Willson Contreras and Pedro Pagés Lead Cardinals to Victory Against Slumping Reds
On Saturday night, the St. Louis Cardinals took on the struggling Cincinnati Reds and came out on top with a 4-2 win. The game was marked by impressive performances from Willson Contreras and Pedro Pagés, who both hit home runs to secure the victory for the Cardinals.
The Reds, who have been on a downward spiral, have now lost five consecutive games and eight of their last nine. This puts them five games behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild card spot, making their chances of making it to the playoffs slim.
But it was the Cardinals who dominated the game, thanks to a strong pitching performance from Michael McGreevy. The 6-2 pitcher threw six solid innings, allowing only two runs and securing the win for his team.
This marks the third consecutive win for the Cardinals, who now have a record of 68-69. With this victory, they are inching closer to a potential playoff spot and are showing no signs of slowing down.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cardinals Take Down Slumping Reds 4-2 with Strong Pitching and Power Hitting
The St. Louis Cardinals dominated the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night, with Willson Contreras and Pedro Pagés each hitting a home run to secure a 4-2 victory. The Reds, who have been struggling lately, have now lost five straight games and eight of their last nine. This puts them five games behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild card spot.
The Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy pitched six solid innings, allowing only one run and five hits with no strikeouts. Kyle Leahy came in for the save, giving up back-to-back singles but ultimately shutting down the Reds in the ninth inning.
The Reds took an early lead in the first inning with a single from Elly De La Cruz and a double from Gavin Lux. However, the Cardinals quickly responded in the fourth inning with a two-run single from Nathan Church, putting them ahead 2-1.
In the seventh inning, Contreras hit his 20th home run of the season off of Connor Phillips, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 3-1. Pagés added to the lead in the eighth inning with his 11th home run of the season off of Zach Maxwell, making it 4-2.
The Reds’ Andrew Abbott, who had a rough start in his previous game, gave up two runs in five innings this time. He walked four and struck out seven.
One of the key moments of the game came in the first inning when the Reds escaped a bases-loaded jam on a strange play. With one out, Jordan Walker’s pop fly landed near Abbott, and the infield-fly rule was invoked. After some hesitation by the Cardinals’ runners, Iván Herrera attempted to score but was thrown out by Matt McLain, the second baseman.
The Reds have only scored 97 runs in the month of August, which is the second-lowest in the majors behind Cleveland.
The Cardinals will look to sweep the series on Sunday with RHP Andre Pallante on the mound, while the Reds will send RHP Brady Singer to try and avoid the sweep.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
