What They Said: Finchem, Brown, Calfee

Even the excitement of a Little League grand slam couldn’t save the Rockies from an inevitable defeat on Friday at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Rockies on the second night of the four-game series, as St. Louis got to Colorado pitchers early and then late in the game. After Austin Gomber’s rough opening, the Cardinals’ decisive swings came by tagging Matt Carasiti for a three-run eighth. In the defeat, the Rockies were subpar in clutch situations, finishing the game 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding nine runners. Gomber, owner of an unsightly 8.18 ERA in the first inning this year entering Friday, continued that trend. The Cardinals scored three in the opening inning off the southpaw via Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI infield single, Nolan Arenado’s sacrifice fly and Nolan Gorman’s RBI single to center.

Another sugar substitute linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke, Cleveland Clinic says WFLASugar substitute xylitol linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke The Washington PostAnother popular low-calorie sweetener increases risk of heart attacks and strokes, Cleveland Clinic researche cleveland.comSugar Substitute Linked to Heart, Thrombotic Risk Medpage TodayPopular sweetener found in many snacks may have deadly consequences New York Post

Everything We Noticed During SpaceX's Thrilling Fourth Test of Starship GizmodoSpaceX Starship launches on nail-biting 4th test flight of world's most powerful rocket (video, photos) Space.comThe World's Most Powerful Rocket Is One Step Closer to Mars Popular MechanicsSpaceX’s Starship completes first full test flight after surviving re-entry Al Jazeera EnglishElon Musk's Starship makes a test flight without exploding The Economist

Pfizer's Paxlovid fails as 15-day treatment for long COVID, study finds Yahoo FinancePaxlovid Doesn't Cure Long COVID TIMEPaxlovid fails to improve long COVID symptoms in small study University of Minnesota Twin CitiesAntiviral drug Paxlovid failed to treat long COVID, new study says NewsdayPaxlovid Fails to Quell Long Covid Symptoms in Stanford Study Bloomberg

Investing in Space: Boeing and SpaceX had a major week that put their differences on display CNBCCan Boeing Catch Up with SpaceX? City JournalNASA Updates Coverage for Boeing's Starliner Launch, Docking NASABoeing's astronaut capsule arrives at the space station after thruster trouble The Associated Press

New COVID variant KP.3 climbs to 25%, now largest in CDC estimates CBS NewsNew 'FLiRT' COVID Variants Could Be Driving an Uptick in Cases. Here's How to Avoid Them Scientific AmericanCOVID Omicron FLiRT subvariants KP.2, KP.3, KP.1.1 FortuneA guide to managing COVID this summer The Seattle TimesWhat to make of the new COVID variants, FLiRT MPR News