Spot starter John Gant pitched one-hit ball over a career-high seven innings Youth Dorance Armstrong Jr. Jersey , Marcell Ozuna hit a two-run double and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cleveland Indians 4-0 on Monday night.
It was the third consecutive win for the Cardinals and the 10,000th regular season victory for the franchise. St. Louis joined the Braves, Cubs, Giants, Pirates and Dodgers among NL teams to reach the milestone.
Cleveland had won seven straight. Mike Clevinger (6-3) allowed two runs over five innings, and the Indians had just four hits.
Gant (2-2) started in place of Michael Wacha, who went on the disabled list last week with an oblique strain. He allowed only an infield single to Yan Gomes that hit third base in the third inning. He walked five and struck out four. It was his first win in three starts this season.
St. Louis closer Bud Norris relieved Austin Gomber with two on and no outs in the ninth. He got a strikeout and a double play to record his 15th save.
Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks put two runners on in the eighth with two outs but got Edwin Encarnacion to ground out.
It was the second shortest outing of the season for Clevinger, who allowed six hits and walked two. Clevinger had pitched at least six innings in five straight starts before facing St. Louis.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the third. Matt Carpenter singled for one of his three hits, and Greg Garcia walked. With one out, Ozuna hit a one-out double to score both runners.
Kolten Wong added an RBI double in the sixth, and Harrison Bader singled in a run in the eighth.
This was Cleveland’s first visit to St. Louis since 2012 Marquez Valdes-Scantling Color Rush Jersey , and the Indians fell to 15-9 all-time against the Cardinals.
RAIN DELAY
First pitch was pushed back due to a thunderstorm in the area. The game began after a 1-hour, 21-minute delay.
TRAINING ROOM
Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow contusion) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session. He got hurt when Minnesota’s Joe Mauer hit a line drive that struck Carrasco on the right elbow on June 16 in Cleveland. The plan is to throw 40 pitches off the mound Wednesday and then perhaps make a minor league rehab appearance as early as Saturday.
Cardinals: CF Tommy Pham did not start for the second consecutive game due to flu-like symptoms, but he came in a double-switch situation in the ninth inning. … RHP Matt Bowman threw a fastball-only session in the bullpen before the game. He will receive an injection to stimulate blood flow to his fingers Tuesday, according to general manager Michael Girsch. … Girsch said RHP Adam Wainwright (right elbow inflammation) should be able to begin playing catch next week.
UP NEXT
Indians: Corey Kluber (11-3, 2.10) will be making his second career start against the Cardinals. In the May 13, 2015 start, Kluber struck out a career-high 18 batters, matching the Indians franchise record for a nine-inning game.
Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.24) has dropped his last three decisions and allowed a season-high eight hits and seven runs in his last outing at Milwaukee. The Cardinals have lost his last five games, including all four since his return from the disabled list.
—
The Padres bullpen has stepped up to fill a hole in San Diego’s rotation.
Eric Hosmer homered, San Diego’s bullpen took a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Tuesday night for their 10th win in 14 games.
This was the third bullpen game for San Diego this season Vinny Curry Color Rush Jersey , all since left-hander Joey Lucchesi went down with a right hip strain.
”These guys are all built to kind of grind through a lineup one time or cruise through a lineup or attack a lineup one time through,” Padres manager Andy Green said. ”They’re all built for nine batters pretty easily or 10 batters so it just makes sense to give them those types of pieces of a lineup for a first time through and keep hitters uncomfortable. I like it.”
Padres reliever Matt Strahm started the bullpen game and retired nine batters on 36 pitches, including four strikeouts. Adam Cimber (3-2) retired the next six with two strikeouts before Harrison Bader broke up the perfect game with an infield single in the sixth. Bader was promptly erased in a double play.
”In that situation, I know on a bullpen day, me coming in the fourth inning I’m probably looked at to get at least a few (innings),” Cimber said. ”You still take it one hitter at a time.”
Strahm, a lefty, and Cimber, a submarine righty, make a stark contrast for opposing hitters.
”It’s the opposite end of the spectrum,” Strahm said. ”He’s down on the right and I’m up on the left. It’s a good combo to come in.”
The Padres’ nine-man bullpen makes the starter-by-committee approach effective. Green said he plans to go with it again Sunday.
”We’ve got seven arms available Jonathan Allen Color Rush Jersey ,” Green said. ”I’m going to guess that’s more arms available than almost every team in major league baseball, so it’s not putting the stress on our bullpen that a lot of people presume it is.”
Brad Hand pitched the ninth for his 20th save.
Hosmer drove the first pitch of the fourth inning to center field to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. It was his second home run in three games.
A.J. Ellis tacked on two more with a two-out hit in the fourth. The Cardinals challenged the safe call on the second run, but replay showed the Freddy Galvis beat catcher Yadier Molina’s tag at home plate.
”Basically the first strike you see you want to be aggressive,” Ellis said. ”I found a pitch to find a hole on.”
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (7-2) struck out five in six innings and walked none. He has walked one or less in all seven of his home starts this season, but St. Louis still lost for the second time in three games.
”I felt like my stuff was pretty good today,” Mikolas said. ”I made some pretty good pitches. I think the ball Hosmer hit was a decent pitch.”
Marcell Ozuna’s RBI single snapped the Padres’ shutout bid in the seventh. Ozuna has driven in five runs in his last four games.
”I thought our offense did a pretty good job of getting some things rolling toward the end of the game,” Bader said. ”Just today, it just showed up a little too late.”
TRAINING ROOM
Padres: OF Franchy Cordero (right forearm strain) took batting practice and hopes to begin a rehab in a couple of days.
Cardinals: RHP Matt Bowman (right hand blisters) gave up a run in two innings Monday at Triple-A Memphis and could be activated by the end of the week.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.35 ERA) will get the start in the series finale against the Padres and LHP Eric Lauer (2-4, 6.64 ERA) on Wednesday at 7:15 CDT. Weaver has not allowed a run in 12 innings (two career starts) against San Diego. Lauer gave up six runs in 2 1/3 innings against St. Louis on May 11.
—