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Carpenter HR lifts Cardinals over Tribe

May 14, 2015 - 10:52 PM Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Carpenter's two-run shot in the eighth inning was the difference as St. Louis nipped Cleveland by a 2-1 count in the rubber match of this three-game interleague set.

Mark Reynolds, Kolten Wong and Yadier Molina each collected two hits for the Cardinals, while Peter Bourjos walked ahead of the game-deciding homer.

Kevin Siegrist (2-0) tossed two scoreless innings of relief, while Trevor Rosenthal struck out three in the ninth to earn his 12th save.

Michael Brantley hit a solo homer for the Indians. Marc Rzepczynski (1-1) served up the long ball which sealed the contest's outcome.

Indians starter Trevor Bauer struck out 10 through seven scoreless innings, but Bourjos walked with one away in the eighth, leading to his exit still ahead by a run.

Rzepczynski entered, only to give up a Carpenter drive which barely cleared the wall in center and Michael Bourn's glove to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.

"It's probably the straightest ball I've thrown in a long time," Rzepczynski said of the fateful pitch, his first home run allowed against a left-handed hiter since June 12, 2012.

Three relievers combined to hold the Indians off the board in the eighth, then Rosenthal's lone blemish in the ninth was a one-out pinch single from David Murphy.

Bourn was thrown out at home in the bottom of the second on a Jose Ramirez grounder back to the mound, while Reynolds was stranded at third in the fourth when Molina went down swinging.

Brantley kicked off the home sixth with his fourth homer of the season which snapped the scoreless deadlock.

Cleveland failed to add to its lead in the frame, after Chisenhall reached on a fielder's choice grounder that erased Brandon Moss and a Bourn single. Chisenhall was thrown out trying to steal home to end the threat.

"Any time you play a one-run game, every little thing is important," said Bauer. "We seem to be on the losing end of a lot of the little things this year."

Game Notes

Both clubs are in action on Friday, as St. Louis continues its interleague slate by hosting Detroit for three, while Cleveland opens a three-game road series against Texas ... Cards starter Michael Wacha allowed a run on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in five-plus innings, while Bauer yielded four hits and walked three ... Prior to the game, the Cardinals placed outfielder Jon Jay on the 15-day disabled list because of left wrist tendinitis, and recalled outfielder/first baseman Xavier Scruggs from Triple-A Memphis.