Lars Nootbaar hit a two-run double to propel the St. Louis Cardinals past the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
After defeating the Cardinals 14-1 Tuesday, the Diamondbacks left seven runners on base, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.
Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (2-2) allowed one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked two.
JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless relief inning each for St. Louis.
Arizona starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (1-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.
The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 first-inning lead. Pavin Smith and Blaze Alexander hit singles and Gibson hit Joc Pederson with a pitch. After Christian Walker hit a sacrifice fly, Gibson got a double-play grounder from Eugenio Suarez.
Arizona threatened again in the second inning. Jake McCarthy hit a single and took second on a wild pitch, but Gibson retired the next three batters
Paul Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the inning with a double, but Montgomery retired the next three batters.
Gibson escaped a fourth-inning jam. Walker hit a leadoff single, Corbin Carroll drew a two-out walk, and the runners advanced on a wild pitch before Gibson struck out Kevin Newman.
The Diamondbacks threatened again in the fifth inning when Tucker Barnhart led off with a single and Smith walked. But again Gibson retired the next three batters.
The Cardinals moved ahead 2-1 in the sixth inning. Brendan Donovan’s single, Willson Contreras’ double, and Nolan Arenado’s single led to one run — and Montgomery’s wild pitch produced another.
St. Louis increased its lead to 3-1 in the seventh inning when Masyn Winn reached on an error and scored on a Nolan Gorman’s hit-and-run single.
The Cardinals made it 5-1 off reliever Bryce Jarvis in the eighth inning. Arenado walked, Goldschmidt hit a single, Pedro Pages walked and Nootbaar hit his a two-run double.
–Field Level Media