Nolan Arenado's homer keys 8-run rally in the 7th as the Cardinals surge past the Angels, 10-5
Nolan Arenado homered and Matt Carpenter had a tying two-run single during St. Louis' eight-run seventh inning, and the Cardinals rallied from a four-run deficit for a 10-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Iván Herrera had two hits during the Cardinals' massive rally, and he capped it with a two-run single as St. Louis sent 14 hitters to the plate against the Angels' best relievers.
Kevin Pillar had an early two-run homer and a late RBI single for the Angels, who have lost four of five during their homestand to drop to 5-15 at the Big A this season.
Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman had two hits apiece for the Cardinals, who won back-to-back games after a seven-game skid. St. Louis is in Anaheim for only the third series in the franchises' history, and the first since May 2016.
Matthew Liberatore gave up four runs on five hits and two walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning in the reliever's second start of the year for St. Louis.
Kyle Leahy (1-1) pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief to earn his first major league victory.
Pillar extended his impressive start with his new team, putting the Angels up 4-0 with a 362-yard line drive into the short porch in left.
Pillar, the veteran slugger and LA-area native, has nine hits and 12 RBIs in his last five games with the struggling team that picked him up after the White Sox designated him for assignment late last month. Pillar also tied Joe Rudi's franchise record for the most RBIs in a player's first eight games with the Angels.
Kyren Paris doubled for the second RBI of his career during Los Angeles' four-run third inning.
St. Louis managed only a single from Paul Goldschmidt in the first five innings against Jose Soriano. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the sixth, but Angels reliever Adam Cimber got Goldschmidt to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Cimber has been a bright spot in a dim Angels season, stranding all 15 of his inherited runners — but Cimber's first pitch of the seventh was blasted for a homer by Arenado, the native of Newport Beach who now lives in nearby San Clemente during the offseason.
St. Louis' next four batters singled against Cimber and Matt Moore (0-1). Shortly after Carpenter delivered a full-count single to make it 4-4, reliever Luis García hit Goldschmidt with his first pitch to drive in Wynn.
Eight Cardinals scored one run apiece in the rally.
Niko Goodrum made two errors at third base in the ninth inning, allowing St. Louis to score two more runs.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cardinals: Former Angels reliever Keynan Middleton is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield. He strained his forearm early in spring training with his new team.
Angels: INF Luis Rengifo is taking grounders and could return from his viral infection Friday. ... INF Michael Stefanic has begun a rehab assignment in Arizona. He strained his quadriceps muscle in the first game of the Cactus League season.
UP NEXT
Inconsistent left-hander and boyhood Cardinals fan Reid Detmers (3-4, 4.96 ERA) takes the mound for Los Angeles against Sonny Gray (4-2, 2.29 ERA), who gave up six earned runs to Milwaukee in his last start.
