BASEBALL: Brayan Rocchio, Guardians outslug Cards despite Jordan Walker's 8th HR

Brayan Rocchio delivered a two-run homer, while Daniel Schneemann and Steven Kwan each drove in two runs to power the Cleveland Guardians to a 9-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

Guardians starter Gavin Williams (2-1) pitched five-plus innings, allowing two runs on five hits. The right-hander walked two and struck out four on 93 pitches before exiting in the sixth inning. Jordan Walker greeted him with a leadoff home run — his major league-leading eighth of the season — to cut into Cleveland’s lead.

Walker continued his strong form, adding an infield single in the eighth inning and later scoring the Cardinals’ final run on Pedro Pages’ sacrifice fly. The 23-year-old extended his hitting streak to nine games and is batting .333 with 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored. His 46 total bases lead the majors.

St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore (0-1) went five innings, giving up four runs on six hits. The left-hander walked three and struck out two on 105 pitches.

Cleveland broke the game open in the fourth inning, scoring three runs. Jose Ramirez and Rhys Hoskins drew walks before David Fry loaded the bases with a single. Schneemann followed with a two-run single that deflected off first baseman Alec Burleson’s glove.

Later in the inning, Austin Hedges hit a deep fly ball to left field. Nathan Church made the catch but failed to throw the ball back in promptly, allowing Fry to tag up and score for a 4-1 lead.

The Guardians extended their advantage in the sixth inning when Hedges walked with two outs and Rocchio launched a 402-foot homer to left field, making it 6-1.

Cleveland added three more runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by a throwing error that brought in a run and an RBI single from Kwan.

Angel Martinez set the tone early with a solo home run in the first inning to give the Guardians a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals responded with three straight singles in the bottom half but managed only one run on Burleson’s hit.

St. Louis struggled with runners in scoring position, finishing just 1-for-10 in those situations. -Field Level Media/Reuters