Jon Jay turns game Cards' way

Center fielder Jon Jay almost single-handedly turned the Cardinals' 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead in Wednesday's fifth inning.

The Cardinals' leadoff hitter built on consecutive three-hit games by scoring Rafael Furcal with a one-out single, taking second on a wayward throw home, advancing to third base on Matt Carpenter's right-side grounder, then scoring on Astros pitcher Bud Norris' short-hop pitch.

Jay singled in the third and fifth inning and stole his way into scoring position after the first hit. He exited the fifth inning 10-for-30 on the current home stand. He has 28 hits this month and now leads the club with 14 steals. Jay entered the sixth inning 8-for-17 in his last three games.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse has settled after allowing two early solo home runs. However, Jay bailed him out of a potential sixth-inning jam with a running basket catch against the outfield wall to rob Brett Wallace of extra bases. Jay received a standing ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd and  widespread acknowledgement inside the home dugout.

The Cardinals out-hit the Astros 7-3 through 5 1/2 innings. The Cardinals have put six runnners into scoring position. Except for the two home runs, the Astros have pushed only one runner to second base against Lohse.

First baseman Allen Craig extended his hit streak to 11 games with a second-inning single that eventually led to the Cardinals' first run.


(stltoday.com)