Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Phillies’ bullpen falters in loss to Carpenter, Cardinals
PHILADELPHIA » Matt Carpenter hit a tiebreaking solo homer with two out in the ninth, helping the St. Louis Cardinals edge the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Tuesday night.
Carpenter also had a tying tworun double in St. Louis’ four-run seventh. Tommy Pham homered and singled for the Cardinals, and Kolten Wong also went deep.
Odubel Herrera and Carlos Santana connected for the Phillies.
Seranthony Dominguez (1-1) struck out the first two batters in the ninth and had Carpenter in a 0-2 hole. But Carpenter lined the next pitch, a 98-mph fastball, over the wall in right to extend his homer streak to three games.
The Cardinals trailed 4-2 before rallying against Vince Velasquez and Tommy Hunter.
Velasquez got the first out of the seventh before a single and hit batsman brought manager Gabe Kapler to the mound. Hunter got pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to line out to left before Carpenter doubled, Pham singled and Jose Martinez made it 6-4 with another two-run double.
The Phillies tied it in the eighth on Rhys Hoskins’ two-run double.
Austin Gomber started the inning, but was lifted for Jordan Hicks (3-1) with two out and runners on first and second. Three of Hicks’ four pitches to Hoskins were fastballs that registered at least 100-mph, but the slugger drove the final 101-mph heater into right-center.
Hicks pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, to secure the victory.
Carpenter has hits in 12 straight road games and is batting .412 with six homers and 11 RBIs over that streak.
The Phillies opened the scoring with Santana’s RBI groundout in the first. Pham extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a two-out homer to deep left in the third, tying it at 1.
Herrera continued his hot hitting against St. Louis by driving the first pitch he saw in the third, a 79-mph curveball, into the seats in right for a 2-1 Phillies lead. Herrera is batting .360 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 25 career games against the Cardinals.
Cesar Hernandez’s basesloaded walk in the fourth made it 3-1, but Philadelphia wasted a chance for more when Luke Weaver got Hoskins to pop out to shortstop before fanning Herrera to leave the bases full.
The Cardinals’ rally took Weaver off the hook. Weaver was in line for his fifth straight loss when he left after permitting four runs and six hits in five innings.
Velasquez was charged with four runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked three.
TRAINER’S ROOM
PHILLIES » Infielder J.P. Crawford left after running the bases in the fourth inning and was replaced at third by Maikel Franco. Crawford was hit on the left hand by a Weaver pitch.