Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
After barely escaping their series opener with a victory, the Phillies failed to score on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Sending their ace to the mound with a chance to win the series, the Philadelphia Phillies should have been able to take down a middle of the pack Cardinals’ club.
A 2-0 defeat dropped the Phillies into a three-way tie for the final two Wild Card spots in the National League. With the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks on their heels, there is a very strong possibility that the Phillies miss the playoffs entirely in 2026.
Facing off against Andre Pallante, the Phillies found a way to treat another quality starting pitcher as a Cy Young contender.
Pallante entered the game with a respectable 3.63 earned run average in his previous 22 starts. While Pallante can put batters away, he often does walk quite a few batters in each outing. The Phillies were unable to capitalize on three free passes in Tuesday’s loss.
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Instead, the team grounded into four double plays, killing momentum whenever they seemingly began to turn the tide.
The most painful of the four double plays came in the top of the eighth inning. The Phillies were able to load the bases with nobody out. A collection of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper all reached base to start the inning. Derek Hill entered the game to run for Schwarber, swiping second base in the process.
This loaded the bases for Luis Arraez. The opportunity was exactly what the Phillies envisioned when making the trade for the veteran second baseman over nine days ago at the trade deadline.
A sharply hit ball to Cardinals’ first baseman Alec Burleson was fielded cleanly, as he fired the ball home to catcher Ivan Herrera for the first out, before Herrera returned the favor to nab the Phillies’ second baseman at first base.
In one swing, there were now runners at second and third, with two outs, and no runs on the board.
To his credit, J.T. Realmuto then blasted a ball to center field. Had it been a batter sooner, he would have tied the game. Instead, it was the final out of the frame, fueling a fired up home crowd at Busch Stadium.
Arraez, who was added at the trade deadline, has now gone 0 for his last 15. This is the first time since 2021 that Arraez has gone without a hit in as many at-bats.
The Phillies went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. This is the 10th time in 2026 that they have been shut out.
After weeks of demand from the Phillies’ fanbase to promote Alex McFarlane back to the big-league roster, the club made the move to promote their young reliever ahead of Tuesday’s game.
The one concern the Phillies’ front office has had surrounding McFarlane has been his command. At times in the minor leagues, he was prone to surrendering walks at inopportune moments.
His strengths and weaknesses were on display in the bottom of the seventh.
McFarlane walked leadoff hitter Jordan Walker, who stole second base prior to the Phillies’ reliever striking out Burleson. With one out and a runner on second base, Jose Fermin would ground out to Turner for the second out, advancing Walker to third.
A single by Masyn Winn would score Walker and give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. It was the difference in the ballgame.
McFarlane still flashed his elite velocity and showcased why he can be a true weapon for Don Mattingly’s bullpen. Regardless, in his highest leverage chance of the season, McFarlane reminded everyone that he is in fact still a rookie.
