Nathan Lukes hit a go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep.
Davis Schneider blasted a two-run home run among his two hits for the Blue Jays (72-78).
Lars Nootbaar hit a solo homer for the Cardinals (74-75) to tie the game in the seventh.
Toronto right-hander Yariel Rodriguez allowed one run, three hits and one walk with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas allowed two runs and three hits with four strikeouts in five innings.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Ivan Herrera lined a leadoff single to right. Jordan Walker socked a hanging slider to center field for an RBI double. Ryan Yarbrough replaced Rodriguez.
Mikolas hit Spencer Horwitz with a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth. Schneider hit a 3-2 sinker that was in the middle of the plate to center field for his 12th homer of the season. It was his second homer in two days after going without one since June 22.
Nolan Arenado singled with one out in the top of the sixth before the Blue Jays turned a superb double play started by second baseman Leo Jimenez, who made a diving stop of Luken Baker’s sharp grounder.
Former Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz replaced Mikolas in the sixth. He pitched around Lukes’ one-out double and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-out intentional walk, retiring Horwitz on a groundout.
Nootbaar lined his 10th homer of the season to right to lead off the seventh against Yarbrough.
Toronto reliever Genesis Cabrera walked Brendan Donovan to lead off the eighth before inducing a double-play grounder from pinch hitter Paul Goldschmidt. Zach Pop (2-4) replaced Cabrera.
Pinch hitter George Springer led off the home eighth against Andrew Kittredge (4-5) with one out in the home eighth. He scored on Lukes’ double into the left field corner. After Guerrero was walked intentionally, JoJo Romero ended the inning, getting Horwitz on a groundout.
Chad Green pitched around two singles in the ninth to earn his 17th save of the season.
–Field Level Media
