Rangers vs Cardinals Recap: Cardinals rally past Rangers 5-3

The Cardinals welcomed the Rangers to Busch Stadium after losing the night before, 7-4. St. Louis was hungry to bounce back. Texas arrived looking to stay close in the series. In the first inning, Cardinals catcher Alec Burleson ripped a single to right field. Jordan Walker came sprinting home to score the first run of the game. The Cardinals led 1-0 and the crowd roared.

Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore took the mound throwing heat. His fastball hit 97 miles per hour. But in the third inning, Rangers hitter Josh Jung smacked a single up the middle. Kyle Higashioka raced home to tie the game at 1-1. The Rangers were already fighting back. The early drama showed both teams meant business on this Wednesday night.

The bottom of the third inning turned into a Rangers nightmare. Burleson came up again and this time he crushed a double into right field. Velázquez and Walker both sprinted across home plate. The Cardinals exploded to 3-1. Gore was struggling on the mound. In the fifth inning, Thomas Saggese drilled a 83-mile-per-hour curve ball into right field for a triple. Jose Fermín raced home. St. Louis was rolling now, up 4-1.

Then in the sixth, Nelson Velázquez singled to right. Walker scored again. The Cardinals built their lead to 5-1. MacKenzie Gore finally left the game after allowing nine hits and four runs in just 4.2 innings. The Rangers' pitching staff was crumbling. The Cardinals' bats were unstoppable early.

The Rangers refused to quit. In the seventh inning, Joc Pederson stepped up to face JoJo Romero. The pitcher threw a 95-mile-per-hour sinker. Pederson ripped it to right field for a triple. Foscue and Higashioka both came home flying across the plate. The Cardinals' lead shrunk to 5-3. But that was as close as Texas could get. The Cardinals' bullpen shut down the Rangers the rest of the way.

Ryne Stanek and Riley O'Brien threw zeros in the final innings. The Rangers managed just three hits all game. Pederson's triple was their brightest moment, but it came too late. The final score read 5-3, Cardinals. St. Louis improved to 32-28. Texas dropped to 30-32. The series was tied after Texas won the night before.