ST. LOUIS — Dylan Carlson, a late scratch because of some soreness in his right knee, became well enough to pinch run for the Cardinals' Albert Pujols after the latter had singled for his third hit of the game to open the eighth inning of a tie game with Philadelphia at Busch Stadium Sunday.
A single by Edmundo Sosa, who had been nothing for 21, sent Carlson to second and a walk to pinch hitter Paul Goldschmidt moved him to third.
Tommy Edman, instrumental in the Cardinals tying the game in the seventh, flied to center and St. Louisan Matt Vierling uncorked a strong throw home. Umpire Todd Tichenor initially called Carlson out but the Busch crowd of 36,112 roared as it quickly saw on the replay that Carlson had tagged the plate with his hand before catcher J.T. Realmuto's tag. The call was reversed.
The Cardinals had their first lead of a three-game series in which they didn't score in the first two games. Closer Ryan Helsley made sure, setting down the Phillies in the ninth for a 4-3 Cardinals win and his seventh save.
Maddux to the rescue
After right-handed rookie Andre Pallante had allowed three consecutive singles and a run in the top of the first, Cardinals pitching coach Mike Maddux made what he hoped would be a calming visit to the mound.
Shortly after Maddux had left, Pallante induced Darick Hall to ground into a double play. Pallante then walked J.T. Realmuto before retiring Alec Bohm on an inning-ending grounder to second baseman Nolan Gorman.
The streak is over
The Cardinals had failed to score in the first 19 innings of this series before they shoved across a run in the second. But they missed a shot at a bigger inning.
Nolan Arenado singled off the second-base bag and, after Corey Dickerson popped to first, Pujols singled to left. Beating the shift, Lars Nootbaar, a late replacement for center fielder Carlson, slapped a single to left. Arenado scored and Pujols, rounding second, saw no one was at third for the Phillies but the outfield throw went there anyway. Pujols was safe at third and Nootbaar went to second on the play.
Sosa coaxed a walk to fill the bases. But Austin Romine struck out on a full-count pitch and Edman grounded to first.
Another chance missed
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out again in the third against Jesus Familia, who had relieved opener Nick Nelson. This opportunity also fizzled.
Familia walked both Gorman and Dickerson and hit Arenado in the left rib-cage area with a pitch.
But Pujols, the all-time leader in double plays grounded into at 420, ended the inning in 5-4-3 fashion.
Local boy comes through
CBC product Vierling drove in his third run against the Cardinals in the past two weekends when he sent an 0-2 Pallante sinker up the middle for a go-ahead single with two out in the fifth inning. Pallante previously had given up two-out hits to Bohm and Bryson Stott after getting Realmuto to hit into a double play.
The Phillies had seven hits, all of them singles, through four innings. But six of them had come in two clusters of three, accounting for both early runs off Pallante.
Schwarber strikes again
The next Phillies’ hit, however, had far more clout. Kyle Schwarber, the National League home run hitter and noted Cardinal killer, launched a 420-foot solo homer into the center-field green in the fifth to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. Cardinals fans had had considerable interest in their team acquiring the left-handed slugger in the off-season as a possible designated hitter. With Bryce Harper out of the Phillies’ lineup with a broken thumb, Schwarber has had to play outfield on a regular basis. He has 28 home runs for the season. The Cardinals had no homers in their previous five games.
Pallante, who has given up three homers in his past two starts, left the game with two outs in the sixth after throwing 100 pitches. He gave up nine hits but walked only one.
Pujols catches Stan
Just when the crowd had began to doze, Pujols shook the fans with a record-tying home run shot in the sixth. A 409-foot smack off left-hander Cristopher Sanchez into left center was the 684th homer of his career but also was Pujols’ 1,377th extra-base hit of his career, tying Cardinals legend Stan Musial for third all-time.
