ST. LOUIS -- Andre Pallante was up for the challenge.
The right-hander has pitched at an All-Star level for the last month. On Tuesday, he got an opportunity to duel with an actual All-Star opposite Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez.
Pallante matched the two-time All-Star out for out and scoreless frame for scoreless frame in the Cardinals’ 2-0 win at Busch Stadium.
“I don't know who's throwing for the other team,” Pallante said. “I'm focused on their lineup, and that doesn't affect what I'm trying to do on the mound. Whatever the situation is, I'm trying to get the batter in front of me out, and I develop a game plan for that, and I attack that game plan to the best of my ability. Regardless of the situation, we could be down by 10, up by 10, whatever it is. That's the mindset.”
Pallante threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks to go along with two strikeouts. Pallante’s effort matched Sánchez’s six scoreless innings, in which he struck out seven and allowed four hits as well.
Pallante got stronger as the game went on, though.
Pallante escaped a pair of two-on, one-out jams in the first and second innings, and despite allowing at least one baserunner in each of his six innings, he faced just one hitter over the minimum over his final three frames thanks to several double plays turned by the Cardinals’ infield.
“Pallante was exceptional tonight,” Cardinals manager OIiver Marmol said. “He made pitches when he needed to, navigated that lineup extremely well, several ground-ball double plays to get off the field, and that's what he does well.”
Pallante also got help from the newest Cardinal, as center fielder Everson Pereira made a leaping catch against the wall to rob Alec Bohm of an extra-base hit to lead off the fifth inning.
“Fastball command was pretty good today, getting that up and in on the lefties,” Pallante said. “Had some fortunate batted-ball luck. I mean, Everson making a great play in center field was huge, and as well as getting some timely double plays. But the offspeed was relatively sharp, and I made pitches when I needed to.”
Pallante’s latest effort built on his previous three starts. Pallante is now 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA (three earned runs in 24 2/3 innings) in that four-start span.
He also extended his scoreless streak against the Phillies to 13 innings.
More importantly, it kept the Cardinals on equal footing with the Phillies as the game went into the later innings against a taxed Philadelphia bullpen.
On cue, Jordan Walker drew a leadoff walk against Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane in the seventh before stealing second and scoring on Masyn Winn's RBI single to break the scoreless tie.
“Those are the style of at-bats that help you win down the stretch, and he continues to do it,” Marmol said of Winn. “That's a tough pitch to do it against, and gets a foot down, shoots it to right. So he continues to do what the game's calling for, and that's what winning players do.”
The Cardinals would need a great escape by Ryne Stanek in the top of the eighth to keep that lead, though. Stanek entered with the bases loaded and nobody out after Caleb Ferguson walked three in a row -- the second straight game in which Ferguson failed to retire a batter (six walks and a double over seven batters in the span). Stanek kept the Phillies off the board by getting Luis Arraez to ground into a 3-2-3 double play before J.T. Realmuto lined out to center field.
“Those are ones that, they just feel like they mean a little bit more when the game's tight like that,” Stanek said. “You just want to do your job so bad.”
Pallante was especially appreciative of Stanek’s effort.
“That's a freaking tough situation to be in,” Pallante said. “My joke is that's the definition of cooked right there, bases loaded, nobody out.”
Pereira added to his night with a Statcast-projected 430-foot homer to center in the eighth to give the Cardinals an insurance run.
“He's got some tools, and he's confident in those tools,” Marmol said. “He plays good defense. Took a really big swing there against the lefty to dead center, which is hard to do here.”