Cardinals give up 11 runs and come up empty on attempt to sweep series against the Red Sox (2024)

Once again, the brooms were not needed as the Cardinals missed their chance to sweep a series, the first in their home ballpark since July 2023.

Instead, the Cardinals took an 11-3 drubbing from the Boston Red Sox in front of an announced crowd of 39,316 in the finale of the three-game series Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals, who clinched the series with Saturday night’s win, had won five of six games coming into the day.

The day’s scoring started with a solo home run by former Cardinal Tyler O’Neill, and it continued throughout the early and middle stages of the game for the Red Sox (23-24). They scored in five of the first six innings. Three different Cardinals pitchers allowed runs in that stretch.

Cardinals pitchers gave up 14 hits, including seven extra-base hits and four walks.

The Cardinals (20-26) hit a home run in their seventh consecutive game when outfielder Lars Nootbaar launched his fifth home run in the fourth inning, but that provided the club’s entire offensive production for the first six innings.

Cardinals batters struck out 15 times in the loss.

Late-arriving offense for Cardinals

Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta didn’t allow a runner to reach base through the first 3⅓ innings of the game. He struck out five of the first nine batters he faced, and he didn’t allow a hit until Nootbaar’s solo home run with one out in the fourth inning.

Pivetta, a right-hander, entered the day with a 3.48 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and a .244 opponent’s batting average through his first four starts.

His last start against the Cardinals came on June 19, 2022. He held the Cardinals to one run in seven innings then.

On Sunday, Pivetta allowed just one run on one hit and struck out eight in six innings. He threw 72 pitches and got the Cardinals to swing and miss 10 times.

The Cardinals scored two runs in the seventh inning after the Red Sox relief corps took over. They collected three hits through the first four batters of the seventh inning, and they scored on a Brendan Donovan bases-loaded RBI single. With the bases still loaded, Nolan Arenado scored from third on a wild pitch.

O’Neill talks Cards, goes deep

O’Neill joined the Roku broadcast team live from the dugout and from the on-deck circle for an interview through a wireless microphone at the start of the game.

O’Neill entered the day having reached base in 32 of his 36 games this season. He also began the day ranked 10th in the majors in slugging percentage (.531) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.893).

O’Neill, who batted third for Red Sox, spoke with play-by-play broadcaster Chip Caray and analyst Will Middlebrooks about his time in St. Louis and his acclimation to the Red Sox.

O’Neill expressed appreciation for the reception he received from the crowd at Busch Stadium in his first trip back to the ballpark as a visiting player.

A two-time Gold Glove winner with the Cardinals, O’Neill finished among the top 10 in the National League MVP voting in 2021 (eighth), though his tenure included numerous bouts with injury that necessitated 11 stints on the injured list from 2018 through 2023.

O’Neill acknowledged a change of scenery was necessary.

The right-handed-hitting slugger pulled the earpiece out before he strode from the on-deck circle into the batter’s box, and then he gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to left-center field off starter Matthew Liberatore. The blast traveled an estimated 439 feet.

Short outing for Liberatore

Left-hander Liberatore made his third start of the season as he has transitioned from the bullpen to the starting rotation to fill the spot of Steven Matz.

Liberatore entered the day having held left-handed batters to a .161 batting average, and he went a span of nine consecutive appearances without having allowed a hit to a left-handed batter.

However, right-handed batters entered the day with a slash line of .314/.400/.529 against him.

The Red Sox started seven right-handed hitters in their lineup on Sunday, and they collected four runs on six hits and one walk in three innings against Liberatore. The left-hander pitched into the fourth inning, but he turned the game over to the bullpen after he faced the first two batters of the inning without recording an out.

Liberatore threw a season-high 70 pitches. In four at-bats against Libertore, left-handed hitters Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers combined to go 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

4th-inning fielding adventures

The Cardinals tallied two fielding misplays in the fourth inning, one error and one play initially ruled an error and later changed by the official scorer.

The frame started with an infield single by Garrett Cooper followed by a Romy Gonzalez RBI double into the left field corner. That gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.

After a fly ball to right field allowed Gonzalez to advance to third, the Cardinals cut down Gonzalez trying to score on a ball hit back to the mound and fielded by reliever Chris Roycroft. The batter, Ceddanne Rafaela, reached on the play and then advanced to second on a stolen base. The throw to second from catcher Pedro Pages sailed into center field, and Rafaela advanced to third base on the throwing error.

With two outs and Rafaela on third, Duran hit a fly ball into the sun behind third base in shallow left field. Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado struggled with the ball in the sun, and the ball hit his glove and fell to the grass. Rafaela scored and Duran advanced all the way to third base as Roycroft appeared to start heading off the field and neglected to cover third base with the infielders converging on the ball in shallow left.

Center fielder Michael Siani made an outstanding diving catch coming on a line drive by Rob Refsnyder to end the inning and strand Duran at third base.

The official scorer's ruling changed Duran's fly ball from a three-base error to a triple later in the game.