Carlos Beltran used his bat and glove to help the Cardinals pull out a 4-3 victory in the first game of their four game set with the Phillies. Beltran hit a go-ahead homer to the opposite field in the eighth inning after making  a run-saving catch in the seventh. Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Cardinals.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings and the Cardinals wriggled out of a ninth-inning jam. The Phillies put runners at first and third with nobody out against Edward Mujica, but the fill-in closer retired the next three batters for the save. Wainwright gave up three runs and nine hits this time while striking out four and walking none.

Matheny turned to Mujica after Mitchell Boggs had blown two of four save opportunities, but it almost backfired. Ben Revere led off the ninth with a single and went to third on Erik Kratz’s single to right. Kratz moved up on pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen’s groundout to shortstop, but Revere held at third. Rollins struck out and Freddy Galvis grounded out to end it.

The Cardinals opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the fourth. Phillies starter Cole Hamels walked Matt Holliday and Allen Craig hit a line drive to right field and both scored when Molina drove home both runners with a double down the right-field line.  After the Phillies tied it in the bottom of the sixth, the Cardinals regained the lead in the seventh on a Pete Kozma sacrifice fly.   Kratz singled in the seventh to tie the game at 3-3, leading up to Beltran’s big hit.

Watch Beltran’s homer

 

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