ST. LOUIS – Kyle Gibson kept the ball in the park this time against St. Louis, Alec Bohm broke a scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Cardinals 1-0 Saturday.
Gibson, tagged for four straight home runs by St. Louis in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park in his previous start, combined with a pair of relievers on a two-hitter.
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Gibson gave up two hits and walked none in seven innings.
“I tried to simplify things a little bit,” Gibson said. “I tried to not only pitch to my strengths but tried to do that a little bit more, exploit some weaknesses when they’re there and when we can take advantage of them. But for the most part tried to focus in on the approach a little bit, simplify it, and tried to use my stuff where it plays best.”
A week earlier in Philadelphia, Gibson allowed consecutive home runs by Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carlson. It was the first time in major league history a team homered four straight times in the first inning.
The Phillies have won three games in a row and five of their last six.
“I think people feel like we're settled in a little bit now,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. “I think they have confidence they're going to finish. They're going to finish what they start, and that's the way we've been playing lately.”
St. Louis has lost seven of nine.
“Pretty frustrating,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Our ability to score runs right now is not very good. You get a good start out of Dak. You get an opportunity there at the end. It's obviously frustrating.”
Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson allowed two hits and two walks in six scoreless innings after not pitching beyond the fifth in each of his previous four starts.
“We're a good team,” Hudson said. “I think it's just a matter of time. We sit back and just stay within ourselves and continue to play the game. We've had games where if you can do it one game and you can hit a homer, you can a double, a single, whatever, make a pitch, you can do it again. It's just about remembering that and remembering this is the big leagues and adjustments, that's what you've got to do.”
Darick Hall led off the Phillies ninth with a double against Giovanny Gallegos (2-3). Pinch-runner Mickey Moniak became the first runner of the game to reach third base on Didi Gregorius’ bunt single and Bohm followed with his go-ahead fly.
Yepez drew a leadoff walk from Corey Knebel to begin the St. Louis ninth and took third when Bohm threw away a grounder by Paul Goldschmidt.
Goldschmidt stole second base as Arenado struck out, then Knebel retired Carlson on a weak grounder and Corey Dickerson on a fly to the warning track. Knebel got his 12th save in 16 chances.
“Corey threw the ball really well,” Gibson said. “He had a couple close calls there on Yepez that didn't go his way, or else maybe Yepez isn't even on there. He battled that and did a great job."
José Alvarado (3-1) pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
POWER OUTAGE
The Cardinals have gone 46 innings without scoring an earned run on a hit since Gorman’s RBI single in the first inning of Tuesday’s game at Atlanta.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Connor Brogdon (COVID-19) will make his next rehabilitation appearance Sunday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Brogdon was scheduled to pitch Saturday but experienced right forearm tightness.
Cardinals: INF/OF Brendan Donovan was away from the team with a non-COVID illness. ... Dickerson (left calf strain) was activated from the 15-day injured list and OF Conner Capel was optioned to triple-A Memphis. … RHP Drew VerHagen (right shoulder impingement) threw a scoreless inning Friday night for single-A Peoria, and LHP T.J. McFarland (COVID-19) threw a scoreless inning Friday night for Triple-A Memphis.
UP NEXT:
RHP Andre Pallante (2-4, 3.03 ERA) will start for the Cardinals. RHP Nick Nelson (3-1, 4.17) will start as an opener for the Phillies.
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