Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina became the winningest pitcher-catcher battery in Major League Baseball history as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting San Francisco Giants 15-6 Sunday.
Wainwright and Molina recorded their 203rd victory together, moving them past Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for first place on the all-time list.
Molina paced the offense with a two-run homer and a two-run single. Paul Goldschmidt drove in three runs with two doubles and a homer, Andrew Knizner had three RBIs and Nolan Arenado added a two-run homer.
Wainwright (4-3) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in six innings as the Cardinals won their second consecutive game.
Giants starter Carlos Rodon (4-2) suffered his first poor outing of the season. After allowing just seven earned runs in his first six starts, he allowed eight runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
The Cardinals struck immediately to take a 4-0 lead. Tommy Edman hit a leadoff single and Goldschmidt launched a two-run homer, the first homer Rodon allowed this season.
Juan Yepez hit a one-out single, Albert Pujols hit a double and Molina hit a two-run single.
Goldschmidt hit a double in the third and Pujols hit an RBI single to make it 5-0.
Dylan Carlson led off the fourth inning with a single. Harrison Bader grounded into a forceout, then he stole second base and scored on Edmundo Sosa’s single.
Sosa then scored on Goldschmidt’s double to make it 7-0. Zack Littell relieved Rodon and allowed Arenado’s two-run homer that pushed the margin to 9-0.
Molina hit his two-run homer in the fifth to make it 11-0.
Joc Pederson ripped a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Giants on the board. But the Cardinals upped their lead to 13-2 in their half of the inning with Knizner’s two-run single.
After Yunior Marte hit Knizner with the bases loaded to make it 14-2, Giants manager Gabe Kapler picked outfielder Luis Gonzalez to pitch. Carlson hit an RBI single to boost the lead to 15-2.
Not to be outdone, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol had Pujols pitch the ninth inning — and he allowed a three-run homer by Gonzalez and a solo shot by Joey Bart.
–Field Level Media