By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The St. Louis Cardinals had their nine game winning streak snapped in the opener of a split double header on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Redbirds 2-1.
After the rain delay kept Jesus Luzardo from making his start on Tuesday for the Phillies, he opened the game on the mound against Erick Fedde for the Cardinals and it was a pitchers duel between the two as neither team scored runs until the seventh inning. Both teams combined for six hits through the first six innings, four by St. Louis and two by Philadelphia.
In the seventh, the Cardinals opened the scoring as Iván Herrera and was brought home on a single by Jordan Walker. But in the bottom half, the Phillies plated two runs, Bryson Stott singling home Weston Wilson and Bryce Harper's single scoring Rafael Marchán to give Philadelphia the lead.
St. Louis managed just one more hit the remainder of the game. Phillies closer Jordan Romano struck out the Cardinals in order for his fourth save of the season. Steven Matz took the loss, giving up both runs, falling to 1-2 on the season. No St. Louis player managed more than one hit.
St. Louis and Philadelphia wrap up their series in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Sonny Gray (4-1, 3.50 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Aaron Nola (1-6, 4.89 ERA) for the Phillies. First pitch at 5:15, with pregame being joined at 5:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).
Matt Carpenter, likely Cardinals Hall of Famer, retires after 14 seasons
Matt Carpenter, a three-time All-Star and a middle-of-the-order stalwart during his 12 seasons with the Cardinals, announced his MLB retirement on Wednesday morning.
Carpenter told Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast that he was retiring, following a career that saw him complete a long tenure with the Cardinals, play single seasons with the Yankees and Padres and finish in the top 12 in National League MVP voting three times. In 12 campaigns with the Cardinals -- 11 from 2011-21 and a final season in 2024 -- Carpenter slashed .261/.366/.446/.812 with 159 homers, 308 doubles and 591 RBIs.
The infielder/designated hitter will be eligible for entry into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2028, where he will likely be easily elected as a fan favorite and one of the core pieces of a Cardinals franchise that was a dominant force in the National League in the 2010s.
Some of the best moments of Carpenter’s career came during the playoffs, where he smashed six home runs and drove in 21 runs in 56 postseason games. Carpenter made his MLB debut in 2011 and received a World Series championship ring, but he did not appear in a postseason game that season. He led the Cardinals to the 2013 World Series, during which he went 8-for-27 (.296) with a double and two RBIs in a series loss to the Red Sox.
Carpenter’s most productive seasons came in 2013, 2015 and 2018. In 2013, he hit .318 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs while finishing fourth in the voting for the NL MVP Award. He smashed 28 home runs and a career-best 36 long balls in 2015 and ’18, respectively, finishing 12th and ninth in NL MVP voting in those years.