Cardinals rally in ninth inning to beat Diamondbacks

Iván Herrera ended a see-saw night at Chase Field with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, driving home José Fermín and pushing the St. Louis Cardinals past the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4. The finish left Paul Sewald with the final blow in a game that stayed tight long enough to be decided by one clean swing of contact and one rushed defensive response.

The Cardinals had already built enough offense to survive the late pressure. Rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a solo home run, and Masyn Winn delivered three RBIs, including a two-run single in the first inning that gave St. Louis an early jolt. Winn also made a diving stop in the field as the Cardinals worked to keep Arizona from turning the game in its favor.

Michael McGreevy held up his end for St. Louis by allowing two runs on six hits before handing the game to the bullpen. That bullpen then had to protect a narrow margin against an Arizona lineup that kept finding ways to extend innings. Geraldo Perdomo opened one sequence with a standup triple, José Herrera added an RBI single and Perdomo later drove in two more runs with a two-run single, keeping the Diamondbacks within reach deep into the night.

The decisive final frame belonged to Herrera. With the bases loaded, he sent a sacrifice fly off Sewald that scored Fermín and broke the tie, turning a tense road game into a one-run Cardinals win. Arizona never found the answer in its last turn, and the home club was left to absorb a loss after carrying the contest into the ninth.

For St. Louis, the victory showed how quickly a game can flip when the bullpen holds long enough for the offense to strike again. It also gave the Cardinals another one-run result in a matchup that kept swinging between Arizona and St. Louis, a useful kind of edge in a season where every late-inning decision can shape the standings.