The St. Louis Cardinals won their third consecutive game with a 9-4 victory over Houston at Daikin Park on April 18, led by home runs from Nolan Gorman and Iván Herrera. The team used a combination of small ball and power hitting to secure the win.
The Cardinals’ offensive performance was highlighted by Gorman’s three-run homer in the seventh inning and Herrera’s two-run blast in the eighth. “We’ve got a good offense,” Gorman said. “There’s no doubt about that. Tonight was just another night of doing good things.” Manager Oliver Marmol also commented on Gorman’s resilience after striking out in his first three at-bats, saying, “To have three punchouts and then go up there and come up there with a swing as big as the one he had, I mean in this ballpark, adding on runs is important… For him to stay locked in enough to give us that at-bat was great.”
Gorman reached his 200th career run during the game and recorded his tenth career three-run homer. He reflected on his season so far: “Mechanics aren’t too far off… I should be able to play with what I’ve got, but I also have to swing at good pitches.” Meanwhile, Herrera noted improvements at the plate: “I’ve been feeling a little better at the plate… It’s nice to have a couple results. I’ve been hitting the ball hard, too. It’s just unlucky… My swing has been feeling a little better. I’m trying to work every day so I can get back to where I was last year.”
Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to twelve games and contributed an RBI single in the first inning while Masyn Winn added two more runs with a single in the third inning for St. Louis.
Starter Kyle Leahy pitched five innings for St. Louis, allowing three runs on five hits without any walks and striking out six batters before handing over to the bullpen.
The Cardinals matched their season high for runs scored—previously set during their March 26 win over Tampa Bay—and improved their record when scoring first this season to seven wins without any losses.
Herrera summarized the team’s approach: “Everybody here is putting together great at-bats… From one to nine, nobody is an easy out right now. We’re putting the pressure on them.” Marmol added that applying constant pressure remains central: “That’s why I keep saying, regardless of the situation… just the style of play of adding pressure and executing.”
