Third time the charm for Ranger Suárez and Red Sox bats in 7-1 win vs. Cardinals

Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald on Apr 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Such was the case for Ranger Suárez and Kyle Leahy, who had polar opposite starts, and for the Boston Red Sox, who scored a season high seven runs in Saturday night’s 7-1 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Leahy started strong but it was Suárez who finished strong. The Red Sox southpaw recovered from a lengthy first inning in which his normally-impenetrable composure showed the slightest cracks, to turn in six shutout innings of three-hit baseball.

Suárez entered Saturday having yielded four earned runs apiece in each of his first two starts of the year, neither of which lasted more than 4 1/3 innings. The Red Sox southpaw needed 27 pitches to get through a first inning that could’ve ended much sooner. Suárez’s third pitch to No. 3 hitter Jordan Walker was a strike at the on the outer corner of the bottom of the zone, but catcher Carlos Narváez didn’t request a challenge. (The Red Sox have told pitchers not to challenge.) Thus the pitch remained ball two, and Suárez ultimately walked Walker on six pitches. After Suárez walked No. 4 batter Nolan Gorman, pitching coach Andrew Bailey came out to the mound to help his starter reset.

Suárez faced only one more batter in the first, but Ramón Urías didn’t go quietly. The Cardinals first baseman successfully overturned a Strike 3 call on Suárez’s fifth pitch, though it only prolonged the inning by one pitch, as Urías swung and missed to end the first.

Leahy, meanwhile, plunked Willson Contreras to begin the second inning, and still needed just six pitches to get through his second consecutive 1-2-3 frame. The Red Sox erased their leadoff baserunner with a double play in the third inning, too, saw the Red Sox erase their own leadoff baserunner (Marcelo Mayer, single) with a double play (Narváez) and go 1-2-3.

But the third inning took Leahy 17 pitches, and while his smooth sail turned into a grind, Suárez locked in. He issued no further walks after the two in the first inning, and racked up six strikeouts. He retired 14 of his last 15 batters.

Boston broke through in the fourth. They forced Leahy to throw 35 pitches, and took a 2-0 lead on Contreras’ 2-RBI double, which scored Roman Anthony (leadoff walk) and Jarren Duran (one-out single). The Red Sox went so far as to load the bases, before Narváez flew out to center to end the frame.

The fourth proved to be the end for Leahy, who wasn’t allowed to face the Red Sox order a third time when the lineup turned over in the fifth inning. He exited charged with two earned runs on three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts, and took the loss.

Greg Weissert, Danny Coulombe, Garrett Whitlock and Ryan Watson pitched the rest of the way. Aside from a solo home run by Jordan Walker, the Cardinals were kept off the board.

After two missed opportunities with the bases loaded, third time was the charm for the Boston bats. Trevor Story led off the top of the ninth with his first walk of the year. Cardinals righty Matt Svanson faced seven more batters, and gave up five earned runs, on six consecutive singles to Narváez, Rafaela, Anthony, Durbin, Duran and Contreras.

Double trouble

The bottom of the seventh yielded a unique scene: a double overturn.

Left-fielder José Fermín was originally sent to first base on a one-out hit-by-pitch, which Red Sox manager Alex Cora got overturned.

But Cardinals skipper Oli Marmol challenged, too, and Fermín was sent back to first base as umpire Bill Miller determined catcher interference by Narváez.

Facts and figures

Though the Red Sox are 5-9 on the season, they have won three of their last four.

Saturday marked Boston’s first time scoring more than six runs in a game this season.