For five innings this looked like a taut, low-scoring affair. Then the Cardinals turned it into a rout in a single sixth-inning burst, and Andre Pallante made sure it stayed that way. St. Louis beat Cincinnati 7-0 at Busch Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| STL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 10 | 0 |
Pallante was the story before the offense ever broke through. Working seven innings, he allowed just two hits and no runs, walked one and struck out eight, pitching around every threat the Reds tried to mount. The bullpen finished it off with two scoreless innings, and Cincinnati finished with only three hits and an error all night.
St. Louis got on the board first in the bottom of the first when Burleson singled to left, driving in Wetherholt to make it 0-1 — the eventual game's decisive advantage, one the Cardinals never came close to relinquishing. But the game's real turning point came in the sixth, when St. Louis sent runners across again and again. Herrera doubled to left to score Burleson and Wetherholt, Torres singled home Herrera, Jordan's single brought in both Nootbaar and Winn, and Church added a run with a sacrifice bunt that scored Torres. By the time the inning ended, the Cardinals had turned a 0-1 lead into a 0-7 laugher.
Hunter Greene took the loss for Cincinnati, allowing 7 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits over 5.1 innings with three strikeouts, now 2-2 on the season with a 7.06 ERA. The Reds' offense never found its footing against Pallante, managing only two hits through his seven innings, and the two relievers who followed kept the Cardinals off the board without further incident, but the damage was already done.
Burleson finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Herrera drove in two runs on a 2-for-4 night. St. Louis improved to 53-51, riding a one-game winning streak, while Cincinnati fell to 48-55 with the loss.