BOSTON -- For the second time in their three-game series at Fenway Park, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 6-1 heading into the ninth inning, and for the second time, they mounted a rally that fell just shy, with Sunday’s series finale going to the host Red Sox 6-4.

Offensively, it was a mixed bag for St. Louis with the lineup registering a season-high 14 strikeouts while mustering just one run on four hits over the first eight innings. 

“We look at the whole nine, though,” manager Oliver Marmol said. 

Despite the lack of hits early, the Cardinals did have opportunities, drawing four walks over the first three frames, though no runner got farther than second base. 

“As long as we’re getting guys on base and having the opportunity to drive people in, I’m okay with it,” said Marmol, whose offense scored 20 runs in their three-game series in Boston. “We’ll cash them in more often than not. We left some people out there today, but guys fought hard. It was good to see.” 

After going down 1-0, courtesy of a Trevor Story home run in the second inning, St. Louis tied things up on a pair of singles from Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader.

O’Neill (3-for-4, one run and a stolen base) left the game in the ninth inning after experiencing left hamstring tightness when he rounded first base on a double. He was being evaluated further following the game.

“He was taking some really good at-bats,” Marmol said. “Everything was heading in the right direction. It’s unfortunate because that lengthened that lineup quite a bit. Next man up.”

Starter Andre Pallante did an excellent job putting his team in a position to compete, throwing a career high 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed just two runs off of four hits and one walk, striking out four.

“I felt really good and [had] some of the best stuff I had since I’ve been a Cardinal,” said the rookie right-hander, who moved to 2-2 with the loss. “I felt like I had command of all three of my pitches, mixing some good sinkers in situations I needed to. I felt really good, it’s just a shame I let a couple of bad pitches let a couple of runs score.”

“Pallante did a nice job,” Marmol concurred. “Competed extremely well, under control the whole time, a lot of ground balls.”

Boston extended its lead to five in the eighth inning on the back of a Christian Vázquez three-run shot off of reliever Drew VerHagen, putting St. Louis in the same position as Friday night, down 6-1 heading into the ninth inning.

In the series opener, the Cardinals rallied for four runs only to have Paul Goldschmidt strike out with the tying run on second base.

On Sunday, they had the tying run at the plate when the game concluded.

The rally was sparked by the O’Neill leadoff double, with Edmundo Sosa coming on to pinch run.

With one out, Nolan Gorman came on to pinch hit for Albert Pujols, who struck out three times in his final at-bats at Fenway Park, and drew a walk to put runners at the corners.

Two batters later and with two outs on the board, pinch hitter Juan Yepez put a charge into a Tyler Danish offering, launching it with a Statcast-projected exit velocity of 114.4 mph. It was the hardest hit ball by any player in the series and the rookie’s sixth home run.

“I definitely don’t want to face our lineup,” Pallante said.

“He stays ready regardless,” noted Marmol of Yepez, who had just one other at-bat in the series. “He’s not fazed by not playing. He’s confident. He’s not a timid kid.”

With the score at 6-4, Tommy Edman kept a little hope alive by hitting a single and moving up to second base on a throwing error from Rafael Devers, but Brendan Donovan followed with the team’s 14th strikeout of the day, sending the Cardinals away with just one win on the weekend.

St. Louis will next head to American Family Field in Milwaukee, opening a four-game series vs. the Brewers on Monday night with Miles Mikolas (5-4, 2.62 ERA) on the bump.