Five run fifth carries Cards past Rockies 6-2

By Rob Barney

All-Star pitcher Lance Lynn pitched six innings of four-hit shutout ball and St. Louis scored five runs in the fifth to carry the Cardinals past Colorado Thursday night 6-2.

Lynn picked up his 11th win of the season in his final start before he All-Star break. He struck out seven and walked two while working out of jams in the first two innings.

Dexter Fowler received a walk to start the game. One out later Carlos Gonzalez also walked to put runners on first and second with just one out. However, Lynn got Michael Cuddyer to foul out and Tyler Colvin to strike out to end the threat.

In the bottom of the first inning St. Louis struck for the first run of the game. Rafael Furcal led off the game against rookie Christian Friedrich with a single. Jon Jay sacrificed him to second, he moved to third on a wild pitch then scored on a ground out by former Rockies player Matt Holliday.

In the second inning Colorado had one out back-to-back singles by Wilin Rosario and Jonathan Herrera, but Friedrich struck out trying to sacrifice and Fowler tapped back to Lynn to end that threat.

Lynn then retired the next eight batters he faced before Fowler hit a two out single in the fifth. Then in the bottom of the fifth the Cardinals broke the game open.

Third baseman David Freese, who was voted to the National League All-Star team by the fans vote, led off the inning with a single. Matt Carpenter and Lynn followed with walks to load the bases. After Furcal struck out Jay forced a run home with a walk. Holliday plated the second run of the inning with a single that forced Friedrich from the game.


Recently recalled Tyler Chatwood entered the contest and quickly surrendered a two-run double to Carlos Beltran. A ground out by Allen Craig scored the final run of the inning as the Cardinals batted around.

Two Cardinal relief pitchers retired the first five batters they faced before the Rockies struck for two runs in the eighth. Cuddyer hit a two out single and Colvin smacked a two-run homer off of Victor Marte. It was Colvin's 11th home run of the season.

Fernando Salas, Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte pitched the final inning and a third to close out the win for St. Louis. Motte inherited two runners in the ninth but retired Gonzalez on a weak grounder to first to earn his 19th save of the season.

Beltran paced the Cardinals with two hits and two rbi. Carpenter was one-for-one with two walks.

Along with Colvin's home run Fowler reached three times for the Rockies with a walk and two singles.

A crowd of 41,751 watched the Cardinals win the series with Colorado 3-games to-1. The Rockies continue their road trip with a weekend series in D.C. against the Nationals. The Cardinals will stay at home to open a series Friday with Miami.

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