Tough Day at the Plate for the Cardinals 
As a loyal St. Louis Cardinals fan, today's game against the Houston Astros was tough to watch. Despite our excitement for the lineup, the Cardinals just couldn't seem to catch a break. In the bottom of the first, we saw a glimmer of hope when Nolan Arenado singled to right, moving Lars Nootbaar to third. Arenado then stole second, showing off his quick reflexes, but unfortunately, the inning ended with a foul out to the catcher, leaving the Cardinals scoreless.Struggles on Both Sides 
The pitching was effective for the most part, as both teams struggled to bring in runs during the first five innings. Michael Siani's single in the third could’ve ignited a rally, but a double play dashed those hopes. Our rotation gave up some critical hits later on, as Jake Meyers' sixth-inning single brought in Jeremy Peña for the first run of the game. Our hitters couldn't seem to capitalize on opportunities; Alec Burleson's single in the 4th placed Brendan Donovan on third, but again, no luck in bringing him home.Astros Seal the Deal in the Eighth 
The nail in the coffin came in the 8th inning when Yordan Alvarez hit a monster homer (419 feet!) off our relievers, putting the Astros ahead 2-0. Lars Nootbaar did give us a double in the bottom half of the inning, advancing to third on a groundout, but Donovan's line out ended what little rally we had. The top of the ninth showed some excellent pitching from André Muñoz, ensuring no further damage, but we didn't fare better at the plate. We couldn't connect, finishing off the game with a 2-0 loss. The 'Birds will be looking to bounce back soon! Let's keep our heads up and hope for a better day tomorrow at the ballpark.
Scoreboard for Astros @ Cardinals (April 15th, 2025)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |