Erick Fedde fans 10 as Cardinals beat Rockies 5-2 for 4th straight win

Iván Herrera recorded two hits and scored twice, while Masyn Winn contributed with a triple and a double. Erick Fedde struck out ten batters as the St. Louis Cardinals secured a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday evening.

Pedro Pagés delivered two RBI singles, and Thomas Saggese added two hits for the Cardinals, who have now achieved four consecutive wins and aim to complete a series sweep in the finale on Thursday.

Brenton Doyle hit a home run to start the bottom of the ninth against Matthew Liberatore, who was subsequently replaced by Ryan Helsley after allowing a one-out walk to Michael Toglia. Sam Hilliard then grounded into a game-ending double play on the first pitch he faced from Helsley, who recorded his 48th save in 52 opportunities.

Helsley matched the club record for saves in a season, previously set by Trevor Rosenthal, who also achieved 48 saves in 2015.

“One pitch. Awesome job. It’s a good way to do it. But he came in and made it look awful easy,” stated Cardinal's manager Oliver Marmol. “He’s worked so hard for this. He’s taken the ball a lot and he’s been extremely effective.”

Aaron Schunk provided an RBI single for the Rockies (60-98), who must win three of their final four games to avoid a second consecutive 100-loss season. Colorado set a franchise record with 103 losses last year. The Rockies will conclude their season with a weekend series against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fedde (9-9) delivered a strong performance, pitching seven innings and conceding only one run on six hits, thereby ending a streak of four consecutive losses. He recorded 10 strikeouts, just one short of his career-best, which he achieved against Minnesota on April 23 while playing for the Chicago White Sox. The Cardinals acquired him on July 29 through a three-team trade involving the Dodgers and the White Sox.

“It’s a dream ending in a sense,” Fedde remarked. “It serves as a reminder of my capabilities. This experience will leave me with a positive feeling as I head into the offseason, providing a foundation for future growth.”

Austin Gomber, a former member of the Cardinals, pitched five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Colorado obtained Gomber (5-12) along with four other players in exchange for Nolan Arenado in a trade with St. Louis in February 2021. Gomber has established himself as a key player in the Rockies' rotation.

“He held his ground,” Rockies manager Bud Black stated. “He made 30 starts this season and pitched over 160 innings. He consistently rose to the occasion throughout the season. Tonight, he competed fiercely, but they managed to score four runs off him in five innings. Some of his good pitches were simply hit well. Ultimately, he was outperformed by Fedde today.”

Saggese’s two-out double in the second inning brought Herrera home from second base. In the third inning, Winn hit a triple and subsequently scored on Brendan Donovan’s sacrifice fly, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

The Rockies responded with Schunk’s RBI single in the bottom of the third, but the Cardinals countered with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, thanks to Pagés’ RBI single and Paul Goldschmidt’s sacrifice fly, which allowed Winn to score after he had doubled and advanced to third on a groundout.