Four-run rally pushes Cardinals past Giants

[June 06, 2016]  ST. LOUIS -- Even though it wasn't a hit, Yadier Molina saw it as a sign that perhaps his luck is about to change.

Molina was mired in the worst slump of his career Sunday night, hitless in 20 consecutive at-bats, when he came up with the bases loaded in the sixth inning of a tie game between his St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.

He hit a hard grounder up the middle that shortstop Brandon Crawford misplayed, missing out on a potential double play. Crawford was charged with an error as the go-ahead run scored.

Even though that extended Molina's streak to 0-for-21, it did give Molina an RBI and helped the Cardinals produce a four-run rally that led to a 6-3 victory.

"It's a start," Molina said. "I would love to get that base hit, but that's a good start. We got some big hits in that inning, and I was happy for that."

The Cardinals trailed 3-1 as the inning started, and back-to-back doubles from Matt Carpenter and Aledmys Diaz cut the deficit to 3-2 before they scored the next three runs without hitting a ball out of the infield.

A walk to Matt Holliday ended San Francisco starter Jake Peavy's night, and reliever Hunter Strickland hit Stephen Piscotty on the right elbow with his only pitch of the night to load the bases. An infield hit by Matt Adams tied the game and brought Molina to the plate.

The catcher already had flied out and grounded out in the game, surpassing the previous worst streak of his career, an 0-for-18 slump in June 2010. After hitting .341 in April, Molina was just 21-for-111 since, a .189 average, as he walked to the plate.

"You just have to be strong mentally," he said. "I haven't got a hit, but I'm making hard contact most of the time. I'm dangerous every time I go up there, that's how I think about it.

"This is baseball. You want them to fall and get a hit every at-bat, but it's not going to happen."

After taking the 4-3 lead, the Cardinals added another run on a fielder's choice grounder from Greg Garcia.

St,. Louis picked up an insurance run in the eighth -- an inning in which Molina finally broke his hitless streak with a single to left. Randal Grichuk's bases-loaded groundout knocked in the game's final run.

Molina started for the 53rd time in the Cardinals' 57 games this season, his 52nd behind the plate, but he insisted his poor offensive numbers for the last five weeks are not a result of being tired.

"I feel great, I feel strong," he said. "So far so good right now."

The beneficiary of the four-run rally was starter Carlos Martinez (6-5), who allowed the three Giants runs, including a two-run homer from Jarrett Parker, in his six innings. Trevor Rosenthal recorded his second save in as many nights, and 10th of the season, to close out the victory.

Peavy (2-6) took the loss in his first attempt to become the fifth active pitcher with 150 career wins. He allowed only one run on three hits through the first five innings, but he wound up charged with four runs on five hits in five-plus innings.

"It just stinks that we couldn't find a way to stop the bleeding," Peavy said. "I certainly didn't, and things obviously didn't get any better after I left, unfortunately."

At one point in the Cardinals' decisive rally, the Giants used four pitchers in the span of four batters without getting an out.

"Jake was throwing the ball well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They hit him with two strikes there (in the sixth), and then the walk. At that point, I felt it was far enough. With the day off tomorrow, I was going to use my guys to try and stop it there. That ball that Molina hit didn't help matters. It just had eyes on it, but you need a break."

It was a break that went Molina's way, even if it wasn't officially a hit.

"It should have been a hit," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "I don't know how we keep coming out on the short end of our official scoring. I'm completely tired of that. I would like for (Molina) to have had two on the day, but it didn't work out for him -- for about the 12th time this year, I think."

NOTES: SS Jhonny Peralta (thumb surgery) was 0-for-4 Sunday as he completed a rehab assignment with the Class A Palm Beach Cardinals. He was 6-for-26 in nine minor league games and is expected to come off the disabled list Tuesday, when the Cardinals play in Cincinnati. ... RHP Jerome Williams, signed as a free agent this week by the Cardinals, got the loss Sunday in his first start for Triple-A Memphis. He allowed three runs in five innings. ... The Giants are projecting that RHP Matt Cain (hamstring strain) will rejoin the rotation on June 13 to pitch against the Brewers. ... Surgery for Giants RF Hunter Pence's torn hamstring is set for Thursday. He is expected to miss about two months. ... The Giants completed a 10-game trip on Sunday night and will be home for the next eight games, starting Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox.

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