Angels Torch Cardinals in First Inning, Cruise to 5-1 Win
Los Angeles put up five runs in the first inning and never looked back, handing St. Louis a 5-1 defeat on July 22. Jo Adell's 405-foot blast to left center was the exclamation point on a first inning that effectively ended the game before the Cardinals ever got comfortable.
The story of the night was a first inning so lopsided it rendered the next eight innings largely ceremonial. Jorge Soler got it started with a double to left that scored Schanuel and Trout — that single swing pushed LAA's win probability from 62% to 78%, a 16-point lurch that told you everything you needed to know about where this game was headed. Vaughn Grissom followed with a single to right, scoring Soler and moving to second. Then Adell stepped in and hit one 405 feet to left center, scoring Grissom and making it 5-0 before St. Louis had recorded a meaningful answer. Four batters, five runs, ballgame.
Matthew Liberatore absorbed the damage, lasting 5.1 innings but surrendering all nine hits and all five earned runs that LAA would need. Seven strikeouts is a respectable number on paper, but the Cardinals' starter couldn't strand runners when it mattered in that opening frame. Walbert Urena, by contrast, was efficient and composed — six innings, six hits, one earned run, five strikeouts. That's a quality start that looks even better given the offensive cushion he was working with. Ryan Zeferjahn closed things out with a clean inning, striking out three on one hit. St. Louis managed its lone run in the fifth when a fielder's choice to second scored Jordan, but Scott Blewett's two scoreless innings of relief were too little, too late.
Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 and appears to be one of the few Cardinals who showed up ready to compete — but three singles don't move the needle when your pitching staff gives up a five-spot before the home crowd has settled into their seats. On the LAA side, Zach Neto and Jose Siri each went 2-for-4, adding to what looks like a lineup that can do real damage when it gets going. Worth noting: reports indicate the Angels are fielding trade offers for Neto ahead of the deadline. If tonight is any indication of what LAA is capable of when healthy and locked in, moving a piece like that would be a significant subtraction from a lineup that just dismantled a major-league rotation in the first inning.