ST. LOUIS — Yadier Molina drove in three runs in his return from the injured list, Paul Goldschmidt homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8 Saturday.
Goldschmidt also had three RBIs and Nolan Arenado hit another double against his former team. The Cardinals have won eight straight and 14 of their last 15 games against Colorado at Busch Stadium.
Molina hadn’t played since April 26 because of a strained tendon in his right foot. The All-Star catcher was leading the Cardinals in batting, homers and RBIs when he was hurt.
Carlos Martínez (3-4) wound up winning his third straight start. He allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in five innings.
Alex Reyes struck out the side in a scoreless ninth for his 10th save after narrowly escaping an eighth inning jam.
Raimel Tapia hit an RBI double off Giovanny Gallegos in the eighth to cut the Rockies’ deficit to 9-6.
Reyes entered and walked Trevor Story before giving up a two-run single Charlie Blackmon, marking the first earned run allowed by the reliever in 15 2/3 innings this season. Blackmon advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw from Reyes before Garrett Hampson lined out to end the inning.
Rockies starter Chi Chi González (1-1) gave up seven runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. He has allowed 13 runs in 13 2/3 innings over his last three starts.
Goldschmidt hit his sixth homer, a two-run drive that broke a 5-all tie in the fifth and finished González.
Arenado, who doubled and singled Friday night in his first game against the Rockies since they traded their longtime star in the season, doubled and scored on a double by Paul DeJong. Tyler O’Neill added a sacrifice fly to put St. Louis up 9-5.
Dom Nuñez hit a three-run double in the Colorado fifth that tied it at 5.
St. Louis scored three times in the first on run-scoring singles by Goldschmidt and DeJong and an RBI groundout by Molina.
Molina hit a two-run single up the middle in the third to make it 5-1.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: 1B C.J. Cron (back tightness) remained out of the lineup for the second straight game after being scratched at the last minute Friday.
Cardinals: Molina was activated and C Ali Sánchez was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
“If there’s a guy that has a parallel pain tolerance as Yadier Molina, I’d like to see it,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Some of the things he’s able to take and the beatings he takes and just doesn’t flinch and moves forward. More than we even know I imagine.”
UP NEXT
The Rockies will start RHP Germán Márquez (1-3, 6.21 ERA) against Cardinals veteran RHP Adam Wainwright (1-3, 4.72 ERA) in the three-game series finale Sunday. Márquez has allowed 12 earned in 4 2/3 innings over his last two starts.
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