The St. Louis Cardinals will try to become the first team this season to win 10 straight games when they visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
St. Louis extended its winning streak in Monday’s series opener, nipping Philadelphia by a 3-2 margin. With that triumph, the Cardinals surpassed the Minnesota Twins, who enter Tuesday with eight straight victories, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won eight in a row to start the season, for the longest winning streak in baseball this year.
Masyn Winn delivered the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, with Ivan Herrera also going deep for the Cardinals. The visitors prevailed despite managing only five hits — including two from Lars Nootbaar — against a Phillies team that had won five of its previous six games.
“I just feel like we’re just playing free,” Winn said of his team. “Obviously, we’ve been winning a lot of games, but we show up every day pretending like we’re still negative. We’re fighting every day to try and get a win. And it’s been a lot of fun.”
J.T. Realmuto had two hits and an RBI for Philadelphia, which has dropped three of four against St. Louis this season. The Phillies have scored a total of six runs in those four games.
Kyle Schwarber singled and scored a run for the Phillies, extending his on-base streak to a career-high 47 consecutive games. On the other hand, Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 as his average dropped to .232.
“He’s frustrated,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said of Harper. “He expects himself to produce and right now it’s off and on. … They’re pitching him tough.”
Harper will try to get back on track against Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (4-1, 3.50 ERA), who is coming off a stellar start against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday. The veteran right-hander allowed only two hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings, striking out eight in a 5-0 victory.
“(Gray) was in complete control the entire time,” said St. Louis manager Oli Marmol. “That was fun to watch.”
Gray is 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Phillies, but he hasn’t faced them this season.
Trea Turner is 9-for-23 (.391) against Gray, although the hurler has controlled Harper (3-for-20) and Schwarber (3-for-22).
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo (3-0, 2.11) has yet to suffer a defeat as a Phillie, although he has received a no-decision in five of his last six starts. He did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays, as he allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings in an eventual 7-6 victory.
“Obviously a big game for the boys, but just a frustrating outing for me,” Luzardo said after throwing a season-high 105 pitches. “Just feel like getting too deep into counts, wasting a lot of pitches, not being efficient enough.”
Luzardo has made three lifetime starts against St. Louis, going 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA. He has yet to face the Cardinals this season.
–Field Level Media
