Jesus Luzardo logged seven impressive innings as the Philadelphia Phillies snapped the visiting St. Louis Cardinals’ nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader.
Bryce Harper knocked in the go-ahead run — his 999th career RBI — as part of a two-run seventh for Philadelphia, which will aim for a sweep Wednesday evening when Aaron Nola opposes Sonny Gray in a battle of veteran right-handers.
Luzardo (4-0) allowed one run and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Harper and Rafael Marchan each finished with two hits for the Phillies, while Jordan Walker knocked in the only run for the Cardinals.
With the game still scoreless in the seventh inning, Ivan Herrera doubled with one out against Luzardo and came around to score on a two-out single by Walker.
However, the hosts answered promptly against reliever Steven Matz (2-1) in the bottom half. Weston Wilson and Marchan singled with one out before Bryson Stott tied the game with a hit off the glove of second baseman Brendan Donovan.
Two batters later, Harper flared one into center field that scored Marchan. Stott was thrown out at the plate to end the inning, which appeared as if it may be costly when Philadelphia reliever Jose Alvarado ran into trouble in the eighth.
Alvarado allowed the first two runners to reach and they advanced to second and third on a groundout. The Phillies turned to reliever Orion Kerkering, who got Nolan Arenado on a foul pop and Willson Contreras on a called third strike to end the inning.
Jordan Romano struck out all three hitters he faced in the ninth for his fourth save.
After a quiet first inning, both teams put a pair of runners on base in the second inning. However, Luzardo escaped the top half by retiring Pedro Pages and Walker, while St. Louis starter Erick Fedde struck out Brandon Marsh in the bottom half with runners on first and second.
Philadelphia put on pressure again in the sixth, as Trea Turner and Harper led off with walks against Fedde, who rebounded to retire the next two hitters. Matz came on and struck out Max Kepler to end the frame.
Fedde pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
