The St. Louis Cardinals handed the Cincinnati Reds a 7-0 shutout on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Busch Stadium, with Andre Pallante delivering seven innings of near-flawless pitching to earn the win. Hunter Greene took the loss after surrendering six earned runs in 5.1 innings. The Reds were held to just three hits across nine innings, never threatening to get on the board in a lopsided division loss.

Pallante Shuts Down Reds Lineup Over Seven Innings

Pallante was simply untouchable. The Cardinals right-hander went seven full innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out eight Reds batters. He gave St. Louis everything it needed and more, exiting with a comfortable lead and a performance that made the outcome feel settled well before the final out.

Gordon Graceffo came on in relief and kept the shutout intact over the final two innings, adding four more strikeouts while allowing just one hit and two walks. The Cardinals' pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts on the night and held Cincinnati to a three-hit total — a thorough, professional performance from start to finish.

Hunter Greene Struggles as Cardinals Offense Breaks Through

Greene's night was the mirror image of Pallante's. Greene was roughed up in a way that stings. The Reds right-hander gave up eight hits and two walks in 5.1 innings, allowing six earned runs before being pulled. He struck out just three — a number that tells the real story: the Cardinals weren't grinding out at-bats, they were barreling balls and making hard contact with regularity.

St. Louis spread the damage across the lineup. Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Iván Herrera was 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Jordan Walker added two more hits in four at-bats. It was a balanced, consistent Cardinals offensive effort that put the game away early and left the Reds with no path back into it.

Sam Moll and Chase Petty came on in relief for Cincinnati after Greene's exit. Moll worked two-thirds of an inning, allowing no runs on no hits. Petty handled two full innings, striking out two while allowing two hits, and keeping the score where it was — but by then the Reds were already down seven runs with nothing on the board, and the shutout was a foregone conclusion.

On offense, the Reds were invisible. Cincinnati managed just three hits across nine full innings against Pallante and Graceffo, and not a single position player did enough to warrant singling out — because the source data offers no Reds batter who made a meaningful mark. That's the honest truth of this one: the Cardinals didn't just beat the Reds, they erased them. A division opponent held you to zero runs and zero moments of real threat. That's not a competitive loss. That's a shutout in every sense of the word.

Turning Point: The Cardinals' Early Offensive Surge

The game turned on Greene's inability to keep St. Louis off the bases through the middle innings. With Burleson, Herrera, and Walker all making consistent contact, the Cardinals built their seven-run advantage before Greene's night was over. Once that margin was established against a Reds lineup that couldn't generate any offense against Pallante, the result was never in doubt.

Key Performances

  • Andre Pallante (SP, STL): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K — W
  • Gordon Graceffo (RP, STL): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
  • Hunter Greene (SP, CIN): 5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K — L
  • Alec Burleson (STL): 3-for-4, 1 RBI
  • Iván Herrera (STL): 2-for-4, 2 RBI
  • Jordan Walker (STL): 2-for-4

What's Next for the Reds

Cincinnati will look to bounce back in the next game of this division series against St. Louis. Getting Greene back on track will be a priority — a six-earned-run outing against a division rival is not something a rotation anchor can afford to shrug off. But the deeper concern is the offense. Three hits. Zero runs. Zero moments where it felt like the Reds might actually get something going. In a division race, these are the losses that linger. The Cardinals didn't just win — they made it look easy, and that's the part that should sting most for Reds fans heading into tomorrow.