ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Nomar Mazara hit a sacrifice fly off St. Louis reliever
Carlos Martinez to cap a two-run rally in the 10th inning, lifting the Texas
Rangers over the Cardinals 5-4 on Sunday.
Both teams blew leads in the late innings.
Dexter Fowler’s solo homer in the ninth off Texas reliever Chris Martin made it
3-all. The Cardinals then went ahead in the 10th when Harrison Bader doubled off
Jeanmar Gomez (1-0) and scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul DeJong.
Rougned Odor opened the Texas 10th with a single off Jordan Hicks (1-2), Danny
Santana walked and pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun had a tying single.
Martinez entered and intentionally walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases with
no outs. After Logan Forsythe struck out, Mazara lofted a flyball that scored
Santana.
Santana gave Texas a 3-2 lead in the eighth with a pinch-hit, leadoff home run.
He had been held out of the starting lineup with an ankle injury after being hit
by a fastball from Martinez in the ninth inning Saturday night. Martinez made
his season debut in that game, the two-time All-Star had been out this year
with shoulder trouble.
Paul DeJong drove in three runs for the Cardinals.
St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty gave up two runs on four hits with two walks
and five strikeouts in six innings. Choo led off the first with a home run.
Rangers starter Drew Smyly sought his first win since Sept. 13, 2016, having
missed the next two major league seasons following Tommy John surgery. He
pitched four innings, allowing two runs in the first.
Jose Leclerc, who has been everything from a closer to an opener for Texas this
season, struck out five of the six batters he faced in the fifth and sixth
innings. That matched a career high for Leclerc, who has 23 strikeouts in his
last 12 1/3 innings.
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt was ejected by home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak
during the top of the fourth inning after Fowler was called out on strikes.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.93 ERA) will make his fifth career start
against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday and his first at home. Wacha is 3-1
with a 2.56 ERA against Kansas City.
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