Cardinals' Weaver gets first major-league win

[August 27, 2016]  ST. LOUIS -- Luke Weaver's third major league start netted his first win.

Working six solid innings Friday night, Weaver helped the St. Louis Cardinals tighten their hold on a National League wild-card spot with a 3-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Busch Stadium.

Weaver (1-1), making his first home appearance after road starts against the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, allowed four hits and a run. He walked two and fanned seven.

Three relievers worked an inning each after Weaver's departure, with Seung Hwan Oh obtaining the last three outs for his 13th save in 14 opportunities.

Ross Detwiler (1-3) absorbed the loss for Oakland, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up six hits, along with three runs. Detwiler walked one and fanned six as the A's (55-73) lost for the 11th time in their last 13 road games.

St. Louis scored its last run in the sixth when Jhonny Peralta lofted a sacrifice fly to shallow center field. Brandon Moss beat Coco Crisp's throw home as Yadier Molina got locked in a rundown between first and second to enable Moss to score.

St. Louis started the scoring in the first with its year-long staple -- the home run. Jedd Gyorko launched his 22nd of the season over the center-field wall with Matt Carpenter aboard after a bloop single, giving the Cardinals 33 homers in their last 15 games.

Oakland got on the board in the second when Yonder Alonso attacked a first-pitch fastball, drilling it into the seats in right-center for his seventh homer of the season.

The Athletics threatened in the fifth, but Stephen Vogt's two-on, two-out liner to center was snagged by a diving Randal Grichuk to keep the Cardinals ahead by a run.

NOTES: St. Louis recalled RHP Miguel Socolovich from Triple-A Memphis on Friday and optioned RHP Sam Tuivailala to the Redbirds. Socolovich is making his second appearance with the Cardinals this year. ... Oakland SS Marcus Semien was reinstated from the paternity list Friday and went into the lineup, batting seventh. Semien played in the first 124 games before missing the Cleveland series for the birth of his first child. ... Cardinals C Brayan Pena (left knee) caught four innings for the Rookie League GCL Cardinals, the first innings he's caught since starting a rehab assignment last week.

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