Diamondbacks vs Cardinals Recap: Center-field clash ends 3-2

The Arizona Diamondbacks came to Busch Stadium hoping to bounce back. They'd just dropped two straight games. The Cardinals stood at 41-34, sitting strong at home. Arizona was 39-38 and fighting hard on the road. You could feel the tension right away. In the bottom of the third inning, Cardinal Alec Burleson singled up the middle. Nathan Church raced home with the first run. The Cardinals went up 1-0. Then came the fourth inning. Blaze Jordan lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. Lars Nootbaar scored easily. The Cardinals made it 2-0. Nathan Church singled again, driving in Masyn Winn. St. Louis took a commanding 3-0 lead early. Merrill Kelly pitched for Arizona but couldn't hold the line. The Diamondbacks had to find their way back into this game fast.

The Diamondbacks finally got their bats going in the sixth inning. Nolan Arenado smashed a ground ball to short, and Corbin Carroll sprinted home. Arizona cut the lead to 3-1. That's when things got interesting. In the seventh inning, Tommy Troy stepped up to the plate. Ryne Stanek was on the mound throwing hard—a 97-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball blazed in. Troy didn't miss it. He crushed the ball deep to center field. It flew 444 feet through the Arizona night sky. The crowd held its breath as Troy rounded the bases. Arizona now trailed just 3-2. The Diamondbacks had clawed their way back into the game. Every run mattered now. Both teams were locked in a tight battle.

As the game entered its final innings, both teams clung to every pitch. The Cardinals' bullpen stepped up. Riley O'Brien came in and slammed the door, earning a save. The Diamondbacks couldn't push across another run. Corbin Carroll went 2-for-4 with a run scored. He'd done his part, but it wasn't enough. Ketel Marte added two hits and even stole a base. The Cardinals' Andre Pallante pitched six strong innings. He gave up just one run on six hits. That was the difference maker. St. Louis held on to win 3-2. The Cardinals improved to 41-34. Arizona dropped to 39-38. This one stung for the Diamondbacks. They were so close but couldn't complete the comeback. The Cardinals stayed alive in the pennant race.