Vintage Wainwright rights ship for Cards
ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright had something to prove.
Wainwright pitched two-hit ball over six innings for his first win in five months, Marcell Ozuna homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals salvaged the finale of a four-game series with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
“You know what? Us old guys can still play can’t we? A little bit,” the 37-year-old Wainwright said. “The main thing for me tonight was to do what I did in my entire rehab performances. It was all about executing, making my pitches.”
The Cardinals snapped a season-high four-game skid and moved into a tie for the second National League wild card with the Dodgers, who slipped a half-game behind Colorado for the NL West lead.
The Rockies visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series beginning Monday, the last regular-season meeting between the teams.
Wainwright (2-3), making his second start since missing almost four months with right elbow inflammation, struck out a season-high nine while earning his first victory since April 16. His 101 pitches were his most since July 22, 2017.
Cardinals reliever Bud Norris left the game with a blister on his middle finger after walking the lone batter he faced in the seventh. Jordan Hicks, pitching for the first time in a week, finished the inning and also worked the eighth.
Carlos Martinez completed the four-hit shutout — one night after the Dodgers piled up 17 runs.
Ozuna homered to right-center to make it 1-0 in the second.
Yairo Munoz sparked a two-run fourth, reaching first on a wild pitch after swinging and missing at strike three. Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina followed with RBI singles, chasing Dodgers starter Ross Stripling (8-4) and putting the Cardinals up 3-0.