Carlos Martinez pitched efficiently into the seventh inning for a fifth straight start and Randal Grichuk hit a solo homer, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Wednesday to avoid a series sweep.
Martinez (7-2) had a shutout until Ben Paulsen’s two-run homer in the seventh. He gave up eight hits in 6 1-3 innings and tied a career-high with two singles at the plate. Martinez also scored a run to help the Cardinals salvage the final game of what’s been a rough series.
St. Louis was outscored 15-6 in the opening two games and had slugger Matt Holliday go on the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps.
Chad Bettis (2-1) allowed three runs in five innings as the Rockies finished a 5-5 homestand.
Also in the majors:
— The New York Yankees’ lengthy winning streak is over, but the Toronto Blue Jays’ streak continues. Scott Copeland won his first major league start and the Jays banged out four homers in their eighth consecutive win, 7-2 win over Miami. Copeland allowed one run and six hits over seven innings in place of Aaron Sanchez, who was skipped because of general soreness. Justin Smoak and Russell Martin hit consecutive homers in the fourth, three innings before Jose Reyes and Josh Donaldson delivered back-to-back blasts. The home runs helped Toronto move a game over .500 for the first time since May 19.
— The Yankees had won seven straight before they blew a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning of a 5-4, 11-inning loss to Washington. Michael A. Taylor tied it with a two-run blast and Denard Span put the Nationals ahead with an infield single. Span finished with two RBIs and Danny Espinosa hit a solo shot as the Nats won for just the third time in 12 games.
— Alex Gordon belted a three-run homer and Edinson Volquez handled Minnesota over seven innings of Kansas City’s 7-2 rout of the Twins. Volquez allowed a run and six hits as the Royals won their fourth in a row to stretch their lead in the AL Central to two games over the Twins.
— J.J. Hardy drove in a pair of runs and Baltimore’s bullpen retired all 12 hitters it faced in a 5-2 triumph against Boston. Ryan Flaherty, Adam Jones and Travis Snider hit RBI singles for the Orioles, who are 6-2 against the Red Sox this season.
— Houston absorbed its seventh straight loss as Geovany Soto launched a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning of the Chicago White Sox’s 4-1 win over the Astros. Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche also went deep as the White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the AL West leaders.
— Sam Fuld singled and scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth to complete Oakland’s rally in a 5-4 victory over Texas. The Rangers led 4-2 in the eighth until Ben Zobrist and Billy Butler hit RBI singles.
— Yasiel Puig homered among his four hits, Howie Kendrick singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Arizona 7-6 for their seventh consecutive victory over the Diamondbacks.
— Evan Longoria snapped a 2-2 tie with a solo homer and Asdrubal Cabrera added a ground-rule, RBI double to carry Tampa Bay past the Los Angeles Angels 4-2. Erasmo Ramirez gave up two runs in five innings to improve to 5-2 despite a 4.96 ERA.
— Kyle Seager put Seattle ahead to stay with a grand slam before finishing with five RBIs in a 9-3 romp over Cleveland. Seager, Logan Morrison and Seth Smith each hit RBI doubles to back Taijuan Walker, who gave up one run in six innings.
— Pittsburgh blanked Milwaukee 2-0 as Charlie Morton held the Brewers to three hits in 7 1/3 innings. Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homer and Starling Marte singled home the first run to help the Pirates avoid a three-game sweep.
— Chris Coghlan and Miguel Montero hit three-run homers and Anthony Rizzo added a two-run single as the Chicago Cubs hammered Detroit 12-3. Jake Arrieta shut out the Tigers until Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run shot in the sixth.
— Brandon Belt and Justin Maxwell homered off Matt Harvey in a five-run sixth that carried San Francisco past the Mets 8-5 in New York. Joe Panik also homered off Harvey, who is 1-3 with a 7.20 ERA in his last four starts.
— Williams Perez was sharp in Atlanta’s 4-1 verdict over San Diego, giving up an unearned run and four hits in seven innings. Kelly Johnson, Andrelton Simmons and Cameron Maybin delivered RBI singles as the Braves won their second straight since a 1-5 skid.
— Ivan De Jesus Jr. socked a three-run homer and Jon Moscot allowed two runs in six innings of Cincinnati’s fourth consecutive win, 5-2 against Philadelphia. The Reds finished the game without shortstop Zach Cozart, who had to be helped from the field after he twisted his right ankle and knee as he tried to beat out a grounder in the first inning.