ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Matt Carpenter led off the game with a home run into the right-field corner for the St. Louis Cardinals.
It turned out to be sign of things to come.
Carpenter homered twice, including his drive on the fifth pitch of the night, and St. Louis had nine extra-base hits Tuesday in an 8-1 rout of the Los Angeles Angels.
Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday also homered for the Cardinals, who finished one shy of their season high for extra-base hits.
“The momentum shifts at times when that happens and I think today was a little bit of that,” Carpenter said of his leadoff homer, the 10th of his career. “We’re just having good at-bats and games like this tend to happen when collectively you go out and have good ABs.”
Backed by that offensive support, Mike Leake (1-3) took a shutout into the eighth inning for his first win with St. Louis after signing an $80 million, five-year contract in the offseason. He allowed six hits and one run in eight innings overall.
“It feels pretty good to get that first win,” Leake said. “Six or seven games in a row of not producing will weigh on you, but you’ve just got to keep moving forward.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJDn74l1KwQ
Hector Santiago (2-2) lasted 4 1/3 innings for the struggling Angels, who have lost four straight and eight of 10. He permitted seven hits – five for extra bases – and four runs in his shortest outing of the season.
Carpenter’s leadoff drive was just the beginning for the Cardinals, who led 6-0 by the fifth. Every starter reached base, and all but one had a hit.
“It starts with the guy on the mound,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Unfortunately, the ball wasn’t coming out very well for Hector. It’s frustrating when you get behind right away and it lets the other pitcher open up their game.”
Aledmys Diaz made it 2-0 in the second with an RBI double, and Stephen Piscotty and Holliday hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth to make it 3-0 and end Santiago’s night.
Grichuk greeted reliever Javy Guerra with a two-run homer to make it 5-0. Grichuk’s high fly to center field carried just over the glove of a leaping Mike Trout.
Carpenter and Holliday added to the Angels’ misery when they hit solo homers off reliever A.J. Achter in the sixth. Carpenter’s drive gave him the third multihomer game of his career.
“We’re a good offense and today was a good example of it,” Carpenter said. “It’s fun to play when it’s like that.”
Leake took care of the rest, keeping the Angels scoreless until the eighth and striking out five in his longest outing of the season.
Kole Calhoun drove in Cliff Pennington with a sacrifice fly in the eighth for the Angels’ run.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: SS Jhonny Peralta (torn thumb ligament) has been cleared to start swinging a bat. … RHP Carlos Martinez(illness) is expected to make his next scheduled start Saturday.
Angels: SS Andrelton Simmons underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. He will miss six to eight weeks. … LHP C.J. Wilson (shoulder inflammation) threw a 37-pitch bullpen session and is scheduled to pitch a simulated game next week. … RHP Huston Street (strained oblique) played catch for the first time since going on the DL.
HAPPY HOLLIDAY
Holliday finished 3 for 5 with two doubles, a homer, two runs and two RBIs. His homer in the sixth inning traveled an estimated 437 feet and left the bat at 109 mph, according to Major League Baseball’s Statcast computer program. He came in batting .161 (5 for 31) with one extra-base hit in his previous nine games.
“His at-bats tonight were beautiful,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He fought off some tough pitches, got the bat head out early, killed a few balls down the line. It was nice to see it.”
NEW ANGEL IN THE INFIELD
Brendan Ryan made his Angels debut when he entered in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement at shortstop. The veteran infielder was acquired from the Washington Nationals earlier in the day for cash considerations.
Ryan hit .263 for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse and was acquired to shore up the middle infield after Simmons’ injury.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (2-2, 3.05 ERA) pitched seven shutout innings with only two hits allowed in his previous start against Philadelphia last Thursday.
Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker (1-4, 9.15) is being called up from Triple-A for his first start since being demoted May 1.
