CINCINNATI — Unable to capitalize on a chance to bring home a run in the top of the 10th inning after their one-lead evaporate with two outs in the ninth, the Cardinals had their chances of completing a doubleheader sweep over the Reds dashed six pitches into the bottom of the 10th.

Called in to pitch with Tyler Stephenson as the automatic runner at second base, lefty Justin Bruihl allowed Elly De La Cruz to hit a 110.9 mph single to bring in Stephenson for the walk-off run in a 6-5 loss on Monday night at Great American Ball Park. De La Cruz's single could not be knocked down by third baseman Blaze Jordan.

The Cardinals came within one out of completing the doubleheader sweep in the ninth. Bryan Torres lifted the Cardinals to a one-run lead in the eighth with a two-out single. Right-hander Peter Strzelecki, who completed two scoreless innings heading into the ninth, retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth before giving up a solo homer to pinch-hitter Dane Myers.

The lead in the ninth was one of two the Cardinals lost in Game 2.

Needing a deep start, the Cardinals got six innings out of right-hander Andre Pallante, who allowed four runs and 10 hits across six innings. Pallante surrendered three of the four runs in the sixth inning. The 10 hits he allowed were his most in an outing since he gave up 11 in 6 2/3 innings on June 27.

The final two runs Pallante surrendered came on a two-run single by Hector Rodriguez. Rodriguez's single erased a 4-1 lead the Cardinals built with RBIs from Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Nathan Church and Jordan against Reds starter Rhett Lowder.

Herrera’s RBI came in the form of a solo homer. The blast followed the catcher’s first thwarted base stealer in almost two years. Herrera threw out Elly De La Cruz trying to steal second base in the bottom of the third inning. A replay review was required to overturn the call from safe to out.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was ejected with two outs in the top of the 10th by home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso.

Herrera gets the runs going

In the next half inning after he threw out his first base runner in nearly two years, Herrera jolted the Cardinals to their first run. His swing kicked off an inning that put the Cardinals up a run over the Reds.

Herrera hit a 93.6 mph sinker from Lowder 395 feet to center field for a solo homer that marked his 14th homer of the season. Behind him, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker collected singles in back-to-back at-bats to give the Cardinals runners on first and second with no outs against the Reds’ righty.

They capitalized three at-bats later.

After Joshua Baez hit into a force out that put runners on the corners and Church skied a ball to third base, Winn found himself in an 0-2 count after taking a changeup and fouling off a slider. Winn received a second slider for the third pitch of the at-bat and hit it to the opposite field for a single that allowed Burleson to trot home for a go-ahead run.

Herrera stops the run game

A streak of stolen bases that stretched all the way back to the first inning of a Sept. 1, 2024, game at Yankee Stadium came to an end following a replay review in the third inning on Monday night.

Herrera had allowed 60 consecutive stolen bases dating back to throwing out Juan Soto at second base during a game in the Bronx in 2024. He allowed 55 stolen bases on 59 attempts against him that year. In 2025, base runners were 15 for 15 as he was kept away from the catching position because of multiple injuries to his lower half. And this year, after he underwent surgery in his right elbow to address the nagging pain he played through in recent years, base runners were 38 for 38 vs. Herrera.

That was until De La Cruz tried him, JJ Wetherholt made a tag, and Cardinals manager Oli Marmol signaled for a challenge.

Upon replay review, it appeared Wetherholt tagged De La Cruz near the lower back before the Reds’ shortstop could touch second base.

Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt announced the call was overturned, which drew smiles and laughs from Herrera and Marmol and cheers from Cardinals in the dugout and on the field. The Cardinals called for the ball to be retrieved and authenticated.

Pallante can’t limit sixth

Able to limit the Reds to one run with the bases loaded and no outs in the first inning and to no runs when runners reached the corners with no outs in the fourth, Pallante couldn’t quite limit damage in the sixth inning. The right-hander surrendered three runs, which erased the 4-1 lead the Cardinals held after Church and Jordan singled home runs in the top half of that inning.

Pallante retired the first batter he faced in the sixth but surrendered back-to-back one-out singles to JJ Bleday and Eugenio Suarez in at-bats that lasted fewer than three pitches each. A third consecutive quick at-bat hurt Pallante moments after Suarez’s single.

In an 0-1 count vs. Michael Toglia, Pallante saw a knuckle curve get pulled to right field for a double that scored one run on the ninth hit he allowed to a Reds batter. The 10th didn’t lag far behind.

Following a flyout of Matt McLain, Pallante left a 94.9 mph fastball over the middle of the plate Hector Rodriguez. Rodriguez sent the pitch to center field to score two runs but was thrown out at second base trying to extend his single into a double.

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