Double trouble for Blue Jays
ST. LOUIS — It took a little while for the St. Louis Cardinals bats to get going during Thursday’s day-night doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Once they did, they made a big difference.
After rallying late to win the first game, backed by Randal Grichuk’s ninthinning homer and Matt Carpenter’s 11th inning grand slam, the Cardinals scored early and often in the nightcap to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 and sweep the doubleheader.
“Overall it’s a good day,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “You walk out of here with two wins today. Having our back against the wall in the first one, that’s impressive. I think it says a lot about these guys.”
The Cardinals, who got back to .500 at 11-11, recorded 14 runs and 25 hits in the two games. The injury-plagued Blue Jays, the only team in the majors yet to win a series or consecutive games, fell to 6-16.
“Today was a big day,” said Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (2-3), who earned the win in the nightcap. “We swept a doubleheader here at home. We wanted to play better ball at home this year. That’s one thing we know we’ve got to do and we know we can do.”
The Cardinals, who got three hits apiece from Dexter Fowler, Greg Garcia and Matt Adams in the second game, scored three times in the first inning.
After Fowler and Garcia hit back-toback singles, Carpenter plated a run with a groundout and Stephen Piscotty hit an RBI sacrifice fly. Grichuk followed with an infield single and scored on Matt Adams’ opposite-field double into the left field corner.
Fowler added a solo home run, his third of the season, in the second inning. Adams had an RBI single in the third. Piscotty had an RBI fielder’s choice in the fourth to make it 6-0.
Matt Bowman (1-0) won the opener and the Cardinals’ bullpen, which included seven different pitchers, combined to allow just one run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings over the two games.
Ryan Tepera (1-1) and Casey Lawrence (0-3) took the losses.
“It could have been a good day,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Tough first ball game, then we fell behind early. We made a run. Long, tough day getting swept.”
In the opener, the Cardinals scored four times off Toronto’s bullpen in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to tie the score, capped by Grichuk’s homer off Roberto Osuna.
Yadier Molina led off with a double and Grichuk connected two outs later, giving Osuna his third blown save.
Mat Latos, making his second start of the season for Toronto, scattered three hits over six shutout innings, striking out four and walking four.
Carlos Martinez allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks.
Russell Martin hit a solo homer in the second, his third of the year. DETROIT — Kyle Seager and Ben Gamel lifted Seattle past Detroit — at closer Francisco Rodriguez’s expense.
Seager doubled off Rodriguez with one out in the ninth, and Gamel followed with an RBI single to right-centre field in the Mariners’ 2-1 victory Thursday.
“Kyle had a great at-bat, and I got a good look at what K-Rod was throwing.” Gamel said. “I knew he was going to throw me a changeup on 2-2, and that’s what I got.”
Rodriguez (1-2) has a 6.23 ERA in nine games this season.
“You saw exactly what happened,” he said. “I couldn’t get anybody out and it cost us the game.”
Tony Zych (1-0) was the winner, and Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth for his third save.
Detroit starter Justin Verlander allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.