Cardinals turn a sixth-inning surge into a statement over the Rays at Busch Stadium

The St. Louis Cardinals moved to 1-0 and the Tampa Bay Rays dropped to 0-1 after a 9-7 finish at Busch Stadium that drew 45,037 and ran 3:04 on CARD.

First inning

The Cardinals opened with 1 hit while the Rays matched it with 1 hit in a scoreless frame that also saw Tampa Bay commit 1 error.

Second inning

The Cardinals again put up 1 hit and the Rays collected 2 hits, and Tampa Bay added its 2nd error while the game stayed scoreless.

Third inning

The Cardinals broke through with 1 run on 1 hit, while the Rays answered with 1 hit and no runs.

Fourth inning

The Cardinals recorded 0 hits and the Rays also had 0 hits in a scoreless inning.

Fifth inning

The Rays evened it by scoring 1 run on 3 hits, and the Cardinals produced 1 hit without scoring.

Sixth inning

The Cardinals vs Rays turning point arrived when the Cards posted 8 runs on 8 hits in the bottom half, while the Rays countered with 6 runs on 7 hits in the top half.

Seventh inning

The Cardinals added 1 hit without scoring, and the Rays tallied 2 hits with 0 runs.

Eighth inning

The Cardinals logged 1 hit and the Rays had 1 hit, and both teams stayed off the board.

Ninth inning

The Rays went 0 runs on 0 hits in the top half as the Cardinals closed out a game in which St. Louis finished with 14 hits and 0 errors, and Tampa Bay ended with 17 hits and 2 errors for this Cardinals vs Rays recap.

In Cardinals vs Rays highlights for St. Louis, Alec Burleson hit 1 home run and drove in 2 runs in his previous game, Nathan Church finished that prior outing with a .750 average and 2 runs batted in, and Matthew Liberatore carried a 1.8 earned run average from that last appearance into a team win that featured 2 stolen bases and a 0.97 on base plus slugging mark.

In post game analysis that reflects Tampa Bay’s night, the Rays scored in 2 innings and had a 6-run sixth, while the Cardinals pitching line allowed 7 earned runs with 6 walks and the St. Louis staff still secured the decision as a group.

The next Rays at Cardinals game is scheduled for 2:15 PM EDT on 2026-03-28 at Busch Stadium at 700 Clark Street in St. Louis, Missouri, and the broadcast is set for CARD. Share this article with other Birds fans and send it to a friend who follows the Rayhawks, too.