Nothing moved for six innings. Then, in the seventh, the Cardinals finally broke through, and that was enough. St. Louis beat Philadelphia 2-0 at Busch Stadium, a game built entirely on pitching until the final third.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| STL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 | 6 | 0 |
Andre Pallante was the foundation. He worked six innings, allowing four hits and no runs while walking three and striking out two. Cristopher Sanchez matched him pitch for pitch on the other side, going six innings with four hits allowed, no runs, seven strikeouts and not a single walk. Neither starter factored into the decision, but both set the tone for a game decided by inches rather than innings.
The Cardinals broke through in the seventh. Masyn Winn singled to right field, and Jordan Walker scored, giving St. Louis a lead it would not relinquish. The go-ahead run came after the game had been tied 0-0 all night. St. Louis added insurance in the eighth when Everson Pereira homered to center, a 430-foot shot that made it 2-0.
Philadelphia's bullpen faltered after Sanchez departed. Alex McFarlane took the loss, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk in his inning of work. The Phillies managed five hits on the night but could never turn any of them into a run, stranding their offense against a Cardinals pitching staff that did not allow a single run all game. St. Louis's bullpen, four relievers covering three innings, did not permit a run either, with George Soriano picking up the win and Riley O'Brien closing it out for his 30th save of the season.
The win pushed St. Louis to 60-60 on a one-game winning streak, while Philadelphia fell to 64-57, having lost its previous game. Pallante sits at 192 career games played, eight shy of the 200-game milestone.