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After giving up seven runs on eight hits in a July 9 start against the Nationals, Pallante surrendered six runs (five earned) on night hits across 4 2/3 innings Friday night against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Pallante gave up hard contact — that being balls in play with exit velocities of 95 mph or higher, per Statcast — on nine of the 20 balls Arizona hitters put in play against him in the Cardinals’ 7-3 loss in their first game coming out of the All-Star break.

The start left Pallante (5-6) with a 4.71 ERA on the season. He's allowed 13 runs in 10 2/3 innings between his two most recent starts.

Diamondbacks hitters knocked Pallante for three runs in the second inning that all came on a pair of two-out singles from Jose Herrera and Geraldo Perdomo. The righty allowed another two runs to score in the third inning on hard-hit singles from Adrian Del Castillo and Eugenio Suarez.

The Cardinals (51-47) were held scoreless and to four hits through seven innings against Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt scattered three singles through his first six innings and worked with multiple runners on base twice in the start. The start was the Arizona righty’s second of seven or more innings and two or fewer runs allowed.

A two-out, bases-loaded opportunity presented itself for the Cardinals in the eighth inning when Arizona turned to lefty Andrew Saalfrank. Nolan Arenado’s broken bat ground out to third base quieted any late rally.

The three runs scored by the Cardinals came across in the ninth inning. Two of the three runs were provided by a two-run homer from Victor Scott II.

Bats held back by Pfaadt

In the two innings the Cardinals put multiple runners on base against Pfaadt, they had two outs to work with and came up empty each time.

When a single from Pedro Pages and a hit by pitch of Brendan Donovan put runners on first and second base with one out in the third inning, Pfaadt struck out Ivan Herrera on a five-pitch sequence that ended with the Cardinals’ designated hitter swinging awkwardly on a changeup. A pop out by Alec Burleson in the next at-bat ended the scoring chance.

A leadoff double in the seventh inning from Willson Contreras that came up just shy of being a home run and a single from Masyn Winn put two runners on base with one out for the bottom third of the Cardinals’ lineup.

Jordan Walker, who was activated from the IL early Friday, struck out as he could not get a swing off on a 1-2 fastball from Pfaadt. Pages, who batted with Winn at second base following a successful steal attempt, got into a 3-1 count, fouled off a fastball, and saw his line drive to center field get hauled in by Alek Thomas to end the frame.

Singles adding up

To push across the three runs they scored off Pallante in the second inning and the two against the Cardinals' righty in the third, the Diamondbacks collected six hits, all of which were singles.

Three of the six singles Arizona strung together came with two outs in the second inning.

A two-out single in the second from Alek Thomas advanced Adrian Del Castillo to second base after Del Castillo laced a one-out single to center field earlier in the frame. A single from Jose Herrera scored Del Castillo and allowed Thomas to go from first to third base, putting runners on the corners for Corbin Carroll, who walked.

Following a mound visit as Pallante’s pitch count neared 40, Perdomo’s single to center field scored Thomas and Herrera to leave Pallante with a three-run frame.

An inning later, after the Cardinals were set down in order, a leadoff walk and singles from Eugenio Suarez and Del Castillo pushed across a fourth run and put runners on first and third base. Thomas’s groundout to shortstop allowed a third run to score as Suarez was able to score from third base.

Thomas takes away extra bases

Back from the injured list and in the Cardinals’ starting lineup because of Nolan Gorman’s late scratch due to back tightness, Jordan Walker had his hardest hit ball of the night result in an out thanks to Thomas’s highlight-reel catch.

On a fly ball Walker pulled to center field with a 103.2 mph exit velocity, Thomas, the Diamondbacks’ center fielder, made a leaping catch into the outfield wall to haul in the first out of the inning.

The fly ball by Walker traveled a projected 411 feet and would have been a home run in 27 of the 30 major league ballparks, per Statcast.  

Winn lays out

For Pallante to get through the first inning unscathed, his pitch-to-contact approach was backed by a nifty play on the infield.

With Perdomo standing at third base with one out following his triple to right-center field and Cardinals infielders playing even with the bags, shortstop Winn ranged to his left and made a diving grab on a ground ball Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit with a 107.3 mph exit velocity, per Statcast, and threw out Gurriel with ease.

The diving play kept Perdomo at third base. Pallante stranded Perdomo in scoring position to end the inning with a fly ball to right field against Josh Naylor.