A Tough Loss for the Cardinals
Hey fellow Cardinals fans!
The game against the Astros ended in a tough 5-3 loss. Despite a valiant effort and some shining moments, we couldn't quite bring it home. Let's dive into the details.Early Inning Struggles
The Astros started strong in the 2nd inning with a homer from Chas McCormick, scoring three runs. A single by Jeremy Peña drove in another, leaving us trailing 4-0. Our Cardinals answered back with a solo homer by Victor Scott II in the bottom of the 2nd. This was a glimmer of hope, and Cesar Prieto doubled to keep the momentum, but we couldn't cash him in.Home Runs Couldn't Close the Gap
The top of the 5th saw Jeremy Peña hitting a solo home run, increasing the Astros' lead to 5-1. However, the Cardinals responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer by Ryan Vilade, bringing the score to 5-3. We were back in it and fighting!
Missed Opportunities Late In the Game
In the latter innings, our pitching tightened up. Reliever Mathews had a solid 6th inning, and our bullpen allowed no runs from the 6th inning onward. The 7th through 9th innings saw some opportunities for us, with Matt Lloyd doubling in the 8th, but we couldn't turn those chances into runs. Despite Willson Contreras walking in the 9th and Christopher Rotondo coming in to run, we couldn't capitalize.Bright Spots and Moving Forward
Both Victor Scott II and Ryan Vilade provided the fireworks with their home runs!
️ While this game didn't go our way, let's not lose heart. We saw some promising performances and a determined effort by the team to stay in the game against a strong opponent. Let's rally behind our Cardinals and look forward to the next matchup with optimism. Let's go, Cards! 
Scoreboard for Astros @ Cardinals (March 21st, 2025)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 0 |