Martinez's two-run single gives Cardinals win over Rockies

[August 03, 2018]  St. Louis' Jose Martinez ripped a pinch-hit, two-run single with one out in the ninth inning off Colorado closer Wade Davis to lift the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the visiting Rockies on Thursday afternoon in the finale of a four-game series at Busch Stadium.

Martinez's walk-off hit came after Greg Garcia and Harrison Bader singled and Bader stole second base to set the table.

The ninth-inning uprising made a winner out of reliever Chasen Shreve (3-2), who stuck out one in a perfect ninth inning as the third St. Louis pitcher.

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas surrendered two runs, one of them earned, on seven hits in seven innings while walking two and striking out six but did not figure in the decision.

Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela allowed a run and scattered five hits and two walks in his six-inning, 96-pitch outing. He struck out five and lowered his ERA to 4.56 and was in line for the win until St. Louis' late comeback.

Seunghwan Oh pitched perfect seventh for the Rockies and Adam Ottavino walked one in the eighth before Davis (1-4) suffered his fifth blown save of the year.

Gerardo Parra had three hits, drove in a run and scored from second base on an infield hit and a throwing error by Mikolas to put the Rockies on top.

Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez (38) hits a walk off single against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis jumped to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a Tyler O'Neil sacrifice fly that chased home Mikolas from third base.

Colorado leap-frogged the Cardinals in the fourth when Parra singled to plate Nolan Arenado before Ian Desmond's infield single off Mikolas and the pitcher's throwing error allowed Parra to score all the way from second base with the lead run.

The Cardinals had baserunners in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings but never got one into scoring position until the ninth, when they jumped on Davis and grabbed the victory.

--Field Level Media

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