Cardinals 4, Giants 3
ST. LOUIS -- Yadier Molina snapped an eighth-inning tie with a leadoff homer -- the 100th long ball of his career -- lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.
The veteran catcher slammed an 0-1 breaking ball from reliever Hunter Strickland 399 feet to the seats in left for his fourth homer of the year and second of the series.
The blast made a winner of reliever Kevin Siegrist (5-0), who worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth. Closer Trevor Rosenthal took care of the ninth for his 38th save in 40 chances as St. Louis (77-43) finished a 6-3 homestand and won its sixth consecutive series.
Strickland (2-3) retired the other three batters he faced but took the loss.
San Francisco (65-55) took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on a one-out RBI single to right by rookie second baseman Kelby Tomlinson, scoring center fielder Juan Perez. The Giants tied the game an inning earlier on a run-scoring single by shortstop Brandon Crawford.
However, the Giants' bullpen couldn't make the lead stick. The Cardinals equalized in their half of the seventh when center fielder Tommy Pham scored from third on a fielder's choice bouncer by third baseman Matt Carpenter, beating Tomlinson's low, hurried throw.
The result prevented San Francisco from pulling within a game of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. St. Louis maintained its five-game lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central.
Neither starter was involved in the decision. The Giants' Matt Cain pitched six innings, yielding six hits and two runs with a walk and six strikeouts. Cardinal left-hander Jaime Garcia lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while walking one and fanning five.
St. Louis broke on top in the bottom of the first when Molina stroked a two-out RBI single to right-center, scoring shortstop Jhonny Peralta.
Right fielder Stephen Piscotty, who was robbed of a homer by Perez just before Peralta's double, made it 2-0 in the third when he cracked a 394-foot solo homer into the left field seats. It was Piscotty's second homer since being recalled on July 21.
San Francisco got on the board in the fifth as Cain helped his cause with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center, scoring Crawford.
NOTES: San Francisco RF Hunter Pence (left oblique) probably will go on the 15-day disabled list Thursday before the Giants open a four-game series in Pittsburgh. The Giants are expected to activate OF Nori Aoki (concussion) from the seven-day DL. ... St. Louis OF Jason Heyward (left hamstring) didn't start for the second straight game, though he appeared as a pinch hitter. He hopes to return to the lineup in San Diego on Friday night when the Cardinals start a 10-game trip. ... St. Louis OF Jon Jay (left wrist) will accompany the team on its West Coast swing and is expected to dive into significant baseball activity. Jay has been on the 15-day DL since July 1.