Alejandro Kirk went 4-for-5 with a homer, and his 10th-inning RBI double lifted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Monday.
Jonatan Clase hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning for the Blue Jays, who won for the 10th time in 12 games.
Toronto starter Jose Berrios allowed four hits and two walks in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He has allowed just one run in 18 2/3 innings over his past three starts.
Yariel Rodriguez (1-0) earned the victory despite blowing an eighth-inning lead. Jeff Hoffman pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th for his 16th save.
Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer that capped the Cardinals’ four-run eighth inning. Willson Contreras reached base three times and had a run and an RBI.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante allowed two runs on seven hits in six-plus innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Phil Maton (0-2) gave up an unearned run in the 10th.
Kirk’s eighth-inning solo homer extended Toronto’s lead to 3-0.
The Cardinals rallied in the eighth inning to move ahead 4-3. Victor Scott II drew a leadoff walk from reliever Brendon Little, and Masyn Winn hit a one-out single.
After Brendan Donovan struck out, Rodriguez replaced Little and allowed Contreras’ RBI single and Herrera’s homer.
Clase tied the game 4-4 with his one-out ninth-inning homer off Ryan Helsley.
Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. With two outs, Addison Barger and Kirk hit singles, and George Springer followed with an RBI double.
The Blue Jays pushed their lead to 2-0 in the second inning. Ernie Clement hit a one-out double and scored on Bo Bichette’s two-out single.
Pallante worked out of trouble in third inning. Kirk hit a one-out double and Springer reached on catcher’s interference, but Andres Gimenez struck out and Davis Schneider hit into a forceout.
The Cardinals were coming off winning two of three against the host Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Monday contest was the opener of a three-game interleague series.
–Field Level Media
