Arizona Diamondbacks vs St. Louis Cardinals — Recap

📰Game Recap

The Arizona Diamondbacks, entering the contest with a 58-52 record as the underdog against the 54-56 St. Louis Cardinals, pulled off an upset victory on Wednesday night, securing a 9-4 win. The Cardinals initially looked poised to justify their favored status, striking first in the bottom of the second inning when Jordan's double to left field brought Jose Fermín home, giving St. Louis an early 1-0 advantage.

However, the tide swiftly turned in the top of the fourth inning, which proved to be the pivotal moment of the game. Arizona exploded for a six-run rally, starting with Troy's infield single that scored Carroll and tied the game. Vargas then doubled to left, bringing home both Troy and Arenado to give the Diamondbacks a 3-1 lead. The offensive outburst continued as Groover launched a 388-foot home run to left, scoring Vargas, before Marte followed with a 416-foot solo shot to left center, capping off a dominant inning that put Arizona firmly in control with a 6-1 lead. The Cardinals managed to respond in the bottom of the fourth, with Jordan's sacrifice fly scoring Fermín once more, narrowing the gap to 6-2.

Arizona continued to press its advantage in the later innings. In the top of the seventh, Troy hit a ground rule double that scored Moreno, pushing the lead to 7-2. Gurriel Jr. then doubled to left, bringing Troy home and extending the Diamondbacks' cushion to 8-2. An additional insurance run came in the top of the eighth when Moreno hit a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Groover to cross the plate and making it 9-2.

Despite the significant deficit, the Cardinals showed some fight in the bottom of the ninth. Jose Fermín, who had a standout performance for St. Louis, crushed a 387-foot home run to left, his second hit of the game, bringing the score to 9-3. Jordan followed with a single to center, scoring Nootbaar, but it was too little, too late. The Diamondbacks closed out the game 9-4, with Mitch Bratt earning top pitching honors for Arizona with 3.0 innings pitched, 3 strikeouts, and just 1 earned run allowed. Fermín finished as the Cardinals' top batter, contributing a home run, an RBI, and scoring three runs.