Nathan Lukes delivered a decisive RBI double in the eighth inning, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon and completing a three-game sweep. Davis Schneider contributed significantly with a two-run homer among his two hits for the Blue Jays (72-78). For the Cardinals (74-75), Lars Nootbaar hit a solo home run in the seventh to tie the game. Toronto’s right-hander, Yariel Rodriguez, pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas gave up two runs on three hits with four strikeouts over five innings.

St. Louis initially took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Ivan Herrera led off with a single to right field, and Jordan Walker hit a double to center for an RBI. Ryan Yarbrough replaced Rodriguez after Mikolas hit Spencer Horwitz with a pitch. Schneider then hit a 3-2 sinker for a two-run home run to center, marking his 12th of the season and his second in two days.

 

 

 

Cardinals vs. Blue Jays Game Highlights (9/14/24) | MLB Highlights

In the sixth inning, Nolan Arenado’s single was followed by a stellar double play by the Blue Jays, started by second baseman Leo Jimenez’s diving stop. Steven Matz, who replaced Mikolas, managed to navigate through Lukes’ double and an intentional walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., retiring Horwitz on a groundout.

Nootbaar’s solo homer in the seventh was his 10th of the season. In the eighth, Toronto reliever Genesis Cabrera walked Brendan Donovan but then induced a double play from Paul Goldschmidt. Zach Pop took over from Cabrera and in the bottom of the eighth, pinch hitter George Springer led off with a single and scored on Lukes’ double to left field. Guerrero was walked intentionally, but JoJo Romero ended the inning by retiring Horwitz. Chad Green then closed out the game, pitching around two singles in the ninth to secure his 17th save of the season.