Phillies fall 3-2 as Cardinals stay annoyingly hot

The Phillies had their chances. They battled back twice. But when you’re playing a team on an eight-game heater, you can’t afford mistakes—or to leave the door cracked open. And the Phillies did both Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, falling 3-2 to the infuriatingly red-hot St. Louis Cardinals, who now have nine straight wins in their back pocket.

Masyn Winn delivered the gut punch—a two-out solo homer off Matt Strahm in the seventh that broke a 2-2 tie and felt like a sucker punch to the midsection. From there, the Cards’ bullpen did what the Phillies’ couldn’t—they slammed the door.

Masyn Winn homers to give the @Cardinals the lead! pic.twitter.com/X6BngIysEY
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2025

Cristopher Sánchez did his job, striking out eight over six innings and giving up just two runs. But the offense couldn’t pick him up when it mattered most. After scratching back runs to erase two St. Louis leads—thanks to J.T. Realmuto’s double and RBI groundout—the bats fell silent late.

When you’re trying to hand a team like the Cardinals their first loss in two weeks, you can’t do silent.

Missed Chances, Sloppy Moments

In the fourth, Nolan Arenado walked and ended up scoring when Pedro Pagés hit a fielder’s choice. The inning could’ve been avoided entirely if the Phils hadn’t botched a video review, letting Arenado get second life on a challenged call at second. Sloppy.

The Phillies tied it right back up in the bottom half, but they also left meat on the bone—Edmundo Sosa’s infield single forced an error from Arenado, allowing Realmuto to score, but the rally fizzled from there.

After Ivan Herrera’s solo homer in the sixth, Kyle Schwarber (who extended his on-base streak to 47 games) sparked another quick answer with a leadoff single. Realmuto brought him home with a fielder’s choice, but again, that was all they’d get.

The dagger came in the eighth when the Phillies put the tying run in scoring position, but JoJo Romero came in and got Bryson Stott to fly out weakly to left. Rally over. Game over.

Ryan Helsley made quick work of the ninth, retiring the side in order. If you blinked, you missed it.

Up Next for the Phillies

Back at it today…

Sonny Gray (4-1, 3.50 ERA) gets the ball for the Cards, while the Phillies will turn to Jesús Luzardo (3-0, 2.11 ERA)—who’s been nails so far this season.

Gear Up in the Shop >>

The Phillies need to flush this one and stop letting these gettable games against good teams slip away. Right now, the Cardinals look like a team that’s not going to hand you anything.