Bader, Volpe help Yanks beat Cards for doubleheader split after losing opener
ST. LOUIS — Harrison Bader had a first-inning sacrifice fly in his return to St. Louis, rookie Anthony Volpe hit a go-ahead triple as part of his fifth straight multihit game and the New York Yankees beat the Cardinals 6-2 Saturday night for a doubleheader split.
St. Louis won the rain-interrupted opener 11-4 behind Paul Goldschmidt's go-ahead, three-run homer off Luis Severino in a five-run third. Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings, Goldschmidt had four RBIs and Nolan Gorman also homered for the Cardinals, who reached double-digit runs for the first time since May 21.
Volpe has raised his average from .193 to .220 in his last six games. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits in the second game as the Yankees won for the fifth time in their last seven.
Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis, which fell to a 34-48, its worst 82-game start since 1990 Nootbar hit a first-inning homer off opener Ian Hamilton as the Yankees went with a bullpen game because of Friday's rainout.
Michael King (2-4) allowed one hit while pitching scoreless relief over a season-high 3 1/3 innings. Wandy Peralta, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes followed with an inning each.
Bader played in St. Louis for the first time since the Yankees acquired him at last year's trade deadline. A crowd favorite who made his big league debut with the Cardinals in 2017, Bader spent Friday visiting children at Cardinals Glennon Hospital. He received a 30-second standing ovation in his first trip to the plate and went 0 for 3.
Volpe tripled in the second off Matthew Liberatore (1-3) and DJ LeMahieu followed with a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead. Jose Trevino drove in Kiner-Falefa with a safety squeeze bunt single in the ninth off Chris Stratton and Gleyber Torres followed with a two-run single.
Giancarlo Stanton played left field in the night game, his first appearance there since last July 21.
Rain twice stopped the opener twice for a total of 2 hours, 37 minutes. The first stoppage, in the middle of the seventh, lasted 2:19. After 18 minutes of play, the game was delayed in the middle of the eighth for another 18 minutes.
Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson then made his big league mound debut and got three straight outs, throwing 11 pitches ranging from 82-86 mph.
Flaherty (5-5) won his second straight start after going 0-1 in his previous five. He allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two after giving up six runs in each of his previous two outings.
"You take the good and the bad and you learn from both," Flaherty said. "I had an emphasis on getting a better start this time out. Instead of trying to find a feel for the game, just attacking from pitch one."
Flaherty was scratched from a scheduled start against the Chicago Cubs last weekend in London because of right hip tightness. That extra rest seemed to have helped.
"It allowed me to clean some things up and mentally focus," Flaherty said.
St. Louis is 7-2 in Flaherty's last nine starts.
Severino (1-3), coming off six shutout innings against Texas, gave up seven runs and nine hits over four innings as his ERA rose to 6.30. Severino's 56 fastballs averaged 95.1 mph, down 1.5 mph from his season average.
"They took a good approach against me," Severino said. "Even those pitches they hit out were good pitches."
Goldschmidt's 15th homer put the Cardinals ahead, and Alec Burleson and Paul DeJong added RBI singles. Gorman hit a two-run homer in the fourth, the 10th home run against Severino in eight starts this season.
Tommy Edman had an RBI single, Andrew Knizner a two-run double and Goldschmidt a sacrifice fly in the fifth against Matt Krook.
Oswaldo Cabrera hit an RBI single in the seventh for the Yankees, who had won four of their previous five.
St. Louis rookie Jordan Walker went 0 for 5, ending his 17-game hitting streak. He had an RBI double in the third inning of the night game.
Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer off Drew VerHagen in a three-run ninth of the opener.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (strained left forearm, back pain) allowed one hit over 3 2/3 scoreless innings for Class A Hudson Valley in his third rehab outing, striking out eight and walking two. He threw 61 pitches. ... LHP Nestor Cortes threw 20 pitches from a mound on Friday and will likely throw again on Monday or Tuesday. He has been out since June 5 with a left rotator cuff strain.
Cardinals: INF/OF Brendan Donovan missed both games with a sore throwing arm.
UP NEXT
New York RHP Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.78) will face Montgomery (5-7, 3.52) on Sunday, Montgomery pitched five shutout innings in a 1-0 win against the Yankees last Aug. 6, four days after the trade.
