Wainwright's tenth career shutout leads Cards past Marlins, 5-0

Behind Adam Wainwright's nearly immaculate performance, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 5-0 to even their three-game series.  Despite impressive displays of athletic defense from both Giancarlo Stanton and Adeiny Hechavarria, the Miami Marlins found themselves down 4-0 in the bottom of the third when Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk, and Matt Adams all decimated Tom Koehler with well-hit RBIs.  Piscotty and Grichuk doubled while Adams singled.

Koehler was pulled after four innings.  He allowed four earned runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out four.  Mike Dunn stepped in for Koehler in the fifth, and Jhonny Peralta quickly homered to left center.

Up 5-0, Wainwright was eyeing a no-hitter until the sixth when Hechavarria doubled to deep center, but even after Hech advanced to third on a groundout by Don Kelly, Martin Prado couldn't send him home.  In the seventh, with no outs, Christian Yelich doubled way left, but Stanton and Marcell Ozuna struck out, and Derek Dietrich popped out.

Hech engineered another hit, an infield single, with one out in the eighth, yet the Marlins' offense proved stale once more and couldn't propel him past first.

It was Wainwright's tenth career shutout as well as his 22nd complete game.  He threw 120 pitches, only allowed the three hits, and struck out five.  Piscotty led the Cardinals with two hits, two RBIs, one run, and one walk.

J.T. Realmuto went 0 for 4 with one strikeout, Stanton went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, and Ozuna went 0 for 3 with one strikeout.  As a pinch hitter in the eighth and looking for his 2,992nd hit, Ichiro Suzuki grounded out to third.

Adam Conley (6-5) and Michael Wacha (5-7) will compete for the series win tomorrow at 2:15.