St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants Box Score on Sep 03, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO -- Paul DeJong and Jose Martinez smacked back-to-back home runs off San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, and Harrison Bader added a solo shot two innings later to power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 victory Sunday.

Right-hander Luke Weaver struck out nine in seven strong innings as the Cardinals took three of four in the series to claim the season set 4-3 from the Giants.

The win allowed St. Louis (69-67) to move within three games of the Colorado Rockies (72-64) in the race for the second wild-card playoff spot in the National League.

The day wasn't a total loss for Bumgarner (3-7), who allowed five runs and five hits in six innings.

The slugging pitcher belted his third homer of the season, a solo shot off Weaver in the fifth inning that temporarily drew the Giants even at 2.

Bumgarner became the first pitcher since Earl Wilson of the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers from 1964-68 to record three or more home runs in four straight seasons. The homer was the 17th of his career.

Bader's homer, his second of the series after being promoted from Triple-A on Friday, came with one out into the sixth inning and gave the Cardinals the lead for good.

Martinez and Yadier Molina had RBI doubles later in the inning, extending the advantage to 5-2.

The Cardinals added two insurance runs off the Giants' bullpen in the seventh, with Martinez contributing his second run-scoring double in as many innings.

He finished 3-for-5, including his fourth-inning homer of Bumgarner, his 11th of the season.

DeJong's homer, his 21st of the year, came three pitches earlier, triggering the back-to-back that flipped a 1-0 Giants' lead.

The consecutive homers were the Cardinals' seventh of the season.

Weaver (4-1), who had struck out 10 batters in each of his previous two starts, left for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. No rookie pitcher has more than two 10-strikeout games this season.

He allowed four hits and two walks in his seven innings en route to his fourth win in five starts this season.

Bumgarner, pitching three days after having to be scratched from a start because of an illness, walked two and struck out five in his six innings.

Giants pitchers allowed eight hits and were spared three others by sensational catches by center fielder Gorkys Hernandez.

One of Hernandez's feats -- a running, leaping catch above the center field fence on a first-inning blast by Tommy Pham -- prevented what would have been a fourth homer off Bumgarner.

Martinez drove in three runs with his three hits and Bader had two RBIs with two hits for the Cardinals, who had three doubles and three homers among their eight hits.

Backup catcher Tim Federowicz hit his first home run of the season. Mac Williamson, recalled from Triple-A Sacramento before the game, added two doubles for the Giants, who had won or tied their previous six home series.

NOTES: Cardinals OF Harrison Bader's first two major league home runs have come off RHP Johnny Cueto and LHP Madison Bumgarner. ... The Cardinals sat out CF Dexter Fowler (bruised left hip), who was injured sliding into second base in Saturday's game. The injury is not considered serious. ... Cardinals RHP Sandy Alcantara pitched to five batters in his major league debut in the eighth inning and recorded several firsts, including strikeout (C/1B Buster Posey) and home run allowed (C Tim Federowicz). ... When Giants LHP Matt Moore entered the game as a reliever in the eighth inning, it scratched him from his tentatively scheduled start Monday at Colorado. RHP Chris Stratton will take his place. ... Before the game, the Giants recalled INF Orlando Calixte and LF Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento.