Riley O’Brien struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning in a 5-3 win over the Guardians.
O’Brien was great here, throwing 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and securing his fifth save of the season. There was some concern that O’Brien’s role as the best reliever in the Cardinals’ bullpen wouldn’t mean much on a rebuilding team, but the Cardinals are now 10-8 on the season. If they can keep games close, they are likely going to squeak out close victories, which should mean more save opportunities for O’Brien than many anticipated.