The final score tells a different story than what the game felt like for most of it. But the bottom of the 7th inning was full of mistakes by the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff and defense and it resulted in a 5-run inning that put the game away as the St. Louis Cardinals picked up a 6-1 win to open up the series between the two National League Central foes.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (39-37) | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals (41-35) | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| W: Pallante (5-3) L: Singer (7-5) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
There wasn’t a ton of action in the first two innings of the game. But in the bottom of the 3rd inning the Cardinals would put a run on the board when Alec Burleson hit a sacrifice fly to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.
A whole lot of nothing happened from then through the 6th inning as Singer and Cardinals start Andre Pallante traded zeroes. Elly De La Cruz led off the 7th with a single back up the middle for the Reds first hit since Matt McLain singled in the 3rd inning. That spelled the end of the day for Pallante and the Cardinals called on Phil Maton to relieve him. It was a good call because the first pitch he threw saw Tyler Stephenson ground it to third base for what resulted into an easy double play. Maton would then strike out Spencer Steer to end the top of the inning.
When the bottom of the 7th began the Reds called it a day for Brady Singer and Scott Barlow entered the game with Cincinnati still down 1-0. He got a pop up to begin the inning, but followed up with a walk and then hit Victor Scott II. That ended the day for Barlow as the Reds went back to the bullpen again and brought in Taylor Rogers. He would the first batter he saw on five pitches to load the bases. Masyn Winn then came through with a soft blooper into center for an RBI single that plated a run. Rogers then walked Nolan Gorman to bring in another run.
That prompted another visit to the mound and another call to the bullpen. Tony Santillan made his way to the mound with the bases loaded and his club down three runs. He got what he wanted in a chopper to third base, but Gavin Lux threw the ball away and the Cardinals scored two more runs to make it 5-0. Lars Nootbaar then singled in yet another run as St. Louis just piled it on.
Cincinnati would send Santiago Espinal to the plate to begin the 8th inning as a pinch hitter for Will Benson. He came through with a single. Three pitches later he raced around the bases and scored the Reds first run when Jose Trevino doubled down to the right field line and the relay throw to the infield got away. Matt McLain drew a 1-out walk and that led to a pitching change. Back-to-back ground outs ended the inning as the Cardinals move paid off.
After Connor Phillips threw a shutout 8th inning in his 2025 debut, the game headed to the top of the 9th with the heart of the Reds order due up. Cincinnati got a walk from Tyler Stephenson but that was all they would get as the Cardinals hung on for the 6-1 win to begin the 3-game weekend series.
Key Moment of the Game
The Cardinals 7th inning against the Reds bullpen and defense, which combined to allow St. Louis to score five runs and put the game away.
Notes Worth Noting
Brady Singer had another good start as he allowed just one run in 6.0 innings on four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Since his start in Houston where he allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings he’s made seven starts with a 3.23 ERA.
Matt McLain went 1-2 with a walk. That put his average right at the .200 mark on the season. The last time he finished a day with an average that began with a two was April 21st. The single by McLain extended his hit streak to eight games.
Elly De La Cruz had the only hit among the first six batters who were in the Reds starting lineup. They went a combined 1-21.
Noelvi Marte is currently 1-2 with an RBI for the Arizona Complex League Reds as he began his rehab assignment tonight.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals
Saturday June 21st, 2:15pm ET
TBA vs Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.84 ERA)
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