Categories: 2022 Postgame Recaps

Phillies fall to Albert Pujols and Cardinals, Wild Card lead narrows

Albert Pujols had a monster game Sunday. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Cardinals 4, Phillies 3

Every game this weekend between the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals has been hard-fought, and Sunday was no different. This time, though, it was the Cardinals who came out on top.

A throwback game by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and a few inches in the eighth inning was the difference, as the Cardinals narrowly edged out a 4-3 victory to draw within one game of the Phillies for the third Wild Card spot.

The Phillies, 46-40 on the season, have already clinched the season head-to-head over the Cardinals and at least a split of this four-game set, but they’ll need a win on Monday behind Aaron Nola to clinch their second win in as many series over the Redbirds.

Hometown Hero, For the Visitors

St. Louis native Matt Vierling is playing in front of family and friends this weekend, and they must’ve liked what they saw on Sunday.

In the fourth inning, Vierling laced a two-out single to score Alec Bohm — who had himself singled, and moved to second on Bryson Stott’s single — giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

It just squeaked by a diving Tommy Edman and into the outfield, allowing the hit to plate Bohm — who, at that point, had accounted for four of the Phillies’ five runs in the series.

Then, in the bottom of the fifth, a great route helped Vierling flag down a deep fly from Tommy Edman on the warning track. It saved Cristopher Sánchez of a leadoff double — or triple — with the heart of the Cardinals’ order coming up.

Vierling also did all he could to nail the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth, but a subpar tag and overturned call erased his efforts. More on that below.

Not To Be Outdone …

Kyle Schwarber wasn’t about to let Vierling be the only Phillies outfielder to drive in a run at the plate and make a nice grab in the field.

Schwarber led off the fifth inning with a 420-foot solo shot to dead center, extending the Phillies’ lead to two and his National League home run lead to five.

Then, Schwarber did it on the other side of the ball, robbing Lars Nootbaar of a hit in the sixth. Schwarber entered the day with -5 defensive runs saved, but you wouldn’t know it from this play:

Ultimately, None of That Mattered. When Does This Guy Retire?

Unfortunately for the Phillies, neither of those all-around performances came in a winning effort, largely because of Albert Pujols. Pujols is 42 years old and entered the game hitting .198, yet somehow, when he steps into the box, it’s hard to feel anything but existential dread.

He supported that line of thinking on Sunday. First, Pujols rocketed a single to left in the second, which led to a run. Then, he cranked this 409-foot homer to left center in the sixth.

And in the eighth, The Machine’s third hit of the day led off the frame, and his pinch-runner, Dylan Carlson, scored the game’s go-ahead run on this replay-overturned play at the plate.

One more game, and the Phillies will (probably) never have to deal with Albert Pujols again. They should be very, very glad about that.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Cristopher Sánchez: 3+ IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 46 pitches (31 strikes)

OK, he wasn’t the starter, but he went longer than any other Phillies pitcher in Sunday’s bullpen game, so we’ll analyze his outing instead of Nick Nelson’s. Sánchez was effective at inducing ground balls, retiring five via the groundout. When the Cardinals elevated, the Phillies’ outfield defense came up big (see: Vierling and Schwarber). Sánchez’s ERA is 3.80.

Andre Pallante: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 100 pitches (65 strikes)

Three straight hits to open a game isn’t ideal, but give Pallante credit for working out of the first with just one run. Another string of three straight singles hurt him with two outs in the fourth, a stretch he’d surely like back, especially given the final score. While one out short of the “quality” designation, Pallante kept the Cardinals in the game. His ERA is 3.18.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

Pujols’ three hits on Sunday left his bat at 107.5, 105 and 110.1 mph, respectively. Forty-two years old? Yeah, sure.

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