MIAMI (AP) – Matt Carpenter hit a tiebreaking homer for the second consecutive night, and the St. Louis Cardinals won their fourth series in a row Wednesday by beating Miami 7-1.
Carpenter put St. Louis ahead with a home run leading off the sixth inning, his NL-leading 31st. His eighth-inning homer Tuesday helped St. Louis beat Miami 3-2, and he has homered in five of the past six games.
John Gant (4-4) pitched six innings and allowed one run, which scored in part because of a defensive lapse. He and three relievers combined to retire 21 batters in a row.
The Cardinals’ Yadier Molina hit his 15th homer in the first and doubled home two runs in the ninth. Marcell Ozuna doubled home a run in the sixth and went 6 for 11 in the series against his former team.
Trevor Richards (3-7) allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings for the last-place Marlins, who have lost eight of their past nine games.
The Cardinals improved to 13-9 under interim manager Mike Shildt.
St. Louis missed a chance to turn a double play in the second inning, and that led to a run that came home on Miguel Rojas’ single. The Marlins totaled three hits.
