Franmil Reyes hit two homers to power the Cleveland Indians past the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 Wednesday.
Cesar Hernandez added a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly for the Indians, who earned a split of this two-game series while winning for just the third time in their last nine tries.
Winning pitcher Zach Plesac (6-3) allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings. Relievers Blake Parker, Nick Sandlin, Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak each threw a scoreless inning of relief to finish off the victory.
Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim (6-6) allowed five runs on five hits — including a career-high four home runs– in just 2 2/3 innings.
Kim won his previous five starts while allowing just three runs in 30 innings.
The Cardinals also lost third baseman Nolan Arenado to a right forearm contusion when Plesac hit him with a pitch in the fifth inning.
In the first inning, the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead on singles by Dylan Carlson, Arenado and Yadier Molina.
Reyes tied the game with a 446-foot solo homer in the second inning. Carlson countered with a solo homer in the third inning to put the Cardinals up 2-1.
But the Indians blasted Kim out of the game in their half of the third.
Kim hit Ernie Clement with a pitch with one out, then allowed Hernandez’s two-run homer. One out later Jose Ramirez and Reyes smacked back-to-back homers to push Cleveland’s lead to 5-2.
The Indians added two more runs in the fourth inning. Yu Chang hit a leadoff double and scored on Austin Hedges’ single.
Hedges took second on center fielder Harrison Bader’s throw home. He took third on a bunt and came home on Hernandez’s sacrifice fly to make it 7-2.
Indians left fielder Harold Ramirez protected that margin in the fifth inning with a leaping catch of Molina’s fly ball to the wall with two runners on base.
–Field Level Media