Cardinals stave off Astros 4-2, avoid sweep

Nolan Arenado homered among the team's five hits as the St. Louis Cardinals eked out a 4-2 victory over the host Houston Astros on Wednesday to salvage the finale of the three-game series.

Miles Mikolas (4-6) allowed two runs and scattered five hits over six innings, striking out three without issuing a walk. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

Yainer Diaz and Trey Cabbage hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth inning for the Astros.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead on Michael Siani's sacrifice fly in the third inning, scoring Brandon Crawford, who led off with a double.

The Cardinals extended the lead to 3-0 with two out in the fifth inning. Brendan Donovan delivered an RBI single and Alec Burleson drove him in with an RBI double.

Arenado laced a 2-2 fastball 391 feet over the left-field wall to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning. It was Arenado's sixth of the season.

It came after the Astros closed within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Diaz clubbed a one-out homer, his sixth of the season. Cabbage followed with his first of the season, a 409-foot blast to right-center.

Astros starter Ronel Blanco (5-2) gave up all four runs and was tagged with the loss. He gave up five hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out two. Relievers Shawn Dubin and Nick Hernandez didn't give up a hit the rest of the way.

Likewise, three Cardinals relievers, culminating with Helsley, shut down the Astros after Mikolas exited, allowing just one walk and no hits over the final three innings. Helsley struck out two in the ninth. JoJo Romero pitched the seventh and Andrew Kittredge followed with a clean eighth inning.

Jeremy Pena went 2-for-4 for Houston.

--Field Level Media