Kolten Wong hit a home run in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie, and not only did Lance Lynn give the bullpen a break, but he picked up his fifth career RBI as the Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Sunday night, avoiding a three-game sweep. After a Miguel Cabrera RBI double in the first, Lynn settled in to pitch 7.1 innings while striking out seven.
After Lynn walked two in the eighth, Seth Maness threw one pitch and got a double-play ball from J.D. Martinez to end the threat. Trevor Rosenthal threw in the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances to help the Cardinals improve to 25-12, best in the majors.
Baserunning continues to be an issue. After a blunder on Saturday failed to produce a run at the plate and runners were thrown out a second and third in a 4-3 loss, the Cardinals had two runners nailed at home.
Alfredo Simon, who beat the Cardinals last year twice late in the season with Cincinnati, gave up two runs in six innings for the Tigers. Wong, just 1-for-8 in the series, hit Simon’s fastball an estimated 434 feet to right for the go-ahead run.