Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homer, lifting the NL wild-card leading Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 victory over St. Louis on Friday night to assure the Cardinals of their first losing season since 2007, dropping their record to 65-82.
It’s only the second time in the last 24 seasons that the Cardinals, currently in last place in the NL Central, have endured a losing season. St. Louis has MLB’s second-longest active streak of winning seasons at 15 . The Yankees currently have 30 winning seasons.
St. Louis stranded 15 runners. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the eighth and ninth and scored just one run. Aaron Nolan, who was staked to a 4-0 lead, was pulled after 4 2/3 innings after giving up two singles. He allowed seven hits and two earned runs. Matt Strahm struck out pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill to get out of the inning.
José Alvarado, the sixth pitcher for the Phillies, earned his eighth save by pitching the ninth despite giving up a run-scoring two-out single to Tommy Edman. Alvarado struck out Lars Nootbar looking to end the game.Castellanos homer in the top of the first for a 4-0 lead. The first run came when Trea Turner scored on a fielder’s choice.
St. Louis scored twice in the third on run-scoring singles by Alec Burlison and Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals added an unearned run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by rookie Masyn Winn.The Phillies visit to St. Louis is the first time since the 2022 National League Wild Card Series when they won the first two games at Busch Stadium and advanced to the National League Division Series.Bryce Harper was ejected for throwing his bat in frustration after he struck out in the third inning Friday.