ST. LOUIS — On the day Oliver Marmol anointed Andre Pallante as one of his rotation pitchers — for now, anyway — the right-handed Cardinals rookie confirmed his manager’s faith.
After surviving a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, which had been exacerbated by back-to-back walks, the 23-year-old Californian didn’t walk a man over the next 4 1/3 innings Friday night at Busch Stadium. Or give up a run either.
Mixing a mid-to-high 90s fastball with a slow curve, slider and change-up, Pallante, making his first start at home, held the Reds to four singles over 5 1/3 innings. The Cardinals didn’t exactly belabor Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo either but the Reds committed two errors in the first inning that gave the Cardinals two runs.
