Guardians Bullpen Squanders Three-Run Lead in Cardinals Walk-Off

Cleveland took a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning at Busch Stadium on Tuesday and lost 6-5 in ten innings. Joey Cantillo pitched six steady innings to get there. Four relievers gave it back.

Cantillo held his own in a game that opened with four home runs in the first three innings. Cleveland's José Ramírez led off the top of the first with his third home run of the season, a fly ball to right. St. Louis answered immediately in the bottom half when Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera matched it with a solo shot to left. Guardians center fielder Daniel Schneemann put Cleveland back in front in the top of the second with a fly ball to center. Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt tied it again in the bottom of the third with a drive to right-center.

Cantillo kept the game there — tied at two — through six innings, scattering five hits, walking two, and striking out four on 82 pitches. Thirteen-and-a-half per inning. He finished the sixth cleanly and manager Stephen Vogt handed the ball to Cleveland's bullpen.

Guardians reliever Shawn Armstrong handled the seventh without allowing a run, working around a single and a stolen base to retire the side.

Cleveland broke the tie in the top of the eighth. Guardians outfielder George Valera grounded a double down the left-field line, scoring Ramírez to make it 3-2. Two batters later, Angel Martínez grounded a double to right, scoring Kyle Manzardo and Juan Brito to push the lead to 5-2.

Cardinals reliever Erik Sabrowski came on and held the Guardians scoreless the rest of the eighth — but Sabrowski had his own trouble in the bottom half. After striking out Thomas Saggese and walking José Fermín, Sabrowski surrendered Wetherholt's second home run of the game, a two-run fly ball to left that scored Fermín and cut the deficit to 5-4.

Cade Smith took over for Cleveland in the ninth with a one-run lead and a save situation. He retired the first two batters, but Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn reached on a fielding error by Guardians second baseman Juan Brito. Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo then lined a sharp double to right, scoring Winn to tie the game at five and hand Smith a blown save.

The game moved to the tenth. Cardinals infielder Thomas Saggese began the inning at second base under extra-innings rules. Cleveland reliever Tim Herrin entered, and Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church lifted a sacrifice fly to right, deep enough to score Saggese with the walk-off run.

The loss belonged to Herrin. The blown save belonged to Smith. The damage that made it possible — the two-run home run that erased a comfortable cushion — came off Sabrowski in the eighth.

Cantillo's 82-pitch effort and a three-run eighth gave Cleveland every reasonable chance to win this game. Whether the bullpen that followed was unlucky, overmatched, or simply had a bad night is a question the Guardians will be sorting through for a while.