Cardinals secure a dominating victory over the Reds: 6-0 and 9-1, with Contreras belt out a three-run homerun in the initial inning.
CINCINNATI - In a hard-fought doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on April 30, 2025, the St. Louis Cardinals swept both games, securing wins of 6-0 and 9-1. The offensive barrage was spearheaded by two Venezuelan players, Willson Contreras and Pedro Pagés, who each hit home runs.
The first game was a resumption of a match suspended due to rain on Tuesday. In the ninth inning, Victor Scott II, Lars Nootbaar, and Masyn Winn connected for three consecutive home runs, securing the Cardinals' 6-0 victory and putting an end to the Reds' five-game winning streak. Miles Mikolas recorded the win, allowing just three hits and no walks over 5⅓ innings, while Kyle Leahy, JoJo Romero, and Matt Svanson combined for the shutout.
In the second game, Contreras excelled, going 4-for-2 with two runs and three RBIs, while Pagés went 4-for-1 with a run and two RBIs. The duo's home runs came off 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Chase Petty, who made his Major League debut in disappointing fashion. In 2⅓ innings, Petty surrendered nine runs, seven hits, and two walks, striking out three batters. Petty's rough outing led to his immediate demotion to Triple-A following the game, underscoring the difficulties even top prospects face adjusting to MLB hitters[1][4].
St. Louis starter Steven Matz allowed five hits and struck out six batters in four scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.50. Gordon Graceffo earned his first Major League win, yielding one run and two hits in five innings, with five strikeouts and no walks. St. Louis improved to 2-12 on the road this season, matching its total number of road wins[2].
For the Reds, Elly de la Cruz went 3-for-2 with a run, while Noelvi Marte and Santiago Espinal both recorded four hits. De La Cruz extended his hit streak to 13 games, the longest of his career with the Reds[3].
Following the game, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was ejected by home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman for arguing a called strike on Winn, his 17th career ejection and second this season. This protest came towards the end of Winn's impressive performance, in which he hit two home runs in the game, including one in the third pitch of the game against Brady Singer[1][4].
[1] ESPN - Petty's Debut: A Rough Day for the Prospect (April 30, 2025)[2] MLB - Cardinals Struggle on the Road (April 30, 2025)[3] Baseball Reference - Reds' Offensive Output (April 30, 2025)[4] The Athletic - Petty's Debut Casts Doubt on Readiness (May 1, 2025)[5] Cincinnati Enquirer - Petty Shows Progress in Second MLB Start (May 12, 2025)
The average runs scored by St. Louis Cardinals players in the April 30 doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds was exceptionally high, with Willson Contreras and Pedro Pagés each hitting home runs and contributing significantly to the team's total of 15 runs. Chase Petty, the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher making his Major League debut in the second game, had a rough outing, allowing nine runs in 2⅓ innings.
