St. Louis take series with two overtime winners
Flagstaff splits the opening pair on the road before falling in a couple of extra-inning affairs in Flagstaff, including a 17-inning job in Game 3. It’s the third straight series loss for the Outlaws.
Game 1: Wood v. DeGrom – Flagstaff takes the early lead with a Paul Goldschmidt RBI double in the top of the first but the lead dissolves under the St. Louis Apostles’ homer barrage.
J.D. Martinez hits a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first to reverse the lead. Anthony Rendon adds his own two-run shot in the sixth to make it 4-1.
Tommy Pham pops a solo homer in the eighth to make the final tally, 5-1 St. Louis.
W: DeGrom (7-4)
L: Wood (1-2)
Sv: None
HRs: FLG – none; STL – Martinez (12), Rendon (12), Pham (10).
Game 2: Chirinos v. Syndergaard – Yonny Chirinos helps his cause with a clutch RBI single in the second inning. In the sixth, Aaron Judge pops a solo shot to double the Flagstaff advantage.
Meanwhile, Chirinos and four relievers keep the vaunted Apostles offense off the board and Flagstaff shuts out St. Louis, 2-0.
W: Chirinos (5-5)
L: Syndergaard (7-3)
Sv: Pressly (19)
HRs: FLG – Judge (18); STL – none.
Game 3: Paxton v. Richards – Aaron Judge walks and scores on George Springer’s double in the fourth to give the Outlaws the early lead.
St. Louis gets to Trevor Richards late, hitting a pair of solo homers from Rendon and Pham to take a brief lead, but Andrelton Simmons hits a key RBI single in the seventh off of Dellin Betances to tie the game up.
From there, the scoreboard operator takes a nap as the bullpens team up put up nine innings of scoreless ball.
In the 17th, St. Louis finally breaks through when Adam Frazier doubles off of Luis Cessa to start the frame. Franklin Barreto sacrifice Frazier to third and Miguel Cabrera hits a sac fly to push across a run.
Chad Green, pitching in his third inning of work, manages to retire the top of the Outlaws order in order and St. Louis escapes with a 3-2 victory.
W: Green (3-0)
L: Cessa (0-2)
Sv: None
HRs: STL – Rendon (13), Pham (11); FLG – none.
Game 4: Peralta v. Tropeano – The timeless Albert Pujols runs into a solo homer in the top of the second to give the Apostles an early lead.
In the fourth, Flagstaff strings some hits together and Jonathan Villar cashes in with a two-run triple. Andrew Knapp follows with a sac fly and Flagstaff takes a 3-1 lead.
Nick Tropeano tires in the seventh, giving up an RBI triple to Lucas Duda before getting lifted. Victor Arano comes on for Flagstaff and then promptly serves up a two run shot to Rendon and St. Louis retakes the lead, 4-3.
Eduardo Nunez touches up last year’s Outlaws closer, Blake Parker, with a solo homer that ties the game and sets the stage for more extra innings.
Both teams trade runs in the 11th, but the 12th sees Joe Smith serve up a back-to-back solo homers to Rendon and Martinez, giving St. Louis another extra-inning win, 7-5.
W: Boxberger (1-0)
L: Smith (1-5)
Sv: None
HRs: FLG – Nunez (3); STL – Pujols (11), Rendon (14, 15), Martinez (13).