ST. LOUIS, MO – April 16, 2025 – The Houston Astros wrapped up their road trip to St. Louis with a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals last night at Busch Stadium, giving the Cardinals the series win, two games to one. A key three-run home run by Lars Nootbaar proved to be the decisive blow.
Cardinals starter Steven Matz (1-0) earned his first win of the season, delivering five strong innings. He allowed just one earned run on two hits while striking out five. Relievers Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy, and Phil Maton held the Astros in check before Ryan Helsley (3rd save) closed out the game in the ninth.
Astros starter Ronel Blanco (1-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks over five innings.
The Astros got on the board early in the first inning. Jose Altuve led off with a single, advanced on a groundout, and then scored on an RBI groundout by Isaac Paredes, giving Houston a brief 1-0 lead.
However, the Cardinals responded forcefully in the fifth inning. After two runners reached base, Lars Nootbaar crushed a three-run home run to center field off Blanco, his third of the season, giving St. Louis a 3-1 lead they would not relinquish. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Thomas Saggese hit an RBI double, making the score 4-1.
The Astros offense struggled to generate any further scoring opportunities, managing only four hits in the entire contest.
The loss drops the Astros’ record to 8-10 as they conclude their road series.