*Photo from the Good Phight*
Times are changing in the midwest. Nick Castellanos homered, JT Realmuto drove in the winning run, and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 victory on Friday night in St. Louis.
The win is just the 4th in 10 games for the Phillies, but it hands the Cardinals a losing season, the first time they'll finish at .500 or worse since 2007. It ends their string of 15 consecutive winning seasons, the second longest active streak in the majors.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said that "We have to agree that this year happened and it’s behind us. It was not what we had hoped, and it was not good. So, to do nothing, regardless of how you think about the organizational structure, I do think we should be looking at different ways to solve our problems and our situation. So, I just think all those things are on the table."
Bryce Harper started the scoring for the Phillies, giving them a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Trea Turner scored on a fielder's choice. Up next was Castellanos, who opened the lead to 4-0 with a 3 run home run to center field. Alec Burleson got the Cardinals on the board in the 3rd inning with an RBI single, making it a 4-1 game.
Nolan Arenado had an RBI single of his own later in the 3rd, making it 4-2 Phillies. Jordan Walker scored on a Masyn Winn sac fly in the 4th to make it 4-3. It stayed that way until the 6th inning, when Realmuto hit an RBI single that put the Phillies ahead 5-3. Tommy Edman hit an RBI single in the 9th to make it a 5-4 game.
Castellanos said of his homer that "I'm doing my job. Am I thrilled about every aspect of my season personally? No, because I know I’ve hit periods of inconsistency. I’m always a person to drive to get better. I have an unhealthy knack for never really being satisfied with anything I do."
Aaron Nola lasted just 4 2/3 innings for the Phillies, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk. Matt Strahm finished the 5th before Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Dominguez, and Craig Kimbrel each had a scoreless inning. Jose Alvarado picked up his 8th save of the season despite allowing a run in the 9th.
Castellanos talked about Nola's start, saying that "His track record, he’s done it before, and we believe in him. He’s our teammate, every time he goes out on the bump, we believe that he’s going to give us a chance to win. Even though he didn’t have his best ‘stuff’ today, we won today’s game. He kept us in the game."
Zack Thompson started for the Cardinals, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and two walks in 5 innings. Casey Lawrence allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning before Matthew Liberatore pitched 1 1/3 innings. Drew VerHagen and Andre Pallante each threw a scoreless inning.
Up next, the series continues on Saturday night. The Phillies will go for the series win as Ranger Suarez gets the start, while the Cardinals try to tie the series with Miles Mikolas taking the mound.
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