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Cardinals' Westbrook stymies Marlins

Jul 6, 2013 - 4:37 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Jake Westbrook spun seven stellar innings of one-run ball and Allen Craig knocked in a pair of runs as the St. Louis Cardinals downed the Miami Marlins, 4-1, Friday in the opener of a three-game set.

Westbrook (5-3) allowed just three hits and didn't walk a batter to notch his third victory in his last four starts.

"He started finding the bottom of the zone and found that groove," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of Westbrook. "When he finds it, it's fun...probably could have kept watching him do it for a couple more innings. He was really on a nice roll."

Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the eighth before Edward Mujica fired a perfect ninth to secure his 22nd save of the season.

Matt Holliday registered two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored, while Matt Adams also plated a run for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of their last seven games coming into the contest.

Jacob Turner (2-1) was charged with the loss after giving up all four runs on seven hits over six innings.

"We got down early, but give Jacob a lot of credit," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said of his starter. "He battled and made a lot of pitches after that and kept us in the game."

Logan Morrison's third homer of the season accounted for all the offense for the Marlins, who had won five of their last six entering the game.

After Westbrook retired the Marlins in order to start the contest, St. Louis pushed a run across in the bottom half when Holliday and Craig clubbed back- to-back two-out doubles, with the latter plating the former.

Miami quickly got the run back in the second, as Morrison scorched the second pitch of the frame into center field.

The Cardinals countered in the third after Matt Carpenter stroked a leadoff single and moved to third on Jon Jay's base hit to right. With runners on the corners and no outs, Holliday laced a double into the right-field corner to score Carpenter for a 2-1 lead.

Craig's sacrifice fly to right plated Jay before Adams came through with a two-out double off the base of the wall in left to score Holliday and push the margin to 4-1.

The run support was more than enough for Westbrook, who allowed just two hits after Morrison's blast to keep the Marlins at bay.

Game Notes

Miami went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left three on base ... Carpenter committed two errors, giving him 10 on the season ... Craig has 68 RBI on the season ... St. Louis went 3-for-6 with RISP and left four on base.