Liberatore Implodes in Fifth, Rockies Steal 10-7 Win
Colorado scored six runs in the fifth inning — on a wild pitch, a stolen home, an error, and a cascade of singles — to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 6-3 lead. The Rockies never looked back, finishing off St. Louis 10-7.
St. Louis looked in control early. Joshua Baez launched a 422-foot homer to left in the second to put the Cardinals up 1-0, and Ivan Herrera followed with a 443-foot shot to center in the fifth — scoring Church ahead of him — to push it to 3-0. That Herrera blast was the game's biggest momentum moment in the wrong direction for Colorado: the Rockies' win probability swung from 40% to just 20% when it left the bat. What happened next was one of the messier half-innings you'll see at this level.
Matthew Liberatore came apart in the fifth. A throwing error by right fielder Walker let Carrigg score and kept Johnston alive. Amador singled Johnston home. Then Liberatore uncorked a wild pitch that scored Amador and moved Tovar to third — and Tovar promptly stole home while McCarthy swiped second, with a throwing error by catcher Bernal pushing McCarthy all the way to third. Just like that, Colorado led 4-3. Norby singled McCarthy home, Rumfield doubled Norby in, and the inning ended with the Rockies ahead 6-3. Liberatore was charged with 5 earned runs across 4.1 innings, allowing 4 hits and walking 2. The story of the night was that fifth inning — it was a perfect storm of wild pitches, stolen bases, and defensive mistakes that St. Louis simply couldn't survive.
The Cardinals clawed back in the sixth — a Gorman double scored Bernal, and a Saggese sacrifice fly brought home Báez to make it 6-5 — but Colorado answered in the seventh with three more. Goodman singled home both McCarthy and Tovar, Carrigg singled in Norby, and Veen's sacrifice bunt plated Goodman to push the lead to 10-5. St. Louis made it cosmetically closer with two runs in the ninth — Fermín doubled home Saggese and Herrera singled in Fermín — but the final was 10-7. Herrera finished 2-for-5 with a homer and 3 RBI; Baez went 2-for-4 with a homer and 2 runs scored. For Colorado, Goodman drove in 2 and Carrigg and Amador each added an RBI. Mason Adams gave Colorado 4.2 innings of work, allowing 8 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 7 — a serviceable outing that the bullpen, and Colorado's own offense, made look just good enough.