Cardinals win on Grichuk's RBI in 11th
PHILADELPHIA -- Randal Grichuk's double knocked in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Jhonny Peralta led off the 11th inning with a double and he scored easily when Grichuk launched a Frank Herrmann pitch over the head of Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera.
Grichuk's heroics were made possible thanks to a ninth-inning comeback.
The Cardinals trailed 3-2 in the top of the ninth before Jedd Gyorko fouled off four pitches from Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Gyorko unloaded on a 2-2 changeup and tied the game at three with one out, handing Gomez his first blown save since July 18.
Cardinals reliever Alex Reyes picked up his first career save, inducing a Herrera groundout to first base with two runners on to end the game.
Seung-hwan Oh, who pitched two scoreless innings, got the win for the Cardinals.
Herrera and Freddy Galvis, the top two in Philadelphia's batting order, provided back-to-back home runs off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright to lead off the bottom of the sixth. The homers broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead they would hold onto until the ninth.
The home runs came just moments after Wainwright called the grounds crew out to the wet pitcher's mound after slipping when throwing a first-pitch ball to Herrera.
The lead was enough to put Adam Morgan in line for a much-needed win. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said pregame that Morgan had to "do something" to prove he belonged at the big-league level, and he lowered his ERA to 6.21. He allowed one run on five hits, walking a pair while striking out three in six-plus innings of work.
Morgan got off to a rocky start, needing 20 pitches to get through the first inning. But he settled in over the middle innings despite the Cardinals smacking three hard outs in the fourth. His night ended in the top of the seventh after 91 pitches when Gyorko led off with a single.
Morgan's only blemish came on Grichuk's second-inning home run that tied the score at one apiece. But that coast Morgan his first win since May 10.
Wainwright allowed three runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Herrera and Galvis also combined on the Phillies' first run of the night. Herrera, back in the leadoff spot with Cesar Hernandez out for the second straight game with a foot injury, led off the bottom of the first with a single and quickly rounded the bases on Galvis' RBI double to the gap in right-center.
NOTES: Phillies IF/OF Emmanuel Burriss, who started at second base and batted eighth, was recalled Friday from Triple-A Lehigh Valley while INF Taylor Featherston was optioned. To make room for Burriss on the 40-man roster, the Phillies transferred RHP Zach Eflin to the 60-day disabled list Friday. Eflin underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee Friday and will not pitch again in 2016. ... St. Louis 1B/OF Brandon Moss was scratched from Friday's lineup after originally being part of it. Kolten Wong was inserted at second base while Matt Carpenter moved to first base. ... St. Louis entered play Friday two games behind San Francisco in the National League wild card race.