Leake solves woes vs. Rockies in Cardinals' 8-2 win
The Sports Xchange
Jul 24, 2017
ST. LOUIS -- Mike Leake reversed two trends with one efficient outing on Monday night.
Tossing seven shutout innings against an opponent that had tortured him throughout his career, Leake won for just the second time in 10 starts, leading the St. Louis Cardinals past the Colorado Rockies 8-2 at Busch Stadium.
Leake (7-8) permitted just four singles and walked none, fanning six. Before the Monday performance, Leake was peppered for 37 hits in 20 1/3 career innings against Colorado, posting a 7.52 ERA in four games.
St. Louis (48-51) supported Leake with 12 hits, including three homers. Randal Grichuk went deep for the fourth consecutive game since returning Friday from a stint on the 10-day disabled list, and pinch hitter Jose Martinez and Tommy Pham each clouted solo shots in the seventh.
Pham, Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong each stroked two hits for the Cardinals. Wong and pinch hitter Greg Garcia capped St. Louis' scoring in the eighth with RBI infield hits.
Antonio Senzatela (10-4) lasted only four innings and 86 pitches for Colorado (58-43). Senzatela gave up six hits and four runs, issuing two walks and whiffing five.
Pinch hitter Pat Valaika drilled a two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Rockies' only meaningful offense.
St. Louis got off to a quick start with two runs in the first inning with help from Senzatela's inability to find the strike zone.
Consecutive walks to Dexter Fowler and Pham plus a passed ball on Tony Wolters that moved both runners into scoring position preceded an RBI infield single by DeJong. The second run scored on Jedd Gyorko's double-play grounder.
Grichuk made it 4-0 in the fourth with a two-run homer into the Cardinals' bullpen in right-center, his 13th long ball of the year. The hit knocked home Wong, who had doubled down the left field line.
NOTES: Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado was named National League Player of the Week. Arenado batted .458 with four homers and 13 RBIs in five games last week, belting three homers on Wednesday against San Diego. ... St. Louis 1B Matt Carpenter (quad/dehydration) didn't play Monday after departing the Sunday night game at Wrigley Field before the bottom of the second inning. Rookie Luke Voit got the start in his place, batting sixth, and he went 1-for-3 with a walk. ... Rockies RF Gerardo Parra (bruised calf) returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. He finished 1-for-4.
Jul 24, 2017
ST. LOUIS -- Mike Leake reversed two trends with one efficient outing on Monday night.
Tossing seven shutout innings against an opponent that had tortured him throughout his career, Leake won for just the second time in 10 starts, leading the St. Louis Cardinals past the Colorado Rockies 8-2 at Busch Stadium.
Leake (7-8) permitted just four singles and walked none, fanning six. Before the Monday performance, Leake was peppered for 37 hits in 20 1/3 career innings against Colorado, posting a 7.52 ERA in four games.
St. Louis (48-51) supported Leake with 12 hits, including three homers. Randal Grichuk went deep for the fourth consecutive game since returning Friday from a stint on the 10-day disabled list, and pinch hitter Jose Martinez and Tommy Pham each clouted solo shots in the seventh.
Pham, Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong each stroked two hits for the Cardinals. Wong and pinch hitter Greg Garcia capped St. Louis' scoring in the eighth with RBI infield hits.
Antonio Senzatela (10-4) lasted only four innings and 86 pitches for Colorado (58-43). Senzatela gave up six hits and four runs, issuing two walks and whiffing five.
Pinch hitter Pat Valaika drilled a two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Rockies' only meaningful offense.
St. Louis got off to a quick start with two runs in the first inning with help from Senzatela's inability to find the strike zone.
Consecutive walks to Dexter Fowler and Pham plus a passed ball on Tony Wolters that moved both runners into scoring position preceded an RBI infield single by DeJong. The second run scored on Jedd Gyorko's double-play grounder.
Grichuk made it 4-0 in the fourth with a two-run homer into the Cardinals' bullpen in right-center, his 13th long ball of the year. The hit knocked home Wong, who had doubled down the left field line.
NOTES: Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado was named National League Player of the Week. Arenado batted .458 with four homers and 13 RBIs in five games last week, belting three homers on Wednesday against San Diego. ... St. Louis 1B Matt Carpenter (quad/dehydration) didn't play Monday after departing the Sunday night game at Wrigley Field before the bottom of the second inning. Rookie Luke Voit got the start in his place, batting sixth, and he went 1-for-3 with a walk. ... Rockies RF Gerardo Parra (bruised calf) returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. He finished 1-for-4.
