The St. Louis Cardinals opened a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with an 8-2 win at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night.
Matt Holliday started the scoring for the Cards in the fourth inning with a two-run homer. A solo shot in the sixth by centerfielder Jon Jay then put St. Louis up for good. The Astros rallied for two in the top of the seventh thanks to a two-run homer by Miguel Montero but that would end the scoring for the visitors.
St. Louis eventually put the game away for good late in the game, capped by a two-run, pinch-hit double by Matt Carpenter in the eighth inning to seal the win.
Joe Kelly (3-5) earned the win for the Cards, giving up six hits and two runs in six and a third innings on the mound. Arizona starter Ian Kennedy (10-10) was tagged with the lost after giving up five runs in six innings. Kennedy left the game in the seventh inning after he committed a throwing error which allowed a run to score as part of a two-run inning for St. Louis.
The win keeps St. Louis within one game of Atlanta and Pittsburgh in the NL Wild Card race. The two teams resume their series on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. CT.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, head over to St. Louis Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos and Diamondbacks blog AZ SnakePit. For more news and notes from around the world of professional baseball, visit Baseball Nation.