Cardinals Fall 5-4 to Angels in Extra Innings, Marking First Loss

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The St. Louis Cardinals faced their first loss of the season on Monday night, falling 5-4 to the Los Angeles Angels in a ten-inning showdown at Busch Stadium. The game, which began with promise, unraveled in the later innings, leaving the Cardinals with a record of 3-1 after a strong series against the Minnesota Twins.

After an early lead built on solo home runs from Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan, the Cardinals lost momentum in the seventh inning when the Angels’ Kyren Paris hit a triple, leveling the game at 3-3. The game remained tied as it strengthened into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, the Angels took advantage of a struggling Cardinals bullpen, scoring two runs without a hit against JoJo Romero. Mike Trout‘s sacrifice fly brought home what proved to be the decisive run. The Cardinals only managed to push one run across the plate in the bottom half, failing to capitalize on opportunities as the Angels secured the win.

“We had chances, but we didn’t capitalize,” Nootbaar said post-game. “We need to do better with runners in scoring position.”

The evening’s attendance was notably sparse, with only 21,206 tickets sold, marking the smallest crowd in Busch Stadium’s history for a non-pandemic event. Cardinal’s management had anticipated reduced attendance given the team’s struggles last season and a challenging schedule.

On the mound, Miles Mikolas completed 5 1/3 innings before handing over the game to the bullpen. However, once in the late innings, the Angels capitalized on hitting prowess and good baserunning, granting them a chance to pull ahead late in the game.

“It’s tough to lose that kind of game, especially when we had the lead,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “We fought hard, but in the end, we need to be better late in the game.”

The early fireworks were provided by Nootbaar, who led off the game with a leadoff homer against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. Donovan followed up with a similar effort in the second inning, marking his first big league home run off a left-handed pitcher. However, the Cardinals couldn’t maintain the lead.

“We started strong, but that doesn’t mean anything if we can’t finish,” Donovan remarked. “We need to regroup and look ahead.”

As the game neared its conclusion, the Cardinals faced the challenge of rallying against an Angels team that steadily wore them down. Nootbaar recorded significant plays, but the Cardinals collectively struggled with runners in scoring position, finishing the night 2 for 10 in those situations.

Masyn Winn, who had been struggling early in the season, faced frustrations at the plate that night. “I’m trying to get my swing back,” he commented after striking out. “But we know this is a long season. We have plenty of opportunities ahead.”

With the loss, the Cardinals are looking to rebound as they prepare to face the Angels again Tuesday evening. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. at Busch Stadium, where they will aim to leverage their earlier successes against a familiar foe.