to last season. Nick Castellanos would follow suit, dropping a ball into play in shallow center field. Schwarber got a great read on the ball, advancing to third base on contact.
The next batter was J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto would ground a ball to Arenado at third, who double-clutched on his throw. This allowed Realmuto to beat what would have been his 10th double play of the season. Schwarber scored, and the Phillies tied the game back up at 2 apiece.
With runners at first and second, the Cardinals would make a move. Taking out Liberatore, they went with right-hander Kyle Leahy to get the final 2 outs. Pinch hitters Bryson Stott and Max Kepler both put solid wood on the ball, but they could not find grass. St. Louis would escape with the game tied.
Phillies Lose the Lead
After tying the game in the bottom of the 6th, the Phillies quickly gave the lead back.
Matt Strahm entered the ballgame in the top of the 7th. Strahm would start the frame with a strikeout on center fielder Jose Barrero before getting Lars Nootbar to line out to right field. However, Strahm would not escape the 7th unscathed. Shortstop Maysn Winn would smack a ball to deep left field, giving St. Louis a 3-2 lead thanks to their second solo home run of the game.
The offense failed to make a dent in the bottom half of the 7th, calling on Orion Kerkering to keep the deficit to 1 run. Kerkering did the job, retiring the 4-5-6 hitters in the St. Louis lineup in order. His pitches moved well and kept the Cardinals off-balance. It was just the kind of outing he needed.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies threatened with 2 outs. After back-to-back groundouts, both Realmuto and Alec Bohm would drive singles back up the middle. This would end the evening for Kyle Leahy, who worked in both the 7th and 8th innings. The Cardinals would bring in Jojo Romero, the former Phillies reliever who was dealt to St. Louis in 2022 for Edmundo Sosa.
Romero would get Bryson Stott to pop up a ball to shallow left field. That would end the Phillies’ threat in the 8th inning.
Bottom of the 9th
Down a run in the 9th, the Phillies would have one final chance at tying or even winning the ballgame.
The Cardinals sent Ryan Helsley to the mound for the save. Helsley has been discussed as a potential trade candidate for the Phillies if they choose to sell at the Trade Deadline. With the way they have played lately, St. Louis won’t become a seller any time soon. Helsley shut down the Phillies with relative ease in the 9th inning. The Cardinals’ closer got both Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh to go down on strikes.
All that remained for the Phillies was Trea Turner. Turner was 1-4 on the evening with a single and 2 strikeouts. Turner stayed patient at the plate, forcing Helsley to work the count full. A nice catch by right fielder Jordan Walker would retire Turner and end the ballgame.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
