A Strike Away from Victory, Series Win, Cardinals See Disaster Hit in 9th Inning

A strike away from a dominant series victory and a historic performance from their pitching staff, the Cardinals suddenly saw disaster strike when their usually reliable closer faltered and their run of perfect extra-inning games ended in a forgettable finish.

Riley O’Brien got within a strike of tying superstar closer Mason Miller for the MLB lead in saves before Nick Castellanos took him deep for a game-tying, two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Then, after the Cardinals failed to score in the 10th, Padres’ star Manny Machado won it with a lazy sacrifice fly in a 3-2 San Diego win at Petco Park.

“What I love about this is that you’ve got a clubhouse that’s pretty pissed right now,” manager Oliver Marmol told Cardinals.TV after his team dropped to 5-1 in extra-inning games. “That says something to not wanting to come into this (game) and wanting to just split with (the Padres). They wanted to get (Mason) Miller (on Saturday) and they wanted to take the series and prove what they’re all about. I like the fact that the mood is what it is and the expectations are high. I love that.”

Dominant pitching from Cards in series

O’Brien’s third blown save of the season cost the Cardinals a chance of winning the four-game series in San Diego. The pitching staff limited the Padres to four hits on Sunday and just 14 in the series, eclipsing the previous franchise low (since 1901) of 16 hits allowed over a four-game series.

Cards make superstar closer Mason Miller work before falling on Saturday

The Padres didn’t even have a hit in the winning bottom of the 10th inning. They took advantage of two walks – one of them intentional – and scored when Machado lofted a fly ball to right and Ramon Laurenano beat ’s throw.