Matt Carpenter helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber in a way no one has
before
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own.
Carpenter homered twice, matched a career best with five hits and helped chase Kluber in the shortest start of the right-hander’s career in the
Cardinals’ 11-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.
Carpenter, who also scored a career-best five runs, is the 19th player ever with five hits, including two home runs, and five runs in a game. He’s the first
Cardinals player to do it.
”I don’t know, that leaves me kind of speechless,” said Carpenter, who also drove in three. ”It’s pretty cool. Wow, there’s been some really good players
come through here. You would have figured somebody would have put together a
night better than that.”
Kluber (11-4) allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings and has lost two of his past three decisions. He gave up six hits, including homers to Carpenter and Jose
Martinez, and walked one on 48 pitches.
Prior to Tuesday, Kluber’s shortest start had been two innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013. His previous low this year was a five-inning game on
June 15 against Minnesota when he took his third loss of the season.
”He’s human,” manager Terry Francona said. ”Don’t think guys go 35 starts without having a bump in the road.”
It was a far cry from his only other appearance against the Cardinals. He struck out a career-best 18 in a 2-0 victory on May 13, 2015.
Carlos Martinez (4-4) settled down after a rough first inning for his first victory since May 2. He had lost three straight decisions over his previous five
starts. He went six innings, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk while
striking out eight.
St. Louis has won four straight after struggling through a 2-8 stretch. Cleveland entered the series on a seven-game winning streak before dropping the
first two of this three-game set.
The Indians used three singles and a walk to take a 2-0 lead in the first but had only three more singles against Martinez and none after the starter was
pulled.
Carpenter answered the Indians’ fast start with his 14th home run. It was Carpenter’s third leadoff homer of the year and 18th in his career. He also led
off the eighth with his 15th homer, a solo
shot
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on a 5-for-5 night. The five hits matched a mark he set June 14, 2014 at Kansas
City, and he was a triple shy of the cycle.
”I don’t think you wish for a home run not to be a home run, but it would have been cool to do,” he said of the cycle. ”It’s something I’ve never done,
but I’ll take the home run, too.”
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny made several fielding changes in the late innings to let players get some rest. He said he considered pulling Carpenter
but decided the potential cycle meant more than a couple of innings off.
”It was on our mind, but this is special for him and special for our fans,” Matheny said. ”When he’s on, it’s impressive to watch his approach and what he
can do when he’s got his swing going right.”
Jose Martinez’s 12th home run, a three-run blast to left field, chased Kluber. Kolten Wong added a two-run shot in the third, his sixth of the
season.
RAIN DELAY
Tuesday’s game was delayed 1-hour, 26-minutes by rain, marking the second consecutive game between the Indians and Cardinals that was affected by
inclement weather. The first pitch Monday was pushed back 1-hour, 21-minutes
because of a thunderstorm.
TRAINING ROOM
Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco is scheduled to throw 40 pitches off the mound Wednesday in St. Louis. If all goes well, he could begin his rehab assignment
Saturday. Carrasco is currently on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow
contusion.
Cardinals: SS Yairo Munoz was pulled after the third inning with a left ankle contusion. He fouled a ball off his leg during his last at-bat before grounding
out to short and was replaced by Greg Garcia to start the fourth.
UP NEXT
Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (2-0, 2.45) makes his fourth start of his rookie season. After allowing 18 hits in his first two
appearances
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through seven innings in his last outing.
Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.50) is coming off his best start of his rookie year. He allowed a season-low one hit and tied a season-high with 13
strikeouts but didn’t figure in the decision in the 2-1 loss at Milwaukee. He’s
given up two runs on six hits in his previous 18 1/3 innings over three
games.
—
Spotting opponents an early lead hasn’t been a problem lately for Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs.
Rizzo drove in his second run of the game in the seventh inning to snap a tie, Kyle Schwarber followed with a solo homer in the eighth and the Cubs
rebounded from an early three-run deficit to edge the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on
Tuesday for their fifth straight win.
The other team has scored first in each of Chicago’s recent victories, but the Cubs have kept chipping away.
”We know we’re a good team,” Rizzo said. ”We just have to string together good at-bats.”
The Cubs did just that again on Tuesday.
With one out in the seventh, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist singled off Tigers reliever Daniel Stumpf (1-4). Rizzo’s slow bouncer up the middle resulted in a
force of Zobrist at second, but Jose Iglesias’ throw to first was too late to
double up Rizzo and Heyward scored from third to put Chicago ahead for the first
time, 4-3.
Schwarber hit his team-leading 17th homer to right against a steady wind off Lake Michigan in the eighth.
Trailing 3-0, Albert Almora, Jr. and Heyward each drove in a run with a double, then Rizzo followed with an RBI single in Chicago’s three-run fifth.
Rizzo has just one homer in his past 20 games – and 12 this season – after launching at least 31 in each of the past four seasons. But the Cubs slugger
says the longball isn’t always the best approach.
”You get down and start battling (at) two strikes, it’s not about hitting a homer,” Rizzo said. ”It’s just about putting the ball in play and we’re doing a
good job at that.”
Justin Wilson (3-2), the second of Chicago’s four relievers, pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win. Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless ninth for his
second save in four chances.
The Cubs’ bullpen allowed just one hit after starter Kyle Hendricks labored through five innings, allowing three runs and seven hits in a no-decision. In
his past six starts, the right-hander is 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA.
”They didn’t beat him up by any means today,” manager Joe Maddon said. ”It’s just that it wasn’t a typical surgeon-like procedure from Kyle. He looks
good
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Detroit leadoff hitter Mikie Mahtook had three singles and scored a run. Niko Goodrum drove in a run with a double, and Jeimer Candelario and James McCann
each had an RBI as the Tigers lost their 12th game in their past 14.
Tigers starter Michael Fulmer went six innings and allowed three runs – all in the fifth – and seven hits.
”He had really good stuff,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”He got a couple of pitches up a bit, but they kind of put them in the right place.
”It wasn’t like they were lashing them, but they put them on the outfield grass, kind of like what we did to them early.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. After Mahtook and Nick Castellanos led off with singles, Candelario drove in a run with a groundout.
Goodrum’s double to the right-field corner scored the second run.
The Tigers added a run in the fourth on McCann’s RBI single.
The Cubs tied it 3-all in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Tommy LaStella, Almora and Heyward led off with consecutive doubles to cut it to 3-2, then Rizzo’s hit with
one out tied it.
WINDY CITY TIGER
INF/OF Jim Adduci, called up from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, was in Detroit’s lineup at first base and singled and scored in his first game this season. The
33-year-old attended Evergreen Park High School in Chicago’s south suburbs and
grew up a fan of both the Cubs and White Sox. Adduci’s father, also named Jim,
played a total of 70 games with three major league teams in the 1980s and was at
Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Cubs: INF/OF Kris Bryant (left shoulder inflammation) probably will return Wednesday or Friday, Maddon said after the game. The Cubs star has been
sidelined since June 22. … RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps inflammation, right
elbow impingement/inflammation) rejoined the Cubs after seeing Dr. Keith Meister
in Texas on Friday and getting a cortisone shot. Maddon said he still hadn’t yet
talked to the right-hander about his progress following the injection.
UP NEXT:
Tigers LHP Francisco Liriano (3-4. 3.99) takes the mound against Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (6-6. 4.31) on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of the two-game
interleague set. Liriano has lost both of his starts since coming off the
disabled list (right hamstring strain) on June 23. Quintana has two losses and
three no-decisions in his past five starts and hasn’t won since May 31.
—
