BOSTON — Kenley Jansen blew the ninth lead for the second straight day at shortstop Kike Hernandez‘s throwing error on a game-ending play could be allowed Nolan Gorman to score the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, and lift Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 win above the Boston Red Sox Wednesday.
The Red Sox wasted a star in the starting lineup Chris Salewho threw eight innings of one-run ball in his longest streak since 2019.
Nolan Arenado had the only homer in St. Louis a day after collecting four hits and a two-run homer. The Cardinals won Friday’s game with a 9-run ninth that was capped by Gorman’s pinch-hit, two-run home run off Jansen.
Rob Refsnyder he had two doubles and three hits, and Raphael Devers added an RBI single for the Red Sox.
“We got the ball where we wanted it,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We didn’t change two games. It’s one of those times [Jansen] it was terrible early in the morning, they came with cars and they pressed us.”
Jansen (1-2) walked Paul Goldschmidt and Wilson Contreras, Contreras reached when the fourth ball was fouled. With Arenado out, pinch hitter Gorman had an RBI double. Brendan Donovan he walked deliberately. Pinch hitter Alec Burleson then he grounded out to second, and Hernández, trying to get DP to turn around quickly, threw the first throw into Boston’s infield, allowing Gorman to score the leadoff hit after Contreras scored.
“We’re pushing with our words,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, using his hands to point toward the front when asked what he was thinking when Burleson ran for the line on what would have been a close play.
“It worked out well for us,” Marmol said, smiling.
André Pallante (2-0) worked a no-hitter to get the win, and Giovanni Gallegos he got his third coin.
“It’s a win, especially against Jansen, a good job as a closer, I hope he’s a Hall of Famer,” Contreras said. “We did our job last night and today we didn’t give up. We played until the end.”
Mixing a 96 mph fastball with his sharp slider, Sale kept the Cardinals scoreless until Arenado homered on the Green Monster leading off the seventh.
Sale struck out nine, gave up three hits and one walk, throwing 77 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
He finished seventh and batting Paul DeJong he swings down — his third K of the inning — and gives up a good swing.
But he was not done there.
Sale pitched the eighth inning with a pitch, ending his longest hitting streak since an eight-inning shutout against Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on Aug. 8, 2019.
“It was huge,” Sale said of the opportunity to go eighth. “I’ve said it before, our job as starters is to take as many games as we can.”
The first cardinal Steven Matz he gave up three runs and struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings.