Arenado, Donovan Power St. Louis Cardinals to 8-3 Win Over Astros as Sonny Gray Dominates
No, not that kind of perfect game. The kind that happens when the offense pounds 14 hits and the pitchers combine for 0 runs for 25 betters. We’re going to ignore that three run dinger from the Sto’s at the end of the game the St. Louis Cardinals won 8-3. This despite the team from the Lou missing their starting Shortstop, First Baseman and Catcher.
Nolan Arenado led the charge as the St. Louis Cardinals rolled past the Houston Astros 8-3 on Monday night at Busch Stadium. Arenado crushed a home run, ripped two doubles, and drove in a pair to headline a game where the offense just wouldn’t quit.
But he wasn’t the only Cardinal making noise.
Brendan Donovan (and his ‘Torpedo Bat‘) turned in a perfect 4-for-4 performance, scoring twice and blasting an RBI triple to push his hitting streak to 10 straight games. The man is on absolute fire at the plate, indeed.
The Cardinals as a whole were dialed in offensively, racking up 14 hits in the win—their third in the last four games. Pedro Pagés came through with a clutch two-run double, and Lars Nootbaar added a 2-for-3 night with an RBI and a run scored to round out a balanced attack.
And while the bats were loud, Sonny Gray was quietly dominant on the mound. The veteran right-hander improved to 3-0 on the season while tossing seven scoreless innings. He scattered just three hits while striking out four and walking only one. He kept the Astros guessing all night and delivered exactly what the Cardinals needed to keep their momentum rolling.
Astros Struggle
On the other side, Houston’s Framber Valdez struggled, allowing seven runs (six earned) over four-plus innings. The big blow came in the fourth when the Cardinals tacked on three runs, highlighted by Pagés’ double and Nootbaar’s RBI single. By the fifth, Valdez was chased from the game after Arenado’s RBI double and Donovan’s run-scoring triple.
Arenado added a no-doubt homer in the seventh to put the Cardinals up 8-0.
Jeremy Peña’s three-run shot in the ninth was the only dent in St. Louis’ armor.
This one was all about power at the plate and precision on the mound. With key players heating up—Brandon Donovan streaking, Nolan Arenado slugging, and Sonny Gray sizzling—the Cardinals look like a team ready to make some noise in the NL Central.
