By Sam Bush
Randal Grichuk homered early, then hit an RBI double in the 11th inning that sent St. Louis over the Phillies 4-3 last night for their fifth straight win.
Jedd Gyorko hit a tying, two-run homer with one out in the St. Louis ninth. The Cardinals tied a major league record with multiple home runs in nine consecutive games.
“It’s pretty impressive what these guys are doing up and down the lineup,” Gyorko said. “I’m a big believer that hitting is contagious.”
Jhonny Peralta led off the 11th with a double and, two batters later, Grichuk doubled to the wall in left-center off Frank Herrmann (0-1).
“The offense was relentless and did what they had to do late,” St. Louis manager Mike Mathenysaid.
Seung Hwan Oh (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th to earn the victory. Alex Reyes blanked the Phillies in the 11th for his first save, getting Odubel Herrera to ground out with runners on first and second to end the game.
Herrera (above) and Freddy Galvis homered for the Phillies.
“What a tough loss,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
Grichuk connected in the second for his 15th home run.
Jeanmar Gomez blew his fourth save in 36 tries when Gyorko homered.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright was cruising along until the sixth. The right-hander had retired 11 straight batters before hanging a 2-2 curveball that Herrera sent over the fence. Galvis followed with a home run that made it 3-1.
On the first pitch to Herrera, Wainwright slipped with his plant foot on the mound made wet by a persistent rain that fell for much of the middle innings.
Wainwright then gave up two homers, and sandwiched two walks around a double play before his night ended when Ryan Howard was caught stealing to finish the sixth.
Wainwright said the mound was an issue.
“I certainly slipped on that one pitch pretty good. When something like that happens and you don’t really trust it after that, it can bother you a little,” he said.
Wainwright is winless in his last six starts, going 0-2 with a 6.82 ERA over that stretch.
“Adam was better today,” Matheny said. “Just a couple of those solo home runs put us in a hole. But he went deep for us.”
