Jake McCarthy homers twice as the Rockies get past the Cardinals, 8-6

ST. LOUIS — Jake McCarthy homered twice in a four-hit night, Cole Carrigg and TJ Rumfield each had two hits and the Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6 on Saturday night.

McCarthy gave Colorado the lead on the first pitch of the game with his 420-foot drive to right-center field off Matthew Liberatore (5-9), and the Rockies went on to snap a four-game skid.

McCarthy hit his second of the game and 13th of the season in the sixth. He is hitting .305 and has seven hits in his last two games.

Liberatore went five innings and struck out three while giving up five runs on nine hits.

José Fermín had a two-run double to put the Cardinals ahead, but Carrigg hit a two-run double of his own in the third that gave the Rockies the lead for good. Hunter Goodman drove in one more before the end of the inning.

Rumfield got another across in the fifth, and McCarthy belted a two-run shot to center in the sixth.

The Cardinals got within two after Jordan Walker's eighth-inning homer, and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Jordan Romano struck out César Prieto swinging for his 10th save.

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland tossed 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three, and allowed five hits and three runs (one earned).

Five relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to two hits and three runs. Parker Mushinski (1-0) worked 1 1/3 innings for the win.

Up next

RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-10, 6.94 ERA) starts for Colorado opposite Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (4-9, 3.59) in the series finale on Sunday.