Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals

· Major League Baseball

Cincinnati Reds

71-75, 35-36 Away

Final
3 - 0

St. Louis Cardinals

72-72, 37-35 Home

TJ Friedl drives in 2, rookie Rhett Lowder earns 1st MLB win as the Reds beat the Cardinals 3-0

“TJ came through with a big hit,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “You never know if it's going to be enough.”

The Reds' Elly De La Cruz stole two bases after walking in the first inning, raising his MLB-leading total to 64 stolen bases. He was thrown out in the third inning when the Cardinals pitched out.

“He's been showing that all year,” Bell said. “He had great at-bats tonight to create those opportunities on the bases. He can make things happen, but it all starts with the at-bats.”

Rhett Lowder (1-1) earned his first win in his third big-league appearance. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was a first-round pick in the 2023 draft, worked five scoreless inning and finished with three strikeouts and no walks.

“I'm glad we got out of here with the win,” Lowder said. “I lean on my ability to get the ball on the ground. I trust these guys in the field. They do a great job.”

Emilio Pagán pitched the ninth for his first save this season and 33rd of his career. He loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before striking out the next three batters — rookies Jordan Walker and Thomas Saggese and then pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter.

“It was crazy,” Pagán said. “First off all, I had a blast. It was probably the best I've ever pitched to get in that scenario. I felt like I was throwing the ball super well. In those spots, you just try and execute. Once I got the first strikeout, I just tried to be as nasty as possible. It was a fun way to finish it.”

Five Reds pitchers combined for the team's sixth shutout this season.

“We didn't have a whole lot going on the whole game," St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We didn't string anything together in that whole game. We had a little life there at the end potentially pulling something off, but it just wasn't enough today.

”Walker and Saggese are going to take their best shot. There are times they’re going to come through. There are times they’re going to get beat. ... You take your shot there with Carpenter."

Andre Pallante (6-8) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out six, with five walks, a balk and a wild pitch.

“It’s mentally draining, especially when you’re out there focusing so hard with runners on base I felt like every inning,” Pallanete said. "And every inning I felt like every one of them was going to steal. ... I was definitely exhausted toward the end of that game.”

After stranding six runners through four innings, the Reds broke through with three runs in the fifth off Pallante.

Jonathan India walked and De La Cruz singled. A wild pitch advanced both runners. With one out, Friedl singled through the hole at shortstop, driving in both runners. Friedl’s single snapped an 0-for-8 skid. Friedl went to third on a balk and stolen base and scored on a high chopper to Pallante, who could only throw to first for an out.

Red manager David Bell was ejected in the sixth inning after De La Cruz was called out on strikes. It was Bell’s fifth ejection this season and 32nd in his career.

Brendan Donovan had three singles in four at-bats for the Cardinals.

TRANSACTIONS

Cardinals: Recalled INF Thomas Saggese from Triple-A Memphis. Optioned OF Victor Scott II to Memphis. Saggese was in the lineup Tuesday, hitting seventh and playing shortstop. The 22-year-old Saggese was acquired from Texas last summer in the Jordan Montgomery trade.

TRAINING ROOM

Reds: 2B Jonathan India (left elbow discomfort) returned to the lineup Tuesday. He left Sunday’s game against the New York Mets after striking out in the sixth inning.

Cardinals: INF Brendan Donovan (foot infection) missed the last two games. He returned to the lineup playing second base and leading off. … RHP Lance Lynn (knee strain) will be activated Wednesday and will start.

Lance Lynn (6-4, 4.06 ERA) is 9-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 10 career starts (11 appearances) against Cincinnati at Busch Stadium. The Reds have not announced a starter.

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How can I watch Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals?

TV Channel: Reds at Cardinals 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
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Matchup Prediction

Cardinals: 53.5%

Reds: 46.5%

*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

	9th Inning	Carpenter struck out swinging.
	9th Inning	Carpenter hit for Pagés
	9th Inning	Saggese struck out swinging.
	9th Inning	Walker struck out looking.
	9th Inning	Nootbaar walked, Arenado to second, Goldschmidt to third.
	9th Inning	Arenado singled to center, Goldschmidt to second.

Statistics

CIN		STL
1	Games Played	1
1	Team Games Played	1
0	Hit By Pitch	0
13	Ground Balls	14
10	Strikeouts	9
3	Runs Batted In	0
0	Sacrifice Hit	0
7	Hits	8
3	Stolen Bases	0
6	Walks	2
0	Catcher Interference	0
3	Runs	0
0	Ground Into Double Play	1
0	Sacrifice Flies	0
33	At Bats	33
0	Home Runs	0
0	Grand Slam Home Runs	0
18	Runners Left On Base	19
0	Triples	0
1	Game Winning RBIs	0
0	Intentional Walks	0
1	Doubles	1
10	Fly Balls	10
1	Caught Stealing	1
137	Pitches	146
0	Games Started	0
0	Pinch At Bats	2
0	Pinch Hits	0
0.0	Player Rating	0.0
1	Is Qualified	1
1	Is Qualified In Steals	1
8	Total Bases	9
39	Plate Appearances	35
0.0	Projected Home Runs	0.0
1	Extra Base Hits	1
3.5	Runs Created	1.9
.212	Batting Average	.242
.000	Pinch Hit Average	.000
.242	Slugging Percentage	.273
.273	Secondary Average	.061
.333	On Base Percentage	.286
.576	OBP Pct + SLG Pct	.558
1.3	Ground To Fly Ball Ratio	1.4
3.5	Runs Created Per 27 Outs	1.9
24.0	Batter Rating	10.0
0.0	At Bats Per Home Run	0.0
0.75	Stolen Base Percentage	0.00
3.51	Pitches Per Plate Appearance	4.17
.030	Isolated Power	.030
0.60	Walk To Strikeout Ratio	0.22
.154	Walks Per Plate Appearance	.057
.061	Secondary Average Minus Batting Average	-.182
6.0	Runs Produced	0.0
1.0	Runs Ratio	0.0
0.4	Patience Ratio	0.3
0.3	Balls In Play Average	0.3
73.0	MLB Rating	67.8
0.0	Offensive Wins Above Replacement	0.0
0.0	Wins Above Replacement	0.0