CHICAGO (AP) — Juan Yepez singled home automatic runner Nolan Gorman to lead off the 11th inning, Brendan Donovan doubled in an insurance run and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 5-3 on Sunday night.
Yepez lined his tiebreaking hit and Donovan delivered off Daniel Norris (0-4), who had pitched a perfect 10th inning.
Genesis Cabrera (3-1) tossed four innings in relief of Adam Wainwright, including a perfect 11th, and allowed a run on two hits while striking out five for the win.
It was Cabrera’s longest outing since throwing 4 2/3 innings in a start against Cincinnati on June 4, 2019. Before Sunday’s game, the 25-year-old lefty quipped to manager Oliver Marmol he felt strong.
“He said ‘I have four innings in me,’” Marmol said. “And I took him up on it.
“It really is unbelievable for him to take the ball and do what he did. He came right at guys and had all three pitches going.”
Cabrera confirmed the exchange.
“I told him (Marmol) that I had four today and everything went right,” Cabrera said through a translator. “I just went inning by inning. I got the opportunity and I did it.”
St. Louis won for the sixth time in eight games and took the rubber match of a five-game series. The Cardinals tied it at 3 in the ninth after Chicago broke through for a 3-2 lead in the eighth.
Harrison Bader’s second hit of the game was a triple to the wall in center field off Rowan Wick leading off the ninth. Bader scored on a single by pinch-hitter Lars Nootbaar, tying the game and dealing Wick his first blown save in five chances.
Cubs pinch-hitter P.J. Higgins looped an RBI double down the right field line off Cabrera to break a 2-all tie in the eighth. It scored Patrick Wisdom, who had lined his second double of the game.
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