ST. LOUIS – In a disappointing night for the Philadelphia Phillies, they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 2-0 on Friday, April 11, 2025. The loss marked the Phillies' first shutout of the season and their first consecutive defeats, dropping their record to 8-5. The Cardinals improved to 6-7, showcasing a strong performance led by pitcher Andre Pallante.
Pallante was dominant on the mound, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing only two singles. He struck out four batters and walked two, effectively neutralizing the Phillies' offense throughout the game. The Cardinals' bullpen also contributed, with Phil Maton retiring the side in the eighth and Ryan Helsley securing his second save of the season despite giving up a leadoff single in the ninth.
The Phillies' offense struggled significantly, managing just three hits all night. The experiment of placing Bryson Stott in the leadoff spot failed to ignite the bats, as the team only had five baserunners. Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh both walked, while Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos each recorded a single. The lack of offensive production was evident, especially after their previous night’s all-nighter against the Braves.
On the other side, Aaron Nola, who had previously been 4-0 in five starts against St. Louis since the 2022 NL wild-card playoffs, took the loss, bringing his record to 0-3 this season. Nola allowed two runs on seven hits over five innings, striking out seven but struggling with his command, issuing four walks. This marked a stark contrast to his earlier outings where he had only walked one batter in his first two starts.
The Cardinals scored both of their runs in a critical fifth inning. Thomas Saggese led off with an infield single, and after a double by rookie catcher Yohel Pozo, he came around to score. Pozo, who had entered the game in the second inning after Masyn Winn left with lower back spasms, finished the night with an impressive 3-for-4 performance, matching his career high for hits. After a single by Lars Nootbaar put runners on the corners with no outs, Nola managed to strike out the next two batters. However, he lost his command, walking Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson, which forced in Pozo and sealed the Phillies' fate at 2-0.
Despite the disappointing result, Nola's performance was not without its highlights. He showcased his ability to strike out batters, racking up seven strikeouts, including some impressive pitches, like his filthy 78 mph knuckle curve, which caught the attention of fans and analysts alike.
The Phillies will need to regroup quickly as they prepare for the middle game of the series against the Cardinals. Cristopher Sánchez is set to take the mound for Philadelphia, facing off against St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas. Sánchez, who has a 4.09 ERA so far this season, will be looking to help the Phillies bounce back and avoid a series loss.
As the Phillies reflect on their struggles against the Cardinals, they will need to find a way to ignite their offense and reclaim their winning form in the upcoming games. With a season still in its early stages, the team remains hopeful that they can turn things around and build momentum moving forward.
