Cardinals Closer Suffers Major Meltdown, Allows Six Runs with Two Outs in Ninth of Loss
Holding a four-run lead and seemingly on the verge of ending the Phillies winning streak at eight, the Cardinals could only look on in horror as Riley O'Brien surrendered six straight runs with two outs in the ninth of a 6-4 loss. Kyle Schwarber hit a 459-foot walk-off winner to end it.
Video Transcript
If you didn't see Sunday's Cardinals-Phillies game, you're probably not going to believe the way it turned out.
And if you did see it, you probably still don't believe how it turned out.
The Cardinals were up 4-0 going into the ninth inning.
They were up 4-0 with two outs in the ninth inning.
Riley O'Brien had the Phillies down to their final strike three different times.
One, two, three, three different times.
Statistical analysis had the Cardinals a 99.6% favorite to win the game after they got to two outs, and still they lost 6-4.
Kyle Schwarber hit a 459-foot walk-off home run over the batter's eye to win the game for the Phillies on a day when the Cardinals looked like they were going to win all day long and end the Phillies' winning streak at eight.
Instead, the Phillies have now won nine straight, and the Cardinals have lost three straight.
I'm John Denton with Roundtable Sports.
The ninth inning is almost unfathomable to explain it.
Bryce Harper led off with a double.
He got to third.
J.T.
Rilamuto was down to his final strike.
The game was one strike away from being over.
Rilamuto singles, makes it first and third.
Then it just fell off a cliff.
I have to look at the score sheet here just to try to fathom it.
Two outs in the ninth inning.
Rilamuto singles with two strikes.
Justin Crawford, the rookie, draws a walk from Riley O'Brien.
Then Edmundo Sosa was down to his final strike.
Former Cardinal.
He's killed the Cardinals all season long.
Cardinals traded him away in 2022 to the Phillies.
He hurt them in that playoff series.
And, you know, he hurt them all series long.
They traded him away for Jojo Romero.
Clearly, he hasn't forgotten it.
The Cardinals should have been in no doubles defense, but somehow Sosa doubled down the third base line.
Blaze Jordan was playing a little bit closer to the third base line, but there's just there's no way that ball should be able to get by him.
It got by him for a double.
All three runs came around to score.
That made it 4-3.
Then Brian De La Cruz with two strikes.
Riley O'Brien, once again, one strike away from winning the game.
Brian De La Cruz drills a sweeper into left field.
Sosa comes around to score, makes it 4-4.
And then after Schwarber worked the count 2-2, he got a sinker right down the middle.
And Nathan Church gave it a funny effort running after it.
But the ball went over the batter's eye.
Schwarber's 39th home run of the season.
The Cardinals lose a game that they there was no way they were going to lose this game.
They were 99.6 favorites percent favorites to win this game.
And somehow they lost.
The Phillies scored six runs with two outs in the ninth inning.
It ruined an otherwise great day.
The Cardinals knocked around Cy Young Award favorite Christian Sanchez, Christopher Sanchez.
They got to him for four runs.
Alec Burleson drove in his 95th and 96 runs.
Jose Fermin had a home run, had a solo home run.
He had a running catch in right field.
Kyle Leahy extended his streak.
He only pitched four innings, 63 pitches, but he extended his streak 11 straight starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed.
Today, he allowed no earned runs in four innings.
So he tied something that Bob Gibson once did in 1968 to put that in perspective.
Adam Wainwright is the only Cardinal pitcher ever with more consecutive outings of two or fewer two or fewer earned runs.
And Waino did it 12 times in a row back in 2009.
So a lot of things went right on this day, but the ninth inning went horribly wrong.
Oliver Mermall left Riley O'Brien in, even though he saw this exact same meltdown on Thursday.
O'Brien, George Soriano and O'Brien allowed five runs in the ninth inning, four runs in the ninth inning on Thursday in Cincinnati, but they were able to escape with a 10-9 win.
On this day, the Cardinals stuck by Riley O'Brien.
They left him in.
They did have Griseffo up and warming, but, you know, Griseffo, Riley O'Brien threw almost 40 pitches.
You could see this one coming after it went downhill.
But to give up, to allow one, two, three, four, five straight base runners to reach base after getting two outs in the ninth inning, it just it blows the mind.
Like, again, 99.6 percent chance to win.
And the Cardinals found a way to lose.
It ended their their 11 game road trip at a five and six mark instead of a six and five mark.
So rough day.
And if you haven't seen it yet, you might not want to watch it.
But if you watch it, you may not believe how it turned out.
Anyway, I'm John Denton with Roundtable Sports, and this is your Cardinal Recap for Sunday afternoon.
