Cards' Pallante, Thompson pitch Dogs to win
This browser does not support the video element.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Cardinals hitters have impressed throughout the Arizona Fall League, but it was the pitchers who grabbed the headlines Tuesday.
Andre Pallante and Zack Thompson led Glendale to a 5-1 win over Salt River as the duo combined for nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings at Camelback Ranch.
Pallante twirled four scoreless frames and threw 37 of his 54 pitches for strikes, picking up his first win of the fall in the process.
“Felt good,” Pallante said. “Definitely not my hardest throwing outing, but I was in command of my stuff. I was able to throw all three pitches for strikes, hit my spots well and that plays.”
The 23-year-old retired the first batter he faced on one pitch and that set the tone as he cruised through the rest of his outing. Pallante threw first-pitch strikes to 11 of the 14 batters he faced. He yielded just two hits, struck out six and didn’t issue a walk for the first time this fall.
Pallante, who was sitting at 97 mph with his fastball, said he knew he had full command of his arsenal during his pregame catch. The right-hander was able to put the ball where he wanted to and it showed all afternoon. He struck out the side in the third inning and retired each of the final eight batters he faced.
“What I’m working on is walking less guys,” Pallante said. “The first thing to do that is first-pitch strikes. I was able to attack hitters with all three of my main pitchers. I think I threw a first-pitch strike with all of them today. That’s just so important, gets you in good counts, lets you strike guys out, puts hitters off balance.”
This browser does not support the video element.
Pallante’s impressive Fall League follows up a season in which he reached the upper levels of the Minors for the first time. Through six AFL appearances (four of which have been scoreless), he has posted a 1.59 ERA and racked up 22 strikeouts over 17 innings.
The fourth-round pick in the 2019 Draft made two appearances for Triple-A Memphis, but spent the bulk of the year with Double-A Springfield. He struck out 86 over 99 1/3 frames and finished the season with a 3.81 ERA over 23 games (22 starts).
“It’s the same game no matter what level it is,” Pallante said of the jump to Double-A this season. “My job is the same thing it’s always been -- throw strikes, throw quality strikes. That’s the only difference, just throw a little bit more quality strikes, a little bit better. That’s all you have to do.”
Thompson took over for Pallante to start the fifth, and although he wasn’t as dominant, he put up a pair of zeros and successfully worked his way through adversity.
The Cardinals’ No. 8 prospect used a pair of strikeouts to work his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth, lowering his AFL ERA to 1.76 ERA.
The Desert Dogs’ offense relied on the long ball as three of its five runs came on home runs. Anthony Mulrine (Angels) drove in a pair with a two-out double off the wall in the second, Jeremiah Jackson (LAA 5) hit a solo homer in the fourth, Brendan Donovan (STL 18) went deep to right in the fifth and Jacob Amaya (LAD 14) homered in the sixth.