TORONTO -- For the second consecutive game,
the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays proved to be no match for the slumping St.
Louis Cardinals.
A day after right-hander Shelby Miller turned in a dominating
three-hit shutout, lefty Jaime Garcia and two relievers kept the
Blue Jays off the scoreboard once again.
Garcia threw seven scoreless innings while Matt Carpenter and Jhonny
Peralta both went deep to power the Cardinals to a 5-0
series-clinching win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday.
"They stuck it to us pretty good the last couple of days," Blue Jays
manager John Gibbons said. "They pitched."
Garcia (2-0) allowed just three hits over a season-high 106 pitches
and had his way with the potent Blue Jays lineup, which entered the
day ranked first in the majors in homers and second in runs scored.
The Blue Jays did not show any of that power potential over the last
two games of the series and were shut out in back-to-back contests
for the first time since Sept. 3-4, 2012 vs. the Baltimore Orioles.
After walking his first two batters of the season in the opening
frame, Garcia regrouped to help the Cardinals (33-31) record their
13th shutout of the season and improve to 3-2 on their current
seven-game road trip. The win marked the first time St. Louis has
won consecutive games since May 24-25 and was just Toronto's fourth
loss in its last 19 contests.
Garcia, who matched a season high by going seven innings, walked
three and struck out four in front 45,726, the fifth sellout at
Rogers Centre this season.
The southpaw kept the ball out of the air in the hitter-friendly
park, recording 14 of his 21 outs on the ground.
"They've got one of the best lineups in the league and I knew it was
going to be a tough challenge," Garcia said. "I was able to get them
off balance a little bit and then tried to keep the ball down."
St. Louis did all its damage against Blue Jays right-hander Drew
Hutchison, who was charged with five runs over three innings in the
shortest non-injury start of his career. Hutchison (4-4), who
allowed six hits, walked one and struck out one, had a personal
three-game winning streak snapped.
"I did a bad job of controlling the situation," said Hutchison, who
allowed five earned runs for the second time in three starts. "I
fell behind some guys, hung some pitches, made mistakes and they got
hit."
One big inning proved to the difference for Hutchison and the Blue
Jays.
Up 2-0 with two outs, Carpenter smacked his second homer of the
season to cap off a four-run second inning by the Cardinals. The
third baseman's two-hit game raised his average to .299 and helped
St. Louis take two of three games from the Blue Jays after losing
three consecutive series in a row. Toronto was undefeated in its
previous seven series, the club's longest such streak since June
2000.
Peralta got in on the action an inning later, as the shortstop began
the third by hitting a solo homer, his team-leading 10th of the
season, to give the Cardinals a commanding 5-0 lead.
"Just a great win and great series against a team that couldn't be
any hotter than they were when we rolled in here," Cardinals manager
Mike Matheny said.
Blue Jays right-hander Todd Redmond took over for Hutchison in the
fourth and went on to throw five scoreless innings of relief,
punching out three batters along the way.
Jose Bautista drew a one-out walk in the eighth inning, the right
fielder's major league-leading 50th of the season.
NOTES: Cardinals DH Matt Holliday was scratched from the lineup with
lower back tightness. Yadier Molina served as the DH and batted
third. ... Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong (left shoulder) missed his third
consecutive game, but expects to return for Tuesday's contest
against the Tampa Bay Rays. ... St. Louis 1B Matt Adams (calf
strain) could begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis as
early as Monday. ... Blue Jays RHP Sergio Santos threw his second
successful bullpen session of the week on Sunday and is set to begin
a rehab assignment. ... Toronto manager John Gibbons turned 52 years
old Sunday.
A day after right-hander Shelby Miller turned in a dominating
three-hit shutout, lefty Jaime Garcia and two relievers kept the
Blue Jays off the scoreboard once again.
