Hunter Dobbins delivered six scoreless innings in his return to the major leagues, and JJ Wetherholt broke a scoreless tie with a sixth-inning home run as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 on Wednesday night.
Recalled from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day, Dobbins scattered six hits, struck out five, and did not issue a walk to help St. Louis end a four-game losing streak. The Cardinals’ bullpen protected the slim lead over the final three innings, with Riley O’Brien recording a tense save.
The Angels received another outstanding outing from Reid Detmers, but were unable to generate the timely hit needed to extend their three-game winning streak.
Dobbins Escapes Early Trouble
Los Angeles threatened several times against Dobbins but could not capitalize.
The right-hander worked out of a first-and-third, two-out jam in the second inning before escaping another scoring opportunity in the third with two runners aboard and one out.
The Angels mounted another threat in the fourth after putting runners on first and third with two outs. Third baseman Blaze Jordan preserved the scoreless game by reaching into the third-base dugout to make a difficult catch on Tyler Heineman’s popup for the final out of the inning.
Dobbins completed six innings while allowing six hits without a walk, improving to 2-1 with one of his strongest performances of the season.
Detmers Matches Him Pitch for Pitch
Detmers nearly matched Dobbins throughout another impressive start.
The left-hander held the Cardinals to one hit through the first five innings despite opening the fifth by issuing two walks. He escaped that inning with help from one of the game’s best defensive plays.
After Jose Fermin hit a ground ball toward third base, Vaughn Grissom made a diving backhand stop, scrambled to the bag for the force out, and fired to first to complete an inning-ending double play. Blaze Jordan then struck out to keep the game scoreless.
Detmers entered the sixth still in control before one mistake changed the outcome.
Wetherholt Breaks The Deadlock
With one out in the sixth inning, Wetherholt turned on an elevated fastball from Detmers and drove it over the center-field wall for his 15th home run of the season.
The solo shot gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead and proved to be the only run either team would score.
Detmers exited after the home run, finishing with another quality performance despite taking the loss. He dropped to 3-7 after allowing one run while keeping the Cardinals’ lineup largely in check for most of the night.
Cardinals Bullpen Finishes The Shutout
St. Louis relied on three relievers to preserve the one-run advantage.
Luis Gastelum pitched a scoreless seventh inning before George Soriano retired the Angels in order in the eighth.
O’Brien handled the ninth and faced his biggest challenge after Los Angeles put two runners on base. The closer struck out Oswald Peraza with an 80 mph sweeper before freezing Josh Lowe with a 98 mph sinker to earn his 26th save of the season.
The bullpen completed the shutout and secured an important victory after the Cardinals had dropped four consecutive games.
Pitching Duel Decided By One Swing
Both starting pitchers dominated in a tightly contested matchup that featured several outstanding defensive plays and missed scoring opportunities.
Dobbins consistently escaped trouble during his season return, while Detmers looked poised to match him until Wetherholt connected for the decisive home run in the sixth inning.
For the Angels, the defeat wasted another strong outing from Detmers as the offense was held scoreless despite putting runners in scoring position multiple times.
Up Next
The Cardinals return home Thursday night to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, with right-hander Michael McGreevy, who is 4-7 with a 2.92 ERA, scheduled to start against Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who enters with a 4-1 record and a 4.58 ERA.
The Angels begin a road series in San Francisco on Friday night. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who is 3-3 with an 8.23 ERA, is expected to face Giants ace Logan Webb, who carries a 5-7 record and a 3.87 ERA.
