Phillies Drop Game One of Three to St. Louis 3-2
May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn (0) hits a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After a successful road trip in Tampa Bay and Cleveland, the Phillies came back home for a three-game series against the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals. Though a dominant stretch for the Phillies, the eight-game win streak of the Cardinals showed more prominently in their victory.
There was still good news for Philadelphia, however, as they tallied nine hits tonight against a very commanding pitching staff in St. Louis. Players such as Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm got back on track tonight with two hits of their own. J.T. Realmuto brought his average up to .250 with a two-hit night, as well. Though not for power, the Phillies successfully hit for contact in tonight’s game.
Starter Cristopher Sanchez provided six innings with two earned runs. This was a good night for him, despite the runs allowed, as Sanchez struck out eight batters while only walking three. Though the Cardinals were able to battle at the plate and get crafty on the base paths, Sanchez worked around St. Louis as much as one can during their stretch of success, and showed his superstar abilities with his performance.
Though the game-winning run came from the bullpen during the last three innings, that was the only run that crossed the plate from a home run by Masyn Winn in the seventh. That homer was the only hit allowed by either Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, or Tanner Banks, who also has gotten back on track after tonight’s appearance.
Although the Phillies had nine hits, only one brought in a run on an Edmundo Sosa infield single. Even with only one walk tonight, the Phillies could not find a way to rally hits one after another, which they had done so well on their road trip.
Although Rob Thomson did his best to substitute in pinch hitters and shuffle right-handed batters and left-handed batters, some spots of the lineup, such as the bottom half, did not hit the ball as well as other spots in the lineup.
Not having everyday starters such as Max Kepler and Bryson Stott may have been a partial cause of the lack of pressure and runs scored.
The lineup and order played a big part, but it can only hold so much blame, as St. Louis’ pitching has been on a consistent incline during their now nine-game win streak. The same could be said about their roster, as two of their runs came from impactful home runs tonight.
Both of these winning ball clubs handled each other to the best of their ability and forced the game to come down to the last out.
Tonight’s loss should not have a lasting effect on the Phillies, as they have shown that they can come back in a series after losing the first game, just like they did in Cleveland.
Unfortunately, the loss to St. Louis and New York’s victory over Pittsburgh adds another game between the Phillies and Mets in the National League East standings.
With that, the Phillies look to put tonight’s game behind them and get back on the win column with Jesus Luzardo on the mound.
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Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
