Before Nolan Arenado stepped up in the bottom of the ninth and delivered the 13th walk-off RBI of his career, capping off a dramatic Cardinals win filled with key turning points, manager Oliver Marmol had a simple question for his star pinch-hitter.
“I asked [Arenado] in the ninth if he wanted to finish the game,” Marmol recalled after the Cardinals edged the Dodgers 2-1 in front of 37,465 fans at Busch Stadium. “He said, ‘Yes,’ and he made it happen.”
Arenado’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly to left brought home pinch-runner Jose Barrero, sealing another strong series win for the red-hot Cardinals. Despite being pegged as a rebuilding team focused on development, the Cards have now matched their season-high mark of eight games over .500 (36-28), with their 19th win over a team with a winning record. They’ve secured series wins against several top contenders, including the Phillies (twice), Dodgers, Mets, Astros, Brewers, D-backs, and Twins.
“That just reinforces what I’ve been saying since Spring Training — we’ve got a really good team,” said Nolan Gorman, who sparked the ninth-inning rally with his hardest-hit ball of the season, a 111.6 mph double. “A lot of people have doubted us, but we’re going to prove them wrong. There’s something special about this group.”
While Arenado’s clutch hit ended the game, the most electrifying moment came earlier in the eighth when Masyn Winn broke a 0-0 tie by scoring from second on an infield single. The ball deflected off Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius, and Winn, who never slowed down, slid headfirst past Freddie Freeman’s tag to score.
“I was reading Casparius’ throw and thought it was headed to right field,” said Winn, who recorded his 16th multihit game of the season. “I didn’t expect Freddie to get it, but I was already too far off second to turn back. Thankfully, I made it.”
The Cardinals had previously shut out the Dodgers 5-0 on Friday, with Sonny Gray and relievers JoJo Romero, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz combining for a dominant outing. L.A. struggled with runners in scoring position, going just 1-for-13 in the opener and 0-for-12 on Saturday. Their only run Saturday came after Shohei Ohtani’s slow roller struck the second-base bag for a hit; he eventually scored on a wild pitch from Ryan Helsley.