|
 "But a lot of crazy things happened in the bottom of the ninth,"
the catcher said. "They hit balls all around the shift, but we were
able to hold on."
St. Louis scored five runs in its half of the ninth and had the
tying run in the on-deck circle when Michael Bourn ran down Matt
Carpenter's drive to the warning track in right-center, preserving
an 11-7 win Friday night that snapped Arizona's seven-game losing
streak at Busch Stadium.
In notching their first victory under the Gateway Arch since June of
2013, the Diamondbacks (20-24) pounded out 15 hits against five
Cardinals pitchers, including consecutive homers by Herrmann and
Brandon Drury against third baseman Ruben Tejada.
That Tejada, the first position player to pitch for St. Louis
(22-20) in two years, was throwing 88 mph fastballs instead of
manning the hot corner essentially served as a concession speech.
Down 9-2 after leaving the bases loaded in the eighth, the Cardinals
didn't want to further tax their bullpen.
However, Arizona couldn't enjoy a blowout win. St. Louis sent 10 men
to the plate in the ninth, parlaying five hits, a walk and an error
into a puncher's chance.
 Pinch-hitter Brandon Moss' two-run double capped the scoring, and
when Matt Adams extended the inning with an infield single,
Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale lifted Evan Marshall for rookie Jake
Barrett.
Carpenter's well-struck ball appeared headed for extra bases and two
more runs, but Bourn's speed kept things from really getting dicey
for Arizona.
"That's how we age quickly," Hale said with a laugh.
Most of the game was a collection of smiles the Diamondbacks seem to
elicit when wearing road uniforms, as they improved to 13-7 when
batting first.
Herrmann's two-run single in the first gave Arizona a lead it never
relinquished. Starter Patrick Corbin (2-3) shrugged off control
problems to work 6 1/3 innings, yielding two runs off four hits and
four walks while fanning seven.
"I thought he pitched really well," Herrmann said of Corbin. "I
thought the slider was his best pitch. We mixed it up well as a team
out there."
Up 4-2 after Tyler Clippard quelled a Cardinals threat in the
seventh by whiffing Matt Holliday with the tying runs on base, the
Diamondbacks worked Jonathan Broxton and Dean Kiekhefer over for
five runs on five hits in the eighth.
Chris Owings singled home two runs on the ninth pitch of his at-bat,
followed by RBI singles from pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks, Bourn and
Paul Goldschmidt that reduced the crowd of 43,301 to a few thousand.
[to top of second column] |
Herrmann, Bourn, Owings, Goldschmidt, Jean Segura and Jake Lamb each
contributed two hits to a 15-hit attack as Arizona added to the May
woes of St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez.
In eating his fourth straight loss, Martinez (4-4) left after five
innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while walking three and
striking out three. Martinez has pitched to a 5.85 earned run
average during his losing streak, lasting an average of five innings
per start.
"I felt good, but my command was a little off today," he said. "It's
a matter of finding my rhythm and control."
Aledmys Diaz knocked in two runs and went 2-for-5 for the Cardinals,
which also got RBI singles from backup catcher Eric Fryer and Jedd
Gyorko in their wild ninth. But it wasn't enough to keep the
Diamondbacks from continuing their success on the road.
"It's a good question," Hale said of why Arizona is playing .650
baseball away from Phoenix and is 7-17 at home. "Let's just say
we've been poor at home."
NOTES: St. Louis SS Jhonny Peralta (left thumb) started his rehab
assignment Friday night at Single-A Peoria, going 0-for-2 and
handling five chances without error. Peralta will also see time at
third base while he prepares for his return to the majors. ...
Arizona RHP Josh Collmenter (right shoulder inflammation) will make
his fifth rehab start for Triple-A Reno on Sunday. ... Cardinals OF
Randal Grichuk (back) didn't start Friday night but pinch-hit and
drew a walk in the seventh inning. ... The last two innings ate up
1:25, a prime reason the game took 3:46 to play.
-----------------------------------------------
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