Returning to St. Louis for the first time since his trade last summer, Jordan Montgomery delivered seven solid innings, yet his efforts weren’t enough as the Diamondbacks fell 5-1 in the series finale.
Montgomery cruised through the first five innings, allowing only one hit and no runs. However, in the 6th inning, St. Louis managed to decode Montgomery’s pitching, scoring two runs to make it a 2-1 game. After yielding several base hits and a double, the Cardinals captured the lead on a wild pitch with one out.
St. Louis tacked on another run off of Montgomery in the 7th, but it was unearned as rookie shortstop Blaze Alexander made a throwing with one out.
Following Montgomery’s exit, the Cardinals capitalized on the Diamondbacks’ faltering bullpen, adding two more runs. Bryce Jarvis entered the game, quickly issuing two walks and a single. Andrew Saalfrank, making his season debut with the bases loaded, conceded a two-run double to Lars Nootbaar on his very first pitch, extending the deficit to 5-1.
NOOTS IN DEEP RIGHT #ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/NpLO0vhdDZ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 24, 2024
While Saalfrank was able to prevent any further damage, by forcing a double play, with the Diamondbacks’ offense completely quiet, the deficit was too large.
The D-backs grounded into double plays to end three different innings, they also combined for an 0-8 afternoon with runners in scoring position.
This lackluster performance was starkly different from their explosive 14-run game less than 24 hours earlier.
Arizona now looks ahead to conclude their extensive road trip with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners starting Friday.
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