St. Louis Cardinals salvage series finale

Wong goes long as Cards clinch finale

It was by a slim margin, but the St. Louis Cardinals were able to salvage the series finale with the Detroit Tigers.

A home run by Kolten Wong, which came in the sixth inning, was enough to send St. Louis to a 2-1 victory and prevent the Tigers from sweeping the entire three-game series. Coupled with the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ 3-0 shutout of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis improved to a four-game lead in the National League Central.

The game was a matchup of two solid pitchers, with St. Louis standout Lance Lynn facing Detroit Tigers pitcher Alfredo Simon.

Lynn allowed one earned run in the first inning off a double by Miguel Cabrera that scored Ian Kinsler, but from there Lynn settled down and allowed two walks in 7-1/3 innings. Lynn struck out seven batters.

A single by Lynn in the third inning tied things up 1-1, and it stayed that way until the sixth when Wong’s homer provided the final margin of victory.

This series turned out to be just as thrilling as advertised. The Tigers were one of the top teams in the American League Central, and the Cardinals were safely in first in the NL Central. This could be a World Series preview, just like the 2006 Fall Classic. Even if it isn’t, the series was what truly good interleague play should be about.

Up next

The Cardinals begin a series at Citi Field against the New York Mets, with the first contest set for Monday at 7:10 p.m.

It is the start of a seven-game road stand and a solid matchup of two ace pitchers. John Lackey (2-2, 3.22 ERA) will take the hill for St. Louis, while the Mets counter with Matt Harvey (5-1, 2.31).

Next: Jon Jay injury shifts around Cardinals lineup