Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer and former Cardinal Dylan Carlson drove in two runs to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, preventing a series sweep.
Lowe has hit seven home runs, nine doubles, and collected 18 RBIs in his last 26 games. He has driven in a run in five straight games, matching his career high.
“You have to understand it’s a very difficult game at times,” Lowe said. “It’s a very fun game at other times. Never think you know too much or that you’ve got it figured out.”
Ben Rortvedt also contributed with three hits for the Rays.
Nolan Arenado drove in a run, scored twice, and had three hits for the Cardinals. Arenado is hitting .400 in August with three doubles and six RBIs. Paul Goldschmidt added two RBIs for St. Louis.
“This is a frustrating one. I feel like we played a pretty clean game,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We took some really good at-bats, especially giving up two in the first and then coming right back. Sometimes baseball just happens.”
Richard Lovelady (3-4) earned the win by pitching one inning, and Pete Fairbanks, a St. Louis native who pitched at Missouri, closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning for his 22nd save in 24 chances.
“I treated it like it’s any other place,” Fairbanks said about pitching at Busch Stadium where he had played in high school and college.
“I was thinking to myself if I’m getting in this game we’ve got to score five runs and then Lowe hits a pop. So, I’ll take it. I think I would have been frustrated if I hadn’t gotten to pitch here. So, it’s nice to put an ‘S’ in the record book.”
JoJo Romero (5-2) took the loss. Kyle Gibson pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk. Shane Baz threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks.
The Rays scored three runs in the seventh inning. Yandy Díaz drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, followed by Lowe’s homer that barely cleared the wall and the glove of leaping center fielder Victor Scott II.
