|
 After each team managed just three hits apiece through 8 ½
innings, Mark Melancon (2-4) struck out Matt Adams and Jhonny
Peralta to begin the ninth before issuing an eight-pitch walk to
Yadier Molina. Jon Jay singled to left moments later and Bourjos
sent the Cardinals to their seventh walk-off win of the season two
pitches later on a grounder up the middle.
Jay and Bourjos tallied two hits apiece and Trevor Rosenthal (2-6)
tossed a scoreless ninth for St. Louis, which stretched its lead in
the National League Central to three games over Milwaukee and five
over Pittsburgh with its fifth straight victory. Neil Walker went
3-for-3 to put an end to a 4-for-33 slump for the Pirates, who fell
to 2-10 over their last 12 road contests and trail the Brewers by
two games for the second wild card.
 Pittsburgh starter Edinson Volquez walked Matt Carpenter on four
pitches to begin the game and hit consecutive batters with a pitch
in the fourth, but did not yield his first hits until Jay and
Bourjos opened the fifth with singles. Volquez departed after Jay
walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt to start the
seventh, but Russell Martin threw out Jay on a stolen-base attempt
and Tony Watson retired Randal Grichuk to end the threat.
St. Louis right-hander Shelby Miller stranded a pair of runners in
the second before cruising until the seventh, when he worked around
a leadoff double by Walker and intentional walk to Ike Davis to keep
the scoreless game intact. Carlos Martinez struck out a pair in the
eighth and Rosenthal benefited from a double-play grounder by Martin
in the ninth as St. Louis won the season series 11-8.
[to top of second column] |
GAME NOTEBOOK: Volquez, who yielded three singles and two walks in 6 1/3
frames, is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA over his last six turns and unbeaten over
his last eight outings. … Miller allowed three hits and three walks over
seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA in 10 day starts to 2.74 (as
opposed to his 4.81 ERA in 18 night appearances). … Reigning National
League MVP Andrew McCutchen went 0-for-4, lowering his batting average
to .175 in St. Louis in 2014 after entering the season a .343
regular-season hitter there.
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