LDN - Sports

Pham, Gyorko powers Cards over Astros

[August 17, 2016] HOUSTON -- With red-hot left-hander Jaime Garcia suddenly struggling to locate his sinking fastball, the Cardinals needed someone to pick of the slack and offer Garcia support. Several candidates stepped forward and filled the position.

Tommy Pham and Jedd Gyorko slugged decisive home runs and the St. Louis Cardinals turned a four-run sixth inning and a sterling bullpen effort into an 8-5 interleague victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.

Pham went 2-for-5 with a double and his ninth home run while Gyorko produced three RBIs for the Cardinals (63-56). The offense bolstered Garcia (10-8), who labored into the sixth inning but lasted long enough to benefit from the onslaught.

"It was one of those games where it was a grind for me," Garcia said. "I didn't have my best stuff, but the guys picked me up, came through for me and we got the 'W' so that's all that matters."

Garcia allowed solo home runs to Alex Bregman in the first inning, Marwin Gonzalez leading off the third, and Jason Castro to open the sixth. He was yanked after Castro socked his eight home run 453 feet into the upper deck in right field, but the Cardinals had opened a four-run lead before Castro took Garcia deep.

Randal Grichuk (2-for-4 with a double and triple) also produced a multi-hit game while Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina added a pair of run-scoring groundouts. Three St. Louis relievers combined for nine strikeouts over four scoreless innings.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve finished 3-for-5 and reached 1,000 career hits with his single off Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh, who recorded his 12th save, in the ninth inning. Altuve reached the milestone in a club-record 786 games and is second to Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (696 games) among active players in reaching the plateau in the fewest number of games.

"My time in the minor leagues wasn't that easy," Altuve said. "I had to work really hard every day to get to this point. I feel right now like I don't want to stop. I want to going, keep getting better, help my team."

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (7-12) scuffled for Houston (61-58), allowing six runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts before departing with two runners on and no outs in the sixth inning.

For Keuchel, his initial issue was finding the strike zone. Of the 30 pitches he threw in the first inning, 13 were balls. That inefficiency granted St. Louis the benefit to wait for a manageable strike. Matt Carpenter and Brandon Moss did so in succession, with Carpenter nudging Pham to third before Moss drove Pham home. Molina followed with the first of his RBI groundouts for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.

Keuchel appeared to right his ship, retiring 12 consecutive batters through the first out of the fifth inning. But just as suddenly he came undone, surrendering a hard-hit double to Grichuk two batters before Pham blasted a two-run homer the opposite way to right field with two outs and two strikes that made it 4-4.

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Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham (28) hits a double during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

"This is probably the most frustrating loss of the season because of the way we bounced back, we got four runs off Jaime and had a lead at home," Keuchel said. "I just have to be better than that."

After limiting the damage to two runs in the fifth, Keuchel walked Carpenter and allowed a single to Moss before being lifted for Pat Neshek, who failed to provide relief by surrendering a three-run homer to Gyorko, his 18th of the season.

"We've proven pretty much all year that we're not going to quit, regardless of what the score is," Gyorko said of erasing the two-run deficit. "We're going to try to find a way to get back into the game."

NOTES: The Cardinals placed RHP Seth Maness (right elbow strain) on the 15-day disabled list and according to published reports Maness is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday. The club recalled RHP Sam Tuivailala from Triple-A Memphis. Maness is 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 29 appearances, including a career-best 14 1/3 scoreless innings streak from July 9 to Aug. 12. He was on the disabled list from May 13-June 18 with right elbow inflammation. Tuivailala is beginning his second stint with the Cardinals having allowed three runs in three innings with three strikeouts over four appearances from July 3-26. ... Astros 3B Luis Valbuena has ramped up baseball activities and will accompany the team on its upcoming road trip through Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Valbuena was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 27 with a right hamstring injury. ... Cardinals OF Matt Holliday will undergo a surgical procedure Wednesday on his fractured right thumb with the hope of returning before the end of the season. Holliday was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 13. He is in the final season of a seven-year, $120 million contract.

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