The St. Louis Cardinals unleashed a season-high offensive outburst Friday afternoon, routing the Chicago Cubs 17-1 in the opener of a three-game series at the Friendly Confines.
Facing a Cubs club still riding high from a 23-3 demolition of the San Diego Padres earlier in the week, the Cardinals turned the tables in emphatic fashion. St. Louis pounded out 17 hits, including three home runs, while starter Andre Pallante delivered a masterful performance on the mound. The result marked the first time in Major League Baseball history that a team followed a 20-plus run victory with a double-digit loss, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Pallante (10-5) was in complete command, allowing five hits and a walk over 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out two. The right-hander kept the Cubs’ potent lineup in check throughout his outing, paving the way for the Cardinals’ bullpen to close things out with efficiency.
In contrast, Cubs starter David Peterson endured a nightmare afternoon in his second start with Chicago. The left-hander was tagged for a career-high 10 earned runs on nine hits and three walks in just 3 2/3 innings, falling to 4-7 on the season.
The Cardinals wasted little time seizing control. After a scoreless first, they erupted for three runs in the second on Nathan Church’s three-run homer. The floodgates opened further in the third, as Nelson Velázquez delivered a sacrifice fly, Masyn Winn added an RBI single, and José Fermín ripped an RBI double to make it 6-0.
A five-run fourth inning, highlighted by Alec Burleson’s two-run single and Winn’s three-run blast, pushed the lead to 11-0. St. Louis continued its relentless attack with three more in the fifth and two in the sixth, before Bryan Torres capped the scoring with a solo home run in the seventh. Ivan Herrera paced the offense with three hits and three runs scored, while Burleson drove in four.
The Cubs’ only response came in the seventh, when Pedro Ramírez tripled and scored on Alex Bregman’s double. Otherwise, Chicago managed just seven hits and never seriously threatened.
With the victory, the Cardinals improved to 46-39 and pulled within striking distance in the NL Central. The Cubs fell to 49-39. The two clubs will meet again Saturday in what promises to be another chapter in one of baseball’s most storied rivalries.
