Back at home after a series loss against the rival Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals' woes against left-handed starters rolled into Monday in a makeup game against the New York Mets.
The Cardinals, winners of four out of their past 10 games, were shut out 6-0 at Busch Stadium against the Mets, who received seven scoreless innings from starting pitcher Sean Manaea.
The Cardinals (57-56) were held to six hits against Manaea and did not draw a walk against the left-hander. They came into Monday's makeup game 29th across the majors in batting average and on-base plus slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, who allowed three runs in five innings in his previous start, gave up five runs on five hits across 4鈪 innings vs. New York. Four of the five runs Pallante surrendered came in one frame.
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The five runs were the most Pallante gave up in a start since moving into a spot in the Cardinals rotation during the final week of May. Pallante has posted a 4.11 ERA across 11 games as a starter.
Righty Shawn Armstrong delivered 2鈪 innings of relief after Pallante鈥檚 exit. He allowed one run and struck out four in his Busch Stadium debut. Matthew Liberatore followed Armstrong with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts.
Manaea silences Cardinals hitters
The struggles against left-handers this season continued Monday as the Cardinals did not have a base runner reach third base vs. the left-handed Manaea.
The Cardinals received a one-out double from Nolan Arenado in the second inning, but he was left stranded after Alec Burleson filed out and Brendan Donovan struck out swinging.
When the Cardinals put runners on first and second base with one out in the third inning, Willson Contreras struck out swinging on a 95.7 mph fastball that Manaea elevated out of the strike zone. An inning later when Burleson and Donovan delivered back-to-back singles with two outs in the frame, it was Pedro Pages who struck out, this time on a sweeper in the dirt from Manaea, to keep the Cardinals scoreless.
After Pages鈥 strikeout to end the fourth inning, the Cardinals could only muster one hit (a single from Masyn Winn in the fifth) against Manaea before righty Ryne Stanek came in to relieve him to begin the eighth inning.
The outing was the second consecutive from Manaea during which he鈥檚 delivered seven scoreless innings and struck out at least 10 batters. He spun seven scoreless innings and struck out 11 batters on July 30 against Minnesota 鈥 a start that bookended a July during which Manaea posted a 2.70 ERA across six starts.聽
Rocky 5th frame
Having kept the Mets to one run, which came on a wild pitch, and one hit through his first four innings of work, Pallante could not get through the fifth inning as he allowed four runs.
Following a groundout from the inning鈥檚 leadoff hitter Jose Iglesias, Pallante allowed back-to-back singles to Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez. The pair of singles were followed by a one run double from former Cardinals Harrison Bader and a walk to Francisco Lindor that loaded the bases for Tyrone Taylor.
After getting ahead of Taylor 1-2 in the count, a 96.8 mph sinker left over the middle of the plate was pulled down the right field line for a double that cleared the bases and gave the Mets a 5-0 lead.
Pallante, who threw a wild pitch that allowed Taylor to advance to third base, induced a groundout vs. Brandon Nimmo and was replaced on the mound by trade deadline acquisition Armstrong. Armstrong struck out J.D. Martinez on four pitches to end the frame.
Scott shows off glove
Starting in his first major league game since April 19 (the day before he was optioned to Class AAA Memphis), rookie Victor Scott II gave a glimpse of the quality of defense he can provide in center field following Michael Siani鈥檚 placement on the injured list because of an oblique strain.
With one out in the fourth inning, Scott charged in on a sinking line drive off the bat of designated hitter Martinez. Scott, a minor league Rawlings Gold Glove winner in 2023, made a headfirst diving catch to take away a potential hit from Martinez.