ST. LOUIS — An early flex against an ace known for rarely giving up such innings put the Cardinals in position to do something even rarer for them this season.
The Cardinals pounced on Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara for four runs in the firstr inning and then held on to complete the first series sweep of the year at Busch Stadium. The four runs in the first grew into a 6-4 victory against the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon to thrust the resurgent Cardinals to their first five-game winning streak of the season. Nolan Gorman provided three of the first-inning runs with his 19th homer of the season. He finished the game with two hits, a steal, and four RBIs.
Pitchers out of the Cardinals’ bullpen handled all nine innings of the game, with Chris Stratton called on to close the game in the absence of Jordan Hicks.
