TLDR: A game that lined up as a coin flip turned into a laugher — St. Louis broke it open in the middle innings and buried the Phillies 7-1 at Busch Stadium.
+Leahy's allowed 2 ER or fewer in 8 straight starts
+Won their last game, 3-2 in last 5
+Split the first two of this series
−Cardinals have cooled off since the trade deadline
−Leahy wears down the third time through a lineup
−Sit at 60-60, hovering under .500
Zack Wheeler (10-3, 2.90 ERA) got the ball for Philadelphia looking to salvage a split of this shortened two-game set, with Kyle Leahy (8-4, 3.38 ERA) starting for St. Louis in the 1:15 PM CT getaway-day matinee at Busch Stadium.
Zack Wheeler
(10-5)·3.40 ERA
Aug 7 vs Blue Jays
L
5.1IP
4ER
6K
5BB
116P
08/12 Lineup
Kyle Leahy
(10-4)·3.13 ERA
Aug 7 vs Rockies
W
5.0IP
2ER
8K
0BB
82P
08/12 Lineup
Leahy's been the story of this Cardinals staff — a bullpen arm a year ago, now a full-time starter who'd allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight turns before Wednesday, according to Roundtable.io. Wheeler, meanwhile, was trying to bounce back from a start against Toronto where he walked 5 and gave up 4 earned runs in just 5.1 innings. Both clubs came in shorthanded in different ways — Philadelphia's bullpen already missing Caleb Kilian, Brad Keller and Tanner Banks, while St. Louis has been playing out a rebuild that's cooled off considerably since the deadline.
None of that stopped the market from making Philadelphia the heavy favorite, and for a few innings this looked like the kind of tight, low-scoring affair these two clubs had been playing all series. Then St. Louis found its footing.
The Cardinals broke it open with a four-run fifth and tacked on two more in the seventh, turning a coin flip into a laugher. St. Louis finished with 8 hits and no errors, while Philadelphia's offense managed just 6 hits, a single run in the fourth, and an error that didn't help matters.
Mattingly's turnaround act in Philadelphia has been real, but this loss drops the Phillies back into a series they'd hoped to salvage, while St. Louis banks a win in a season that's mostly been about auditioning arms like Leahy for whatever comes next.
Phillies 1, Cardinals 7: Final Score & Odds Recap — Cardinals Blow Past Wheeler, Turn Rubber Match Into Rout
