By MATT PIKE
Top prospect JJ Wetherholt homered, 14 total runs scored in the sixth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals walked away from Opening Day winners, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 9-7 at Busch Stadium.
After flying out to center field in the first at bat of his major league career, Wetherholt the top prospect for St. Louis, and the #5 prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline, came back up to the plate in the third inning leading off and on an 0-2 count took a ball just outside the strike zone back to center field, this time though it carried 425 feet over the wall, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and Wetherholt his first major league hit, home run, and curtain call.
St. Louis held that lead through the first four innings, the Rays tied the game in the fifth though on a Jonathan Aranda solo home run with two outs. Matthew Liberatore gave up back to back singles, but escaped the inning forcing Jonny DeLuca to ground into a forceout. After a scoreless bottom half of the inning, things got wild in the sixth frame.
Matt Svanson replaced Liberatore, but loaded the bases with one out, and was relieved by Justin Bruihl. A single from Chandler Simpson and a sac fly from Aranda gave the Rays a 3-1 lead, and after Bruihl walked Junior Caminero to reload the bases, it was back to the bullpen for Chris Roycroft. Roycroft didn't fare much better, giving up singles to Ben Williamson, DeLuca and Nick Fortes to push the Tampa Bay lead to 7-1 before getting Cedric Mullins to line out to right for the final out. Mullins was both the first and the final out of the inning.
Signs of the youth rebuild showing, it seemed like the Cardinals opening day would be spoiled, but St. Louis answered with a big bottom half of the sixth scoring eight runs. Alec Burleson singled to open the inning and Masyn Winn doubled before both scored on a single by Nolan Gorman. Gorman advanced to third in the next at bat on a ground rule double from Jordan Walker, and suddenly the Cardinals were down by just two as Nathan Church singled to score Walker and Gorman making it 7-5, and the Rays pulled Ian Seymour, who replaced starter Drew Rasmussen, for Garrett Cleavinger.
With still no outs in the inning, the hits continued to come for the Cardinals, loading the bases on singles from Pedro Pagés and Victor Scott II, before the Rays finally got the first out of the inning forcing Wetherholt to fly out, the rookie driving in his second run of the game on a sacrifice fly as Church scored from third and Pagés advanced to third base. Griffin Jax replaced Cleavinger on the mound, Scott II stole second base, and St. Louis tied the game on another sacrifice fly, this time from Iván Herrera, scoring Pagés to tie the game 7-7.
The game tied, Burleson at the plate for the second time in the inning as the Cardinals batted around, and Scott II now standing at third base, on the sixth pitch of the at bat, Burleson gave St. Louis the lead back for the first time since Wetherholt's home run, hitting his first home run of the season, a two run 432 foot blast to right field capping of the scoring in the inning, and the game to put the Cardinals up 9-7 as Winn flew out to center field to end the inning.
JoJo Romero came on in relief for the seventh, getting two outs, but also giving up two singles before being replaced by Riley O' Brien. O'Brien recorded the final out of the seventh, and also pitched a scoreless eighth, giving up just a single before handing the ball to Ryne Stanek to end the game. Stanek got into trouble, walking the bases loaded with three outs, but recorded the save, striking out Richie Palacios to end the game.
Burleson led the Cardinals at the plate going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI's, also walking once. Scott II was also 3-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases. On the mound, O'Brien earned the win, moving to 1-0, pitching 1.1 innings giving up one hit and striking out two. Stanek earning the save walked three and struckout one in one inning.
In his first career Opening Day start, Liberatore pitched five innings and gave up one run on seven hits, walking two and striking out two. At the plate, also in his first career Opening Day, Wetherholt was 1-for-4 with two RBI's and a strikeout.
St. Louis has on off day on Friday, before resuming Opening Week on Saturday against Tampa Bay. Michael McGreevy is set to make his season debut for the Cardinals against Joe Boyle for the Rays. First pitch is at 1:15pm, pregame will air near the start around 1:05pm on KY 102 (102.5 FM)
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.