Cardinals capture series win to close out home schedule

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMIZ)

St. Louis saluted its home fans in the team's final game at Busch Stadium this season, claiming a 2-1 win over Cleveland on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals, who have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, improved their record to 79-77 following their series victory over the 90-win Guardians.

Andre Pallante's premier performance paved the way for Oliver Marmol's crew to protect their home field. The third-year right-hander tossed seven innings of one-hit baseball and allowed just one earned run while striking out four batters.

The Redbirds faced a 1-0 deficit in the sixth inning after Austin Hedges successfully scored a run with a sacrifice bunt to first base, but the Cardinals quickly tied the game in the home half of that frame. Nolan Arenado knotted the contest with an RBI infield single before Lars Nootbaar scored on a wild pitch one inning later to give the home team its first advantage of the afternoon.

From there, Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley slammed the door on the Guardians, giving up just one combined hit in their two innings out of the bullpen. Helsley earned his 47th save of the season, which leads all of Major League Baseball.

Arenado and Brendan Donovan led the team's five-hit effort with a pair of multi-hit performances. Masyn Winn also tallied one hit in the contest.

Up next - The Cardinals will end their season with back-to-back road series, starting with a trip to face the Rockies. First pitch of that three-game set is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7:40 p.m.