HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz homered in the eighth inning, helping the Houston Astros top the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 on Monday night.
“It was great,” Bregman said. “It was a full team effort. For everybody to play a big part in that game was huge for our offense.”
Bregman tied it at 4 when he hit a leadoff drive to left off JoJo Romero (2-1). It was Bregman's fifth homer in his last seven games and No. 9 on the season.
“It's beautiful,” manager Joe Espada said. “That's it. It's what we need.”
With two outs and Jake Meyers aboard, Diaz homered off the wall in left for his fourth on the year and first since April 11.
“It felt almost like a weight was lifted,” Diaz said through a translator. “Baseball is one of those sports that’s a lot about confidence and when you’re going through the stretch that’s I was going through sometimes some of that confidence goes away. So it definitely felt good when I hit that home run.”
Chas McCormick then reached on an error on shortstop Masyn Winn and swiped second ahead of Jose Altuve's RBI double.
“The bullpen has been really good and some of these guys are going to have nights like that and you can't blame them for it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “They've competed extremely well and JoJo has been really good for us, just had a tough night.”
Rafael Montero (1-1) got three outs for the win, and Josh Hader worked the ninth for his ninth save.
Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer, helping the Astros to the win after Kyle Tucker departed in the third inning after fouling a ball off his right shin. Tucker said after the game that he was OK and that X-rays were negative.
Nolan Gorman homered twice and Alec Burleson also went deep for the Cardinals, who lost for the third time in four games.
There was one out in the first when Burleson sent a slider from Justin Verlander into the seats in right field. Gorman connected with two down.
An RBI single by Nolan Arenado made it 3-0 in the third.
Tucker got hurt in the bottom of the inning and was replaced by pinch-hitter Mauricio Dubón, who drew a walk. Alvarez followed with his 12th homer on a drive to right.
Gorman hit his 13th homer of the season with one out in the fifth to make it 4-2.
Alvarez hit a one-out double in the sixth before the Astros cut the lead to 4-3 on an RBI single by Meyers with two outs.
Verlander allowed seven hits and four runs in five innings.
Kyle Gibson struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings for St. Louis. He was charged with three runs and five hits.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: Marmol said RHP Keynan Middleton was visiting a specialist Monday in New York after experiencing pain and stiffness in his right forearm. Middleton made five appearances for Double-A Springfield before experiencing the setback.
Astros: General manager Dana Brown said Monday that RHP José Urquidy is getting a second opinion on his injury amid reports that a second Tommy John surgery is possible. ESPN was first to report the right-hander will visit Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Monday. ESPN reported Meister is expected to recommend Tommy John surgery. “That’s not the information we have right now,” Brown said. “And so that’s why we’re getting a second opinion. So, we’ll know more in a couple of days.”
UP NEXT
Houston RHP Spencer Arrighetti (3-5, 5.98 ERA) opposes RHP Andre Pallante (1-1, 3.94 ERA) when the series continues Tuesday night.
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