Garcia shines as Cardinals beat Angels, 5-2

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jaime Garcia allowed just four hits in seven innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals past the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Garcia (3-2) gave up two unearned runs and struck out eight to win his second straight start. He has yet to allow an earned run in 14 innings this month.

Kevin Siegrist pitched a perfect eighth and Trevor Rosenthal retired the side in the ninth to complete the four-hitter.

The Cardinals scored four times in the second inning against Matt Shoemaker (1-5) to jump out to an early lead and never trailed. Stephen Piscotty, Yadier Molina and Randal Grichuk had two hits apiece to lead the offense.

C.J. Cron hit a two-run homer for the Angels, who have lost five straight and nine of 11.

The Angels have scored two runs or less every game during their current losing streak.

The four hits were the fewest they've managed during the skid.

Garcia was dominant from the outset. He retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, sat down six of seven after Cron's home run in the fourth ended his no-bit bid, and pitched out of his lone jam with a pair of clutch strikeouts in the seventh.

With runners on second and third and one out in the seventh, Garcia struck out Johnny Giovatella and Shane Robinson swinging on offspeed pitches in the dirt to escape unscathed.

His Angels counterpart Shoemaker, recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, got tagged for seven hits and four runs in four-plus innings, the second straight game an Angels starter failed to get out of the fifth inning.

Five relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to one run over the final five innings, but the damage was done with Shoemaker's shaky start.

The second inning was his undoing.

Their first five Cardinals batters reached base in the frame, including RBI singles by Matt Adams and Kolten Wong to open the scoring. Alemdys Diaz and Matt Carpenter followed with consecutive sacrifice flies to make it 4-0.

Cron notched the Angels' first hit with his long two-run homer to center in the fourth to cut the deficit in half, but Garcia held Los Angeles in check the rest of the way.

Rosenthal stifled an attempted Angels rally in the ninth to finish it. He walked Cron and Geovany Soto with two outs in to bring the tying run to the plate, but Giovatella flied out to left to end it.

Trainer's room

Cardinals: OF Tommy Pham (left oblique strain) entered the second week of his rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis but does not have a timetable for a return to the majors.

Angels: LF Craig Gentry (back strain) resumed baseball activities but does not have a timetable for his return.

Up next

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (2-3, 6.30) is unbeaten in his last three starts after dropping his first three decisions of the season.

Angels: RHP Jered Weaver (3-1, 4.72) goes for his first win of the month after a no-decision in his last start despite allowing only one earned run in six