Tough Loss for Our Cardinals in Pittsburgh 
Hey Cards fans, tough game tonight as we dropped a close one to the Pirates, 2-1. Even though we fought hard, the game just didn’t tilt in our favor. Let's break down the matchup, inning by inning.Slow Start, Even Game
In the first inning, our boys couldn’t get much going. Masyn Winn flied out, Alec Burleson grounded out, and while Willson Contreras did manage to get a single, Brendan Donovan ended the inning with a foul out to third.Meanwhile, Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds grounded out for the Pirates, and they were threatening when Oneil Cruz walked and stole second. Fortunately, Nick Gonzales grounded out, closing the inning.
Missed Opportunities Early On
The second inning saw some potential with Nolan Arenado walking and Paul Goldschmidt singling to advance Lars Nootbaar to third. But Nolan Gorman, despite advancing the runners, couldn’t get us on the board, and Pedro Pagés grounded out. The Pirates managed to get Rowdy Tellez on base with a double but couldn’t capitalize as we shut them down.Pirates Strike First, We Respond
The third inning saw the Pirates draw first blood with Oneil Cruz driving in McCutchen to make it 1-0. Our guys struggled until Nolan Gorman crushed a solo homer in the fifth inning to tie it up at 1-1.
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Defensive Duel
From the fourth to the seventh innings, both teams held their ground. Our defense was tight, and Lars Nootbaar and Pedro Pagés made sure no more runs got through.Roycroft came in to relieve Pallante and held the Pirates, even managing a tough situation with Suwinski reaching third. It felt like we were still in it!
Pirates Edge Ahead in the Eighth
Bottom of the eighth, things got dicey. Bryan Reynolds singled and made it to second on a wild pitch by King. Nick Gonzales then hit the critical single to bring Reynolds home, making it 2-1. Tellez got on base but Ke'Bryan Hayes grounded into a double play which gave us a glimmer of hope.The Heartbreak Ninth Inning
Top of the ninth, we needed a rally. Nolan Arenado grounded out, Lars Nootbaar grounded out, and though Paul Goldschmidt got a single, Michael Siani was brought in to run but Nolan Gorman struck out swinging, ending our chances.
On to the Next One
A tough 2-1 loss, but our Cards fought hard. Let's bounce back in the next game! Remember, every game brings us closer to that winning streak we know we're capable of. Keep the faith, fellow fans!
️Scoreboard for Cardinals @ Pirates (July 22nd, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |