Cardinals Edge Rockies

Hjerpe's Historic Debut Carries Cardinals Bullpen

Cooper Hjerpe threw 4.0 perfect innings in his MLB debut, allowing zero hits, zero runs, and zero walks while striking out six batters on just 54 pitches AP. The 24-year-old left-hander, recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2025, threw strikes on 41 of his 54 pitches. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Hjerpe was "nasty" with a "tough angle" and "deception" that confused a lineup full of left-handed hitters Denver Sports. Hjerpe earned the victory in his first appearance.

Cardinals Rally With Two-Out Explosion in Fifth Inning

St. Louis trailed 5-1 after three innings but erupted for six runs in the fifth to take a 7-5 lead MLB.com. Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead two-run home run off reliever Jimmy Herget to cap the inning. The Cardinals' two-out hitting was devastating—they scored nine of their ten total runs with exactly two outs in the game. Herrera's single started the rally and set the tone for the Cardinals' comeback.

In the eighth inning, Herrera doubled to drive in two more runs, extending St. Louis's lead to 10-5 AP. Alec Burleson added an RBI single in the same inning. Colorado cut it close with a two-run single from Jake McCarthy in the ninth, but George Soriano struck out the final batter with a runner on second to seal the 10-8 win and record his third save of the season Fox Sports.

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Herrera's Bat Ignites Cardinals Offense

Iván Herrera went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and proved to be the spark plug for St. Louis's comeback AP. His single in the fifth inning started the six-run rally, and his two-run double in the eighth pushed the Cardinals' lead to 10-5. Alec Burleson also contributed three hits for St. Louis, while Gorman's ninth home run of the season provided the go-ahead cushion.

For Colorado, Mickey Moniak led the offense with his 22nd home run of the season and four RBIs AP. Jake McCarthy added a home run and three RBIs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinals' late-game execution. The Rockies' bullpen struggled to put hitters away, with starter Tanner Gordon collapsing after reaching two-strike counts on multiple batters in the fifth.

Cardinals Extend Road Dominance; Rockies Eliminated

St. Louis won two of three games in Denver and now owns five victories in their last six road series against Colorado MLB.com. The win improved the Cardinals to 72-72 on the season, keeping them four games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third National League Wild Card spot. Colorado fell to 55-88 and was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, becoming the first MLB team officially knocked out this season AP.