Albert Pujols had three hits including a three-run home run, right-hander Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings, and the visiting St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 Wednesday night.
Nolan Gorman added a solo home run and had two hits for the Cardinals, who gained a split in the two-game set. The teams split four games this season.
The Blue Jays were held to five hits as their seven-game winning streak ended.
The Cardinals, who had 13 hits, had lost their two previous games.
Wainwright (7-8) allowed one run, five hits and no walks while striking out eight.
Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman (7-8) allowed five runs, eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Gorman led off the third with a single, stole second and scored on Dylan Carlson’s two-out double.
Pujols doubled to open the fourth, his second hit of the game. He was thrown out at home by Teoscar Hernandez on Brendan Donovan’s single to right. Donovan scored on a double to right by Lars Nootbaar, who was out trying to reach third.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who extended his hit streak to eight games with a first-inning double, singled with one in the fourth. He stole second when Alejandro Kirk struck out and scored on Bo Bichette’s single through the left side of the infield.
Gorman led off the fifth with his 10th homer of the season, a drive to left. Andrew Knizner doubled and took third on a flyout. When Tyler O’Neill walked with two out, Trevor Richards replaced Gausman and gave up Pujols’ seventh homer of the season.
Richards pitched around a sixth-inning single. Jeremy Beasley allowed only a hit batter in the top of the seventh. Anthony Banda worked around a walk and two singles in the top of the eighth.
The Cardinals’ Giovanny Gallegos pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth with one strikeout.
David Phelps pitched a clean top of the ninth inning for Toronto.
Ryan Helsley was perfect in the bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts for St. Louis.
–Field Level Media