ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina set a Major League record for wins by a starting battery when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Francisco Giants 15-6 on Sunday night in a game that ended with veteran slugger Albert Pujols on the mound .
Molina homered to bat in four runs, Wainwright threw six effective innings and St. Louis finished off Carlos Rodón early. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each added a two-run home run for the Cardinals, who took two out of three in the series after losing two out of three to struggling Baltimore. Goldschmidt had three RBI’s.
Pujols, the Cardinals’ designated batter, pitched in the ninth inning for the first time in his 22-year career. He gave up a three-run homer to Luis Gonzalez and a solo shot to Joey Bart, but managed to get the last three outs by enough margin.
The 42-year old Pujols became the oldest player to make his pitching debut in the Major League since Lena Blackburne brought himself in at age 42 in his last big league-game as player/manager for the Chicago White Sox in 1929.
Wainwright and Molina broke the Major League record with their 203rd win as the starting battery. They passed Warren Spahn and Del Crandall, who took 202 victories for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves from 1949-63.
The St. Louis duo have started 311 games together, their third all-time behind Spahn/Crandall (316) and Mickey Lolich/Bill Freehan (324) of the 1963-75 Detroit Tigers.
Joc Pederson homered for two runs for San Francisco, which lost its second in a row after six consecutive wins.
Molina capped off a four-run outburst in the first inning off of Rodón (4-2) with a two-run single. The 39-year old catcher added a two-run homer off reliever Zack Littell in the fifth to make it 11-0.
Wainwright (4-3) gave up two runs and three hits. He struckout five batters and walked. The 40-year old righthander retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. Gonzalez got the Giants’ first hit with a two-out single in the fifth.
Rodón gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. He struckout three batters and walked one. He had conceded just seven earned points this season compared to his six previous starts.
Each St. Louis starter had a hit in the sixth inning.
St. Louis rookie outfielder Juan Yepez singled in the first inning. He has reached base safely in each of his first 11 games, the longest streak by a Cardinals rookie since Luis Alicea made it in 23 consecutive games to start his career in 1988.
The Cardinals went 0-4 in games on Sunday-evening last year, before winning in their first attempt this season.
Gonzalez came from the outfield to pitch in the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs. He gave up a runscoring single to Dylan Carlson before driving out Harrison Bader.
MOVE UP
San Francisco RHP Yunior Marte was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and gave up two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief. INF Donovan Walton was sent to Sacramento. Walton had one hit in four at bats with the Giants.
TRAINERS ROOM
Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes has been shut down after experiencing more shoulder pain. Reyes, who has been sidelined all season, felt more discomfort playing the catch. He had an MRI last week and will remain inactive until the results are out. “Not sure if it’s the same area,” said manager Oliver Marmol. “But it’s shoulder discomfort.”
NEXT ONE
Giants: LHP Alex Wood (3-2, 3.60 ERA) faces Colorado RHP Antonio Senzatela (2-2, 4.88) on Monday in the opener of a three-game series in Denver. Wood didn’t give up an earned run over 5 1/3 innings on Tuesday in a 9-2 win against Colorado.
Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (3-1, 1.49) faces the Mets in the opener of a four-game set Monday night in New York – weather permitting. Mikolas has allowed two runs or less in all seven starts this season. The Mets hadn’t announced a starter yet.
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