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PHILADELPHIA — When the winning streak came to an end, it wasn’t a blast that did it, it wasn't a bombardment, nor was it clunker. It was a flare just out of reach of the Cardinals' shortstop.

A tense pitchers' duel developed between Erick Fedde and Philadelphia lefty Jesus Luzardo through the first six innings of Wednesday’s afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park. Neither starter or pitching staff offered much room at all, so hits had to be found wherever possible. The Cardinals broke a scoreless tie with a grounder threaded through the infield, and the Phillies answered with a well-placed lob shot that proved the difference in a 2-1 loss.

The Phillies found the hit the Cardinals did not.

"We missed missed some opportunities, and that's how you're going to lose ballgames," manager Oliver Marmol said. "A couple of well-placed balls by them for runs."

In the first game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia, the Cardinals’ winning streak halted at nine at the same time the offense mustered nothing against Luzardo and the bullpen leaked only slightly — but even then it was the first dribble in a week.

The Cardinals cracked the scoreless tie in the top of the seventh. Ivan Herrera’s double made it possible, and Jordan Walker slipped a 107-mph ground-ball single to left field that brought home Herrera for a 1-0 lead. After six innings without either team scoring a run, the Cardinals’ lead did not last an inning. The Phillies turned an infield single, an overturned out call at second base, and Bryce Harper’s flare to center field into a two-run rally.

Once the Cardinals had starter Luzardo (4-0) out of the game, they immediately generated a chance to tie the game — at the least. Lars Nootbaar welcomed reliever Jose Alvarado with a leadoff single in the eighth inning. Alvarado walked Masyn Winn, and by the time the Phillies got another reliever involved, cleanup hitter Nolan Arenado was at the plate with two teammates in scoring position, one out and numerous ways to get a run home to tie the game.

Arenado popped up to first base.

Willson Contreras, who extended his on-base streak to 25 games with a walk and a single earlier Wednesday, struck out to end the inning.

Phillies closer Jordan Romano struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth to secure his fourth save and send the series into the late half of the Cardinals’ fourth doubleheader already this season.

Upon further review, Phillies take lead

The bottom of the seventh inning featured as many replay challenges by the Phillies as runs but not as many outs on the basepaths as it could have.

That proved a problem for the Cardinals.

Steven Matz entered the game to help free Fedde from a two-walk mess in the sixth inning and did. The lefty remained in the game to face the bottom of the Phillies lineup and carry a 1-0 lead to the later innings. Pinch hitter Weston Wilson revved Philadelphia’s rally with a single to left, and then catcher Rafael Marchan nearly derailed it. Again.

Marchan strayed from first base into a double play in the third inning, and then in the seventh, he tried to race for second on his single to right.

Savvily, Arenado ran toward the throw from right to get it quicker and zip a throw to Winn at second base. The tag beat Marchan easily to second.

Or so it appeared.

The Phillies challenged the out the call, and a replay showed that Marchan’s batting helmet came off and connected with Winn’s glove. Marchan’s hand got in to the base before the glove connected with him. Instead of two outs and a runner at third, the Phillies had two runners in scoring position and the top of their order up to tie game.

It took three batters for them to take the lead.

Bryson Stott chopped a harder grounder that glanced off Brendan Donovan’s glove for an RBI single and a tie game, at 1-1. Harper followed with a two-out flare to center field that dropped just beyond Winn’s glove. Marchan scored for a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals shortstop retrieved the ball and threw home to beat Stott’s attempt to score. Catcher Pedro Pages caught Winn’s strike and met Stott a stride ahead of the plate — and that prompted another challenge from the Phillies that Pages blocked the path home.

The challenge was rejected.

The out was confirmed.

The inning was over.

But so was the Cardinals lead.

The runs ended Matz’s streak of 14 1/3 scoreless innings, and they were the first against the Cardinals bullpen in more than a week. Relievers had pitched 23 consecutive scoreless innings, all of them during the nine-game winning streak.

Fedde takes it to the Bank

One of a few ballparks out east that Fedde had no fun visiting while a member of the Washington Nationals, Citizens Bank Park was a particularly unwelcoming place. No batteries were hurled, but Fedde’s ERA sure had welts from what the Phillies threw at him.

In six previous games (all starts) at South Philly ballpark, Fedde had a 7.45 ERA, and he allowed 33 hits and 48 base runners in 29 innings. His only wins as a starter came as a matched set back in 2018, his rookie season. Fedde had not pitched at the Bank since 2022, and in that time, he globetrotted to Korea and reinvented himself as a pitcher.

On this trip, he got to show the Nationals his new-you success.

On Wednesday, it was the Phillies’ turn to see.

Fedde, with the sixth-inning assist from Matz, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to carry the duel of zeroes into the seventh inning. With his complete game shutout of the Nationals at the opening of this road trip, Fedde ran his scoreless steak to 14 2/3 innings, and he lopped more than a run off his ERA at CBP.

"I try to look at myself since I've come back from Korea as a new guy," Fedde said.

Three times the Phillies got a runner into scoring position against Fedde, and each time he was able to slip loose of any trouble. Going into the seventh inning, the Phillies were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. In the second inning, Fedde struck out Brandon Marsh with two runners on. In the fourth, Fedde’s former Las Vegas high school teammate Harper ripped a double into the right field corner. Harper raced to third on a deep fly ball from Kyle Schwarber, and all the Phillies needed was to get a ball out of the infield to snap the scoreless tie.

They did not.

Infield-in smothers rally

With Harper at third and the two pitchers in control of the scoreboard, the Cardinals opted to squeeze the infield in against right-handed batter Nick Castellanos. If he put it in the air, Harper would score regardless of if an outfielder got to it. By bringing in the infielders, the Cardinals opened up some seams but closed off the possibility of a groundout getting Harper home.

And Fedde was getting the grounders.

The Cardinals right-hander would finish his start with six groundouts.

Fedde challenged Castellanos with a pair of sweepers, and then two of his final three pitches were sinkers. Castellanos pulled a sharp grounder toward shortstop — and Winn dove to his right to snag it not too far from the edge of the grass. Winn’s quick glove froze Harper at third. Another groundout and Fedde was out of the inning without Harper advancing.