Cardinals Sweep Doubleheader, MLB Scores

By ESPN

Matt Carpenter's first grand slam was a memorable one. Meaningful, too.

Carpenter launched a game-ending slam in the 11th inning and the St. Louis Cardinals, saved by Randal Grichuk's tying, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth, beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 Thursday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

"It was great," Carpenter said. "Big win for us. Any time you've got a doubleheader on the schedule it's nice to get the game over with. So if I would have hit into a double play there or something that wouldn't have been good for anybody. Glad it worked out."

Carpenter finished with two hits and five RBI. Grichuk had two hits and drove in three runs.

"Great win," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "The guys just kept playing the game and didn't let anything keep them down and that's great to see from our club right now. Push late and get back in it and hold on to it and then take it in the end and take it right there with Carp. Big, big at-bat."

Kolten Wong opened the Cardinals 11th with a triple off Ryan Tepera (1-1). The Blue Jays intentionally walked the next two batters before getting a flyout.

Toronto called on left-hander J.P. Howell to face the lefty-hitting Carpenter. With the count full, Carpenter sent a drive into the right field stands.

"We were in a good position," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We had the lead. You always like to win that first game in a double dip and it got away. Yeah, it's frustrating."

Toronto is the only team in the major leagues that hasn't won a series this season. The Blue Jays also are the lone club that has yet to win two straight games.

Matt Bowman (1-0) earned the win.

The Cardinals scored four times off Toronto's bullpen in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to tie the score, capped by Grichuk's homer off Roberto Osuna.

Yadier Molina led off with a double and Grichuk connected two outs later, giving Osuna his third blown save.

"I feel good every time I go out there," Osuna said. "It's tough. Everything's been happening after two outs. One pitch. For some reason. It's hard to figure out because I don't feel that I'm doing anything different or something's wrong with me. I feel great. I don't know."

Mat Latos, making his second start of the season for Toronto, scattered three hits over six shutout innings, striking out four and walking four.

Carlos Martinez allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Russell Martin hit a solo homer in the second, his third of the year.

Ryan Goins added to Toronto's lead with a two-out, two-run single in the sixth. Justin Smoak made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh off reliever Tyler Lyons.

Grichuk had a two-out RBI single in the seventh and Carpenter singled home a run in the eighth.

It took a little while for the St. Louis Cardinals bats to get going during Thursday's day-night doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Once they did, they made a big difference.

After rallying late to win the first game, backed by Randal Grichuk's ninth-inning homer and Matt Carpenter's 11th inning grand slam, the Cardinals scored early and often in the nightcap to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 and sweep the doubleheader.

"Overall it's a good day," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "You walk out of here with two wins today. Having our back against the wall in the first one, that's impressive. I think it says a lot about these guys."

The Cardinals, who got back to .500 at 11-11, recorded 14 runs and 25 hits in the two games. The injury-plagued Blue Jays, the only team in the majors yet to win a series or consecutive games, fell to 6-16.

"Today was a big day," said Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (2-3), who earned the win in the nightcap. "We swept a doubleheader here at home. We wanted to play better ball at home this year. That's one thing we know we've got to do and we know we can do."

The Cardinals, who got three hits apiece from Dexter Fowler, Greg Garcia and Matt Adams in the second game, scored three times in the first inning.

After Fowler and Garcia hit back-to-back singles, Carpenter plated a run with a groundout and Stephen Piscotty hit an RBI sacrifice fly. Grichuk followed with an infield single and scored on Matt Adams' opposite-field double into the left field corner.

Fowler added a solo home run, his third of the season, in the second inning. Adams had an RBI single in the third. Piscotty had an RBI fielder's choice in the fourth to make it 6-0.

Matt Bowman (1-0) won the opener and the Cardinals' bullpen, which included seven different pitchers, combined to allow just one run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings over the two games.

Ryan Tepera (1-1) and Casey Lawrence (0-3) took the losses.

"It could have been a good day," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Tough first ballgame, then we fell behind early. We made a run. Long, tough day getting swept."

In the opener, the Cardinals scored four times off Toronto's bullpen in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to tie the score, capped by Randal Grichuk's homer off Roberto Osuna.

Yadier Molina led off with a double and Grichuk connected two outs later, giving Osuna his third blown save.

Mat Latos, making his second start of the season for Toronto, scattered three hits over six shutout innings, striking out four and walking four.

Carlos Martinez allowed three runs on five hits in six innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Russell Martin hit a solo homer in the second, his third of the year.

"Over the last week and a half or so we've been playing some pretty good baseball," Garcia said. "To come back in the fashion we did in that first game off a good closer and a good team over there that competed was big for us. Come out, get on those guys early and just kind of play well."

Thursday, April 27 Scoreboard

Philadelphia 3, Miami 2

Seattle 2, Detroit 1

Atlanta 7, New York Mets 5

St. Louis 8, Toronto 4 (F/11)

St. Louis 6, Toronto 4

Washington 16, Colorado 5

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, San Francisco 1 (F/10)

Cleveland 4, Houston 3

New York Yankees 3, Boston 0

Arizona 6, San Diego 2

Los Angeles Angels 2, Oakland 1