Cards hang tough behind Pallante, key challenge to nab gritty series in Bronx

NEW YORK -- Wednesday’s game between the Cardinals and Yankees got off to a wacky start at Yankee Stadium.

First, there was the rain delay that lasted a little over an hour. Then, the right-field lights went out in the top and bottom of the first inning, delaying the game for several minutes.

Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera was furious because the lights went out during his at-bat in the opening frame. He ended up striking out against right-hander Will Warren.

“I let [the outage] take over my game. … That will never happen again,” Herrera said. “I was frustrated. Those are things you can’t control. Next time, I’ll try to hit the ball instead of striking out.”

Overall, those delays had little effect on St. Louis, which won the game, 3-1, and the three-game series, 2-1.

The Cardinals scored their three runs in the fifth inning off Warren. JJ Wetherholt highlighted the scoring with a two-run double.

Right-hander Andre Pallante has been one of St. Louis’ most consistent starters this year. Yes, he leads the team with 12 victories, seven on the road, but he has been a workhorse for the club. Pallante pitched into the sixth inning for the 17th time this season, allowing one run on three hits and striking out four batters. At one point, after allowing a double to Heliot Ramos in the second inning, Pallante retired 11 of the next 14 hitters he faced.

“I felt pretty good, I felt I was moving pretty smoothly, executing pitches,” Pallante said. “It didn’t feel easy out there. The Yankees were putting together good at-bats regardless. I just felt like I executed when I needed to.”

With the Cardinals holding a three-run lead, Pallante found himself in a jam. He left the game with two runners on in the sixth inning with one out. Enter right-hander George Soriano, who was having problems with his control -- at first. He hit Ramos with a pitch to load the bases. Then, it looked like Soriano walked Spencer Jones to drive in Ben Rice, but Herrera challenged the call, and Jones struck out looking.

“It was a good challenge. Even if it was close, I was going to challenge [the call],” Herrera said. “I’m pretty good with the ABS. That was a good time to challenge because it was bases loaded. It was close. I thought the pitch was up, but since Jones is super tall, the pitch was in the zone. I’m glad I got it right.”

However, Soriano walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. to send Rice home to make it a two-run game. Herrera challenged that as well, but the call was confirmed. Things mostly calmed down after that as Soriano, Justin Bruihl, Ryne Stanek and Riley O’Brien blanked New York the rest of the way.

Manager Oliver Marmol thought the challenge by Herrera against Jones was the turning point in the game.

“The combination of [Herrera] and [Soriano], that’s the game, in my opinion. The challenge is huge,” Marmol said.

Even though they were sellers before the Trade Deadline, the Cardinals showed they are not giving up on the National League Wild Card race. They are four games behind the Phillies for the third and final Wild Card spot.

"Leaving Spring Training, I felt like we had a shot. Right now, I feel like we have a shot,” Marmol said about the Wild Card race. “We are not going to give in at any point. We show up every day to win. I feel like we have balanced it well when it comes to winning and developing guys at the big league level. So we’ll continue to do that. We’ll see where we end up.”