The St. Louis Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and held on late Tuesday night for a 6-4 victory over the Athletics in Sacramento.
St. Louis wasted little time getting on the scoreboard against Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs. JJ Wetherholt drew a leadoff walk before Ivan Herrera followed with a single. Jordan Walker then delivered an RBI single to give the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage.
The Cardinals added to the lead later in the inning when Jose Fermin hit a two-out double to score Walker and Herrera. Yohel Pozo followed with an RBI single as St. Louis grabbed a quick 4-0 lead.
The Athletics answered in the bottom of the second inning with a two-out rally. Nick Kurtz drove in a run with a single before Nick Langeliers added a two-run double to cut the Cardinals lead to 4-3.
St. Louis added insurance in the sixth inning when Nolan Gorman singled ahead of a two-run home run by Wetherholt. The blast over the right field wall was Wetherholt’s eighth home run of the season and extended the Cardinals lead to 6-3.
Wetherholt finished 2-for-4 at the plate in the win.
Andre Pallante earned the victory after allowing three earned runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked three.
The Cardinals bullpen helped preserve the lead as Ryne Stanek and JoJo Romero combined for two scoreless innings. George Soriano surrendered a solo home run to Langeliers in the eighth inning, but escaped further damage.
Riley O’Brien picked up the save despite issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth inning. The right-hander induced a double play before retiring Jeff McNeil to end the game.
The Cardinals continue their series with the Athletics Wednesday night. Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to start for St. Louis, while J.T. Ginn is expected to take the mound for the Athletics. First pitch from Sutter Health Park is set for 8:40 with pregame coverage by Ameren Total Access beginning at 7:45. Wednesday’s game can be heard on KTLO AM 1240.
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