Four Cardinals team up to pitch one-hitter
J.A. Happ combined with a trio of relievers on a one-hitter, Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong homered early and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals beat the skidding Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Happ (6-6) retired the first nine batters, then gave up rookie Hoy Park’s first career home run to lead off the fourth inning.
Making his second start for the Cardinals since being acquired from the Twins in a July 30 trade, Happ struck out five and walked two. He took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Pirates on April 23 at Minnesota and wound up allowing one hit in 7 2/3 innings.
Relievers Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera and Alex Reyes combined for three hitless innings. Reyes pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save.
The Cardinals (56-56) reached .500 for the 22nd time this season. The Pirates’ losing streak was extended to six games and they have dropped 16 of 21.
BREWERS 4, CUBS 2, GAME 1, 7 INNINGS » Freddy Peralta pitched effectively into the sixth inning, Avisail García smacked a go-ahead tworun homer and Milwaukee defeated host Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader.
Willy Adames and Lorenzo Cain also went deep for the Brewers.
Peralta (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The All-Star right-hander struck out eight and walked two.
Cubs rookie Justin Steele (2-1) allowed three runs on five hits in five innings during his first career start. The left-hander was 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 11 relief appearances for Chicago earlier in the season.
ANGELS 6, BLUE JAYS 3, GAME 1, 7 INNINHGS » Justin Upton and Phil Gosselin each had two hits and two RBIs, and Los Angeles beat Toronto in the first game of an unusual doubleheader.
Toronto batted last and was the “home” team at Angel Stadium in the first game, a makeup from an April 11 rainout at the Blue Jays’ temporary home field early this season in Dunedin, Florida.