O’Neill’s game-ending HBP lifts Cards over Rockies 5-4
By DAVID SOLOMON
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman homered, and St. Louis scored the winning run when Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Andrew Knizner and Lars Nootbaar drew walks off Dinelson Lamet (1-2) in the ninth, and Dylan Carlson reached on a bunt single to load the bases before O’Neill was plunked.
“They took good at-bats, worked full counts, and were able to get on there,” O’Neill said. “You could tell he was a little wild out there, so I just wanted to be a little selective, see a good pitch to hit, and ended up getting hit.”
Rockies manager Bud Black said Lamet couldn’t seem to find his release point.
“Usually when a pitcher isn’t able to find the strike zone, it’s usually release point and a little something in his delivery,” Black said.
José Quintana pitched no-hit ball with two walks for five innings before allowing two runs on four consecutive hits to lead off the sixth, ending his night.
“It’s a little tough when you get five straight innings quickly, and you face four hitters and now can’t get outs,” Quintana said. “The game was there, so I’m happy with how I threw the ball.”
Ryan Helsley (7-1) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to lower his ERA to 0.91 in 49 2/3 innings this season.
Kyle Freeland allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four batters in six innings to drop the Rockies to 13-42 since Busch Stadium III opened in 2006.
“I went back and looked at video of my start at home at Coors Field against them, and I was at the top of the zone with a lot of my arsenal,” Freeland said. “The key for me today was to get back to the bottom of the zone, execute in the bottom of the zone, and it paid off somewhat.”
Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly to left field off Lucas Gilbreath in the seventh inning to the the game at 4.
Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run double to right-center field off Packy Naughton in the seventh inning, driving in Wynton Bernard and Connor Joe to put Colorado up 4-3.
Bernard, a 31-year-old rookie, singled up the middle to break up Quintana’s no-hit bid and scored two batters later on a Blackmon single.
Goldschmidt’s two-run home run to left field off Freeland in the fifth inning was the 29th of the season and 100th as a member of the Cardinals.
“I had no idea how many homers I had,” Goldschmidt said. “It’s kind of crazy so I hadn’t thought about it at all, but it seems fast. It wasn’t like a goal or anything like that. I was just trying to do my job.”
Edman hit his eighth home run of the season off Freeland in the fourth inning to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. It was his first home run since going deep on June 14 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Blackmon’s seventh inning double gave Colorado at least one double in 36 straight games. It is the longest streak in the majors this season and the longest since the Oakland Athletics doubled in 36 straight games in 2019.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: 1B/OF Juan Yepez (right forearm strain) was held out of the lineup for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday due to illness. Yepez worked out pregame and will work with the club Wednesday before the team makes a decision on activating him or having him continue his rehab assignment.
UP NEXT:
Cardinals LHP Jordan Montgomery (5-3, 3.37 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Colorado on Wednesday night and is 2-0, having tossed 11 scoreless innings in two starts since being acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 2. The Rockies counter with RHP Germán Márquez (6-9, 5.08 ERA), who is 2-1 with a 2.58 ERA in seven career starts against St. Louis.
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