D-backs OF Jordan Luplow homers twice in loss to Cardinals

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader and Nolan Arenado homered in the seventh inning to help the St. Louis Cardinals rally past the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 on Sunday.

St. Louis won for the third time in five games and salvaged a split of the four-game series.

Jordan Luplow hit two homers for Arizona, and Nick Ahmed and Christian Walker also went deep.

The Cardinals trailed 5-3 before scoring four times in the seventh.

Brendan Donovan had a run-scoring grounder, and Bader slammed a two-run shot off reliever Keynan Middleton (0-1) to put the Cardinals up 6-5. One batter later, Arenado slammed his team-high sixth of the season. He had served a one-game suspension on Saturday for his part in an altercation against the New York Mets on Wednesday.

Kodi Whitley (2-0) got the last out in the top of the seventh to pick up the win. Ryan Helsey pitched two innings for his first save of the season, striking out the side in the ninth inning.

Luplow, who entered the game on a 1-for-11 skid, had solo homers in the first and seventh innings for his fifth career multi-homer game.

Ahmed hit his third homer of the season to snap a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning. He has three homers in his last four games.

“We had a game where we felt like we should have won,” Ahmed said. “We’ve run into some good arms and we’re not performing against those guys.”

Arizona starter Zach Davies allowed just three hits in a five-inning, 90-pitch stint. He struck out two and walked one. Both of the runs he gave up were unearned.

St. Louis starter Jordan Hicks gave up two hits and two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Albert Pujols, who went 1-for-3, started at first base for the Cardinals for the first time at home since Game 7 of 2011 World Series.

SPEEDSTERS CAUGHT

The Cardinals’ string of 20 successive stolen bases ended when Tyler O’Neill was throw out by catcher Daulton Varsho in the third inning. It was the longest streak since they swiped 33 in row from Sept. 20-29, 1985.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Cardinals: INF Paul Goldschmidt was given his first day off of the season. Pujols started in his place at first base.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Zac Gallen (0-0, 0.60) will face Miami RHP Pablo Lopez (2-0, 0.39) in the first of three-game set on Monday in Miami. Gallen has allowed just one run over his three starts this season.

Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz (2-1, 6.11) will take on Kansas City RHP Zack Greinke (0-1, 2.86) in a makeup game on Monday. The original contest was rained out on April 13. Matz allowed four runs in four innings on Wednesday.