The Sports Xchange
Jun 21, 2017
PHILADELPHIA -- The St. Louis Cardinals overcame a five-run deficit for a 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in 10 innings on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies built a 5-0 lead through four innings, but the Cardinals chipped away, hitting four homers to tie the score. Tommy Pham had a multi-homer game and evened the score 5-5 in the ninth with a solo shot off Phillies closer Hector Neris.
St. Louis took the lead in a more unconventional fashion. Jose Martinez led off the 10th with a double and advanced to third on a balk by Edubray Ramos (0-6). Martinez scored when Ramos made an errant pickoff throw to first base. Yadier Molina added an RBI single to pad the lead.
Seung-Hwan Oh allowed an RBI single to Cameron Perkins in the bottom of the 10th but still picked up his 16th save of the season.
The Phillies -- who have lost 13 of their last 14 games -- had a threat to win in the ninth when Freddy Galvis doubled down the left field line with two outs and Odubel Herrera at first base. Herrera, however, ran directly through a stop sign from third base coach Juan Samuel and was easily thrown out at the plate.
The Cardinals' comeback overshadowed a solid outing from Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta. In his eighth career major league start, the rookie puzzled Cardinals hitters and had a career-best 10 strikeouts.
A rare bright spot in 2017 for the Phillies, Pivetta has a 3.58 ERA in his past four starts and has been especially impressive in his last two. He allowed three runs in six innings Wednesday. The 24-year-old Canadian struck out nine in seven scoreless innings in his previous start against the Boston Red Sox.
Pivetta made two mistakes against the Cardinals, giving up homers to Pham and Jedd Gyorko, who belted a two-run shot to right field in the sixth inning. Martinez made it a one-run game in the eighth, smacking his first career pinch-hit homer on the first pitch of the night from reliever Joaquin Benoit.
Wacha has failed to go more than 4 1/3 innings in five of his last six starts dating to May 25. He has an 8.17 ERA during that span, and his season ERA has ballooned by more than two runs from 2.74 to 4.76.
The Phillies struck for three runs in the first inning against Wacha. Maikel Franco started the scoring with an RBI groundout, and Herrera followed with a two-run double.
None of the first-inning runs charged to Wacha were earned after a fielding error by second baseman Greg Garcia, who committed two errors in the game.
The Cardinals' first run came in the fifth when Pham hit a solo homer to center field.
NOTES: Cardinals OF Dexter Fowler left the game in the 10th inning with left quad tightness. ...The Phillies announced they came to terms with first-round draft pick, OF Adam Haseley. The 21-year-old was picked eighth overall after hitting .390 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs for the University of Virginia in 2017. ... Wednesday marked the second straight night the Cardinals and Phillies played extra innings. St. Louis is 4-5 in extra-inning games this season, and Philadelphia is 4-7.