Cardinals pitching guides team to back-to-back series wins
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Cardinals' pitching staff has maintained its magnificence on the mound.
St. Louis (9-9) allowed just one run on four hits against Houston (8-10) in Wednesday's series finale, leading to a 4-1 win at Busch Stadium.
The Redbirds held the Astros to just six combined runs over 27 innings to secure their second straight series win. Dating back to its series opener against the Phillies on April 11, St. Louis has posted two shutouts and surrendered just 10 runs in its last six games.
After giving up back-to-back singles to start the afternoon, Steven Matz settled down to retire the next 15 batters he faced. The only run that the veteran left-hander allowed was on a fielder's choice in the first inning, finishing the contest with five strikeouts over five frames.
Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy, Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley combined to record four scoreless innings out of the bullpen, ending the game with Helsley's third save of the year.
Despite out-hitting the Astros by an 8-4 margin, the Cardinals did end the contest only 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
However, the starting lineup supplied its pitching staff with just enough run support to earn the win. Lars Nootbaar gave St. Louis its first lead of the game with a go-ahead, three-run shot in the fifth inning, marking his third home run of the season. Then, Thomas Saggese provided the team with an insurance run on his second hit of the contest, driving an RBI double to right field to put the Redbirds ahead by three runs in the sixth frame.
Up next - The Cardinals are heading east for a seven-game road trip. St. Louis starts a four-game set with the New York Mets on Thursday, April 17 at 6:10 p.m.
