Cardinals hope doubleheader sweep at Cincinnati signals an end to their road woes
CINCINNATI (AP) — After enduring the franchise's second-worst start on the road, the St. Louis Cardinals broke out on Wednesday, belting six homers and outscoring the Cincinnati Reds 15-1 in a doubleheader sweep.
The Cardinals won the first game 6-0 and the second 9-1. They finished with 15 hits in the twinbill.
It was the Cardinals' first doubleheader sweep at Cincinnati since June 28, 1959 at Crosley Field.
'It's hard to take two games from anybody,' St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. 'This group has been playing the game the right way. It hasn't gone our way. Hopefully today sparks something.'
After dropping the first game of the series against the Reds, the Cardinals fell to 2-12 on the road, their worst start away from home since going 2-15 in 1960.
Going into the doubleheader, the Cardinals were hitting .239 on the road compared to .289 at Busch Stadium. The team ERA in away games was 5.94.
Nine of the road defeats were by three or fewer runs, and that gave the Cardinals hope things would turn around soon.
Scheduled after a rainout on Tuesday, the doubleheader began with Masyn Winn's solo homer into the upper deck in the first inning of Game 1. Winn homered again when St. Louis hit three consecutive homers in the ninth inning off Alexis Diaz in a 6-0 victory.
It was the first time in the modern era that the Cardinals had hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the ninth.
Winn went 4 for 8 with two homers, four runs scored, a double and two RBIs in the two games after Marmol moved him to the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
'Just get on base and catch a barrel,' Winn said. '(Lars) Nootbaar is setting the tone at the leadoff spot. When I get going, I feel like the rest of the team's energy changes.'
Marmol downplayed the move, but it produced results.
'Masyn just brings a different element, lots of energy,' the manager said. 'That first game with two homers. This game, a couple knocks. Just a lot of energy.'
The most impressive at-bat on Wednesday came from Pedro Pagés, who worked the count to 2-2 against 22-year-old right-hander Case Petty — who was making his major league debut — and then fouled off six straight pitches before launching his third homer of the season.
'I just wanted to be aggressive with him,' Pagés said. 'I just kept fouling them off and fouling them off. I was taking deep breaths out there. Tried to stay as calm as I could and stay within myself.'
Willson Contreras hit a three-run homer off Petty in the first inning of the nightcap.
'Definitely a great long day,' Game 2 starter Steven Matz said. 'To come out with two wins is huge for us.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Jeff Wallner, The Associated Press
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