OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Mike Fiers took a shutout into the sixth inning for his eighth consecutive win, and the Oakland Athletics beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 on Saturday night.
Pinch-hitter Chad Pinder delivered a three-run homer to keep the A’s unbeaten in three games against the Cardinals this season. Stephen Piscotty added two hits against his former team and made a leaping catch at the outfield wall to take away a hit from Matt Wieters in the fifth. Piscotty was activated off the injured list before the game.
Paul Goldschmidt singled and doubled to extend his hitting streak to 11 games for St. Louis. Earlier in the day, he was named NL player of the month for July.
The loss dropped the Cardinals a half-game behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
Fiers (10-3) allowed one run and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in his first start against St. Louis since 2015. The right-hander walked one and struck out four.
Fiers last lost on May 1. He pitched his second career no-hitter six days after that and has the second-longest active winning streak in the AL since then. He is 8-0 with a 2.26 ERA during his dominant run.
Jake Diekman relieved Fiers in the sixth and struck out Kolten Wong with two on to end the inning.
Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson (10-6) matched his career-high of seven strikeouts but walked five and allowed four runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings.
Marcell Ozuna went 1 for 3 with a walk for St. Louis in his first game off the injured list. Ozuna missed 28 games with broken fingers on his right hand.
Mark Canha had an early two-run single for Oakland.
