CINCINNATI — Willson Contreras made a strong impact early in the game by hitting a three-run homer in the first inning of the second match of a doubleheader, while Pedro Pagés contributed with a solo home run. The St. Louis Cardinals emerged victorious in a day-night doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, securing wins with scores of 6-0 and 9-1 on Wednesday.
Chase Petty, a 22-year-old left-hander making his major league debut, conceded nine runs and seven hits over 2 1/3 innings without managing to secure a strikeout. Petty also issued two walks during his outing. Pagés managed to turn the tables in a grueling 11-pitch at-bat, slugging a homer eventually. Additionally, Jordan Walker added to the scoreboard with a two-run double in the third inning.
The Cardinals, who previously struggled with a 2-12 record in away games, managed to double their season’s road wins tally during this doubleheader. Petty, originally chosen 26th overall by Minnesota during the 2021 amateur draft, was traded to the Reds in March 2022, in exchange for pitcher Sonny Gray moving to the Twins.
For the Cardinals, Steven Matz displayed a solid starting performance, conceding just five hits, issuing no walks, and striking out six over a span of four scoreless innings, which helped reduce his ERA to an impressive 1.50.
Reliever Gordon Graceffo capitalized on this strong start to claim his first major league victory, allowing just one run on two hits over five innings while recording five strikeouts and managing not to issue any walks. His fastball was markedly lively, averaging 96.4 mph.
In the initial match of the day, where the game was a makeup for Tuesday’s rainout, the Cardinals blasted back-to-back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning, securing a 6-0 triumph. Notably, Cincinnati managed just one hit in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring positions throughout the day.
A key moment unfolded when Pagés, while facing a 2-2 count, fouled off six consecutive pitches before sending out his second home run of the season. Intriguingly, Petty’s debut characterized him as the youngest Reds pitcher to debut since Homer Bailey made his entrance at 21 years of age in 2007.
As for the upcoming action, Reds’ right-hander Hunter Greene (3-2, 2.70 ERA) is slated to take the mound against Cardinals’ southpaw Matthew Liberatore (2-2, 3.19 ERA) in the series finale on Thursday.