Cardinals wrap up sweep of Blue Jays with 6-4 win
ST. LOUIS -- Scoring in each of the first four innings in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, the St. Louis Cardinals finished off a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday in Busch Stadium.
Dexter Fowler homered and went 3-for-4, Matt Adams and Greg Garcia each went 3-for-3, and Adam Wainwright picked up his second consecutive win in a 6-4 decision in the second game.
Wainwright (2-3) allowed nine hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out four in his first outing past five innings this year. Three relievers wrapped it up for him, with Trevor Rosenthal pitching the ninth for his second save of the year.
After scoring a dramatic 8-4 win in 11 innings in the opener on Matt Carpenter's walk-off grand slam, St. Louis rode the momentum of that result in the nightcap and is now 11-11, the first time it has been at .500 since the second game of the season.
Blue Jays rookie right-hander Casey Lawrence (0-3) was strafed for 10 hits and six runs in five innings in his second big league start, walking three and fanning one.
Toronto (6-16) remains the only major league team not to win a series or notch consecutive wins this year.
St. Louis jumped on Lawrence for three runs in the first. Carpenter scored Fowler with an infield out, Stephen Piscotty chased Garcia home on a sacrifice fly, and Adams lined an RBI double to left to score Randal Grichuk.
Fowler belted a solo homer in the second to make it 4-0, and Adams singled to left -- Piscotty was trying to steal third on the play and had to swerve to avoid getting hit -- in the third for his second RBI.
In the fourth, Piscotty upped the lead to 6-0 with a fielder's choice grounder that plated Wainwright.
Toronto solved Wainwright for four runs in the fifth. Kevin Pillar knocked in Darwin Barney with an infield single, and Kendrys Morales cracked a three-run homer with two outs into the seats in right for his fourth of the year.
NOTES: St. Louis 1B Matt Carpenter's grand slam to end Thursday's opener was the team's first walk-off slam since Aaron Miles had one against San Diego in July 2008. It was the Cardinals' first walk-off, extra-inning slam since Tommy Herr victimized the New York Mets in 1987. ... Toronto RHP Roberto Osuna's blown save in the opener was his sixth in his past eight save chances, dating to September. ... Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong's intentional walk in the opener was his fourth of the season, tying him for the National League lead.