Cardinals outslug Angels, sweep series
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was hit hard in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Angel Stadium.
However, Angels starter Jered Weaver was hit just a little bit harder, allowing the Cardinals to come away with a 12-10 victory that completed a three-game sweep.
The Angels (13-21) lost their sixth in a row, all at home, their first six-game home skid since 2011. The Cardinals (19-16) improved to a season-best three games over .500.
Wainwright (3-3) got the win despite giving up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits and one walk in five innings.
Weaver (3-2) gave up eight runs on nine hits in four-plus innings, all of the damage against him coming in the fourth and fifth innings.
The Cardinals had 18 hits in all, and they weren't bloopers and bleeders. Matt Holliday had four hits, including two home runs. Matt Carpenter had two hits, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning that gave St. Louis the lead for good.
Every Cardinals batter in the starting lineup had at least one hit. Matt Adams had three hits and three RBIs, and Yadier Molina had two singles, a double and walk.
The Angels' offense finished with 15 hits, including two each from Yunel Escobar, Daniel Nava, C.J. Cron, Cliff Pennington, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols.
The Angels made things interesting in the ninth, getting an RBI single from Calhoun and a two-run homer by Pujols off reliever Seth Maness.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny then summoned closer Trevor Rosenthal, who walked the next three hitters in a row, loading the bases with one out.
Matheny had seen enough, and he replaced Rosenthal with Kevin Siegrist, who struck out Carlos Perez and got pinch hitter Shane Robinson on a foul popup to end it.
Pujols' two-run homer in the ninth was his first home run against his former team, meaning he has now homered against all 30 of the current major league clubs.
The Angels scored two runs or fewer in each of their previous five games, but they matched the total in the third inning on Calhoun's two-out, two-run single off Wainwright.
Weaver was perfect for the first three innings, striking out the side in the third. He retired the first two batters in the fourth before Holliday unloaded with his first home run, and the Cardinals didn't stop there.
Adams singled, Molina doubled and Jeremy Hazelbaker singled to drive in both to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
The Angels answered in their half of the fourth with three runs. Nava led off with a home run, his first of the season. Pennington had an RBI single and Escobar drove in the third run when he hit into a fielder's choice.
However, the Cardinals pounded Weaver in the fifth, getting a three-run homer from Carpenter and a two-run homer from Holliday, taking an 8-5 lead and knocking Weaver out of the game.
The Angels, though, kept the pressure on Wainwright, scoring twice more in the bottom of the fifth on three hits, and aided by an error on right fielder Stephen Piscotty, cutting St. Louis' lead to 8-7.
NOTES: The Angels' starting lineup consisted of five players whose batting average was below .200 -- DH Albert Pujols (.185), LF Daniel Nava (.192), 2B Johnny Giavotella (.197), C Carlos Perez (.159) and SS Cliff Pennington (.182). Only one -- CF Mike Trout at .303 -- was above .300. ... Cardinals CF Randal Grichuk was drafted by the Angels with the 24th overall pick in the 2009 draft, one ahead of Angels CF Mike Trout. They made their professional debuts together in the Angels' minor league system and were roommates. But injuries slowed Grichuk's development as Trout swiftly reached the big leagues in 2011. Grichuk ultimately was traded to the Cardinals along with OF Peter Bourjos in the deal for 3B David Freese and RHP Fernando Salas. ... Angels RHP Mike Morin entered the game having not allowed a hit in his past 11 games (10 IP). It's the second longest no-hit streak in Angels history, behind RHP Ernesto Frieri (13 games in 2012). ... Cardinals OF Tommy Pham, out since April 3 with an oblique strain, had his minor league rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Springfield. Pham was the Cardinals' Opening Day starter in left field but was injured in the first inning.