Giants’ Winn earns first save in first trip to a major league ballpark in victory over Cards

By STEVE OVERBEY
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Keaton Winn’s first trip to a major league ballpark also became the site of his first big league save.

Winn worked four solid innings of relief Tuesday night to help the San Francisco Giants to an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mike Yastrzemski and Patrick Bailey homered and Michael Conforto added four hits and three RBIs to pace a balanced attack.

The Giants have won five straight road games and six of their last eight games overall. San Francisco won the first two games of the three-game set and claimed just their third series in St. Louis in 10 tries since 2013.

Winn allowed one run on one hit in a 55-pitch effort and was doused with a combination of hot sauce and toothpaste by his teammates after the contest.

“It was crazy, it was awesome, I don’t even know how to describe it,” Winn said. “So awesome.”

The 25-year-old right-hander from tiny Ollie, Iowa, which has a population of about 200, had approximately 30 relatives, friends and fans in attendance.

“I still can’t feel my legs,” Winn said.

San Francisco outfielder Mitch Haniger suffered a fractured right forearm after being hit by a pitch from Jack Flaherty in the third inning. Haniger drove in two runs in the Giants 4-2 win over St. Louis on Monday.

“Any time you get hit, the hand’s warm and it doesn’t feel great,” Haniger said. “Injuries are part of the game, at same time you’ve got to focus on what’s next.”

Haniger battled back from an oblique injury in spring training and was rounding into form.

“He worked so hard to get back and he was just starting to get on a roll,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “He was starting to swing the bat good and feel good. This is a pretty good gut punch for Mitch and our club.”

St. Louis lost for the ninth time in the 11 games. The Cardinals fell to 27-41 overall, the team’s worst start sing opening the 1978 campaign 24-44.

Yastrzemski and Bailey hit back-to-back homers in the sixth to push the lead to 9-2.

Conforto, who went 4 for 6, had a two-run single in first and an RBI hit in the third. San Francisco is 18-4 this season when he drives in a run.

The Giants scored three times in the fifth and sixth to break the game open.

“Any time we can help our pitchers out like that, put up runs like that, it’s awesome,” said infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. who had two two doubles. “Guys had a great game plan.:

San Francisco’s Luke Jackson (1-0) picked up the win with an inning of scoreless relief. Starter Alex Cobb allowed two runs on five hits over four innings.

Flaherty (3-5) allowed six runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Wade Jr. got into a shouting match with Flaherty after the top of the fourth inning. Wade had to be held back by teammates. Benches and bullpens emptied, but no punches were thrown and there were no ejections.

“It’s just baseball, tempers flare,” Wade Jr. said. “Nothing comes from it. I can’t speak for what he thought. I was just doing my job at second base. That’s all I can do.”

Explained Flaherty, “Just playing the game. That’s all you’re going to get out of me on that.”

San Francisco infielder J.D. Davis suffered a right ankle sprain in the third inning following a hard slide into third base.

St. Louis has spent the last 49 days in last place in the NL Central after winning the division last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Giants: LHP Alex Wood could rejoin the team this weekend in Los Angeles for a series against the Dodgers. Wood, who has been the injured list since June 1 with a lower back strain, threw 53 pitches for Triple-A Sacramento in a rehab effort on Sunday. He will likely throw a side session Thursday.

Cardinals: OF Lars Nootbaar is expect to begin a rehab assignment later this week. He was placed on the injured list June 2 with a lower back contusion.

UP NEXT

RHP Anthony DeSclafani (4-6, 3.89) will face LHP Jordan Montgomery (3-7, 3.88) in the finale of the three-game set on Wednesday afternoon. Montgomery tossed six scoreless innings in his last outing, a 7-4 win over Cincinnati on Friday.

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