NATIONAL LEAGUE
CARDINALS 9, PHILLIES 3
ST. LOUIS -- Dropping Matt Carpenter to second in the batting order is working for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Carpenter doubled, singled and walked twice, and the Cardinals overcame a short outing by Tim Cooney in his major league debut to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 Thursday for their third consecutive victory.
Carpenter scored in his first three times on base and has 21 runs in 21 games. St. Louis averaged 3.7 runs during a 12-8 start and has scored 25 runs in three games since Carpenter was dropped from the leadoff spot.
"When you get this offense really going, it's one of the best in the majors, and right now everybody it seems is producing," Matt Adams said,
Adams had three hits and drove in three runs -- two on a tiebreaking home run. He had just three extra-base hits in the Cardinals' first 18 games, but has three doubles and the home run in the last three.
"It seems like everything is starting to really come around on the offensive side, not just for me but the whole offense itself," he said. "Things are really starting to click now."
Cooney, a 24-year-old left-hander brought up from Class AAA Memphis before the game, was given a 3-0 lead but lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.
"I think it was, you know, always a tough assignment bringing a young kid in for his first one," Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny said. "We've seen him pitch much better than that, and I think he will in the future."
Carlos Villanueva (2-1) followed and retired all 10 batters he faced. The Cardinals bullpen retired 19 of 21 hitters during 6 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.
With the score 3-3 in the third, Adams hit a two-run home run off David Buchanan (0-5), who became the first Philadelphia pitcher to lose his first five starts in a season since Kyle Abbott in 1992. Buchanan gave up 7 runs, 8 hits and 3 walks in 4 1/3 innings, leaving him with an 8.76 ERA. He is 0-8 in 14 starts since beating Houston on Aug. 6.
"I want my team to win a game that I pitch in," Buchanan said. "I'm not out there for my record, I want my team to win in a ballgame that I pitch in, I don't care how it happens."
The Cardinals boosted their lead to 7-3 in the fifth when Matt Holliday hit his second RBI double and scored on Adams' single. Jon Jay had a run-scoring single in the eighth when Luis Garcia walked Jhonny Peralta with the bases loaded.
St. Louis built a 3-0 lead in the first when Carpenter and Holliday had consecutive RBI doubles, and Jason Heyward hit a run-scoring double-play grounder.
Odubel Herrera singled in a run in the second, and the Phillies tied the score in the third on Darin Ruf's leadoff homer and a sacrifice fly by Cody Asche, Villanueva's first batter.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ANGELS 6, ATHLETICS 5 Kole Calhoun had two hits and three RBI, Garrett Richards took a shutout into the seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Angels held on to beat the host Oakland Athletics. Erick Aybar, Johnny Giavotella and David Freese also drove in runs for the Angels, who have won five of seven to end April with a .500 record (11-11). Mark Canha drove in three runs, two on a home run, as the A's lost for the sixth time in seven games. Richards, making his third start after opening the season on the disabled list, was pulled after Josh Reddick singled to open the seventh, and was charged with a run after Canha's home run off Mike Morin. Richards (2-1) gave up 4 hits, walked 3 and struck out 5. Vinnie Pestano started the ninth by walking Billy Butler and giving up a single to Reddick. Huston Street came on and gave up run-scoring singles to Brett Lawrie and Canha. He walked pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt to load the bases before getting pinch-hitter Max Muncy on a popup. Sam Fuld followed with another RBI single. Street, who allowed his first runs of the year, got Marcus Semien on a popup before Ike Davis hit a ball to deep center that Mike Trout caught before hitting the wall to give the closer his ninth save. Jesse Chavez (0-2) lasted five innings for the A's. He allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, walking 3 and striking out 5.
Sports on 05/01/2015