By KRISTIE ACKERT
TAMPA — Willson Contreras homered, Alec Burleson’s two-run single highlighted a five-run second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Thursday evening.
Sonny Grey (12-6) allowed three runs on six hits in 5 innings, with six strikeouts and a stroll for the win. Kyle Leahy, Matt Svanson and JoJo Romero (fourth save) mixed to restrict Tampa Bay to at least one run and 5 hits the remainder of the way in which.
Trailing 1-0 going into the second, the Cardinals obtained run-scoring hits from Nathan Church and Lars Nootbaar earlier than one other run scored on a wild pitch and Burleson drove in two runs with a single to proper area. Ivan Herrera added an RBI single within the fourth and Contreras hit his 18th homer of the season within the seventh off Bryan Baker.
Tampa Bay’s Yardy Diaz hit a two-run homer within the third. It was his seventeenth homer at Steinbrenner Subject and twenty first of the season general.
Joe Boyle (1-3) took his first residence loss this season. He allowed six runs, 5 earned, on 9 hits with 5 strikeouts and three walks in 5 innings.
Key second
Diaz, the Rays’ veteran DH singled within the backside of the fifth and injured his proper hamstring. He left the sport and is day-to-day.
Key stat
After permitting only one earned run in 4 earlier begins at Steinbrenner Subject, Boyle allowed 5 earned and 6 whole Thursday. He additionally allowed a career-high 9 hits.
Up subsequent
Rays RHP Adrian Houser (6-4, 2.67 ERA) faces Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 4.99) on Friday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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