CARDINALS 8, RANGERS 2
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Matt Carpenter almost homered and almost got picked off in the same decisive inning that pushed the St. Louis Cardinals to their first victory over Texas since the 2011 World Series.
Carpenter was initially given a two-run home run in the fifth inning after his opposite-field shot that hit the wide pad atop the 14-foot wall in left field, bounced up and came back down into the field of play. That was changed to an RBI double on replay review after the Rangers challenged the call, but still ignited a five-run outburst.
"That was big ... let's figure out a way to be able to break through and have a big inning," Manager Mike Shildt said. "It was a big hit, but more importantly we were able to do something with it."
Ariel Jurado (1-2) had Carpenter picked off after the overturned call in the fifth, but second baseman Rougned Odor dropped the ball for an error. The Rangers starter was done after walking the next batter.
Paul DeJong, who later homered and had a season-high four RBI, then greeted reliever Jeanmar Gomez with a two-run double into the left field corner that made it 4-0. After another walk, Jose Martinez had an RBI single and a groundout by Yadier Molina sent home another run.
"That's kind of our identity as an offense, be able to grind out at-bats, take advantage of the mistakes," DeJong said.
"Obviously, that fifth inning was the big one," Rangers Manager Chris Woodward said. "We just couldn't seem to stop the bleeding. They hit a couple balls hard but also ground balls found holes. ... A little unfortunate."
Cardinals rookie right-hander Dakota Hudson (3-3) struck out 5 and allowed 2 runs over 6 innings.
The Cardinals had lost seven regular season games in a row against Texas since their World Series title eight years ago, when DeJong was a freshman in college. They were swept in three-game home series in 2013 and 2016, and lost the opener of this series Friday night.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PHILLIES 2, ROCKIES 1 Bryce Harper homered, Aaron Nola tied his career high with 12 strikeouts while pitching into the seventh inning and Philadelphia beat visiting Colorado.
REDS 4, DODGERS 0 Jesse Winker hit a home run and Yasiel Puig singled home a pair of runs, leading host Cincinnati over Los Angeles.
MARLINS 2, METS 0 Miami starter Pablo Lopez gave up a double on his first pitch, then combined with the bullpen to hold visiting New York hitless the rest of the way for a victory.
NATIONALS 5, CUBS 2 Chicago left-hander Jon Lester was tagged for five runs in 4 1/3 innings against host Washington, which held on for the victory.
BRAVES 4, BREWERS 3 (10) Freddie Freeman led off the 10th inning with a home run into the right-field seats, lifting Atlanta over visiting Milwaukee.
PIRATES 7, PADRES 2 Josh Bell homered twice and drove in four, rookie Bryan Reynolds connected for the second consecutive night and Pittsburgh beat host San Diego.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
RAYS 2, YANKEES 1 (11) Austin Meadows homered off Luis Cessa in the 11th inning, and Tampa Bay rallied to beat host New York and regain the AL East lead.
WHITE SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 1 (5) Lucas Giolito threw five solid innings, Leury Garcia homered and Chicago beat visiting Toronto in a game stopped because of rain.
INDIANS 4, ORIOLES 1 Adam Plutko, making his first appearance of the season, allowed one run in six innings and host Cleveland defeated Baltimore.
ATHLETICS 4, TIGERS 1 Daniel Mengden pitched seven impressive innings and Nick Hundley and Chad Pinder homered to lift visiting Oakland over Detroit.
ASTROS 7, RED SOX 3 Tyler White's two-run double capped a five-run first inning, Josh Reddick hit a solo home run and Houston beat host Boston.
Saturday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 2, Colorado 1
Cincinnati 4, L. Dodgers 0
Miami 2, NY Mets 0
Washington 5, Chicago Cubs 2
Atlanta 4, Milwaukee 3 (10)
Pittsburgh 7, San Diego 2
San Francisco at Arizona, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 2, NY Yankees 1 (11)
Chicago White Sox 4, Toronto 1 (5)
Cleveland 4, Baltimore 1
Oakland 4, Detroit 1
Houston 7, Boston 3
Kansas City at LA Angels, (n)
Minnesota at Seattle, (n)
INTERLEAGUE
St. Louis 8, Texas 2
Sports on 05/19/2019