Willson Contreras, Jordan Walker help Cardinals beat Phillies

Willson Contreras and Jordan Walker hit two-run homers to power the St. Louis Cardinals past the Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 Sunday.

Nolan Arenado scored twice and drove in two runs as the Cardinals won their first series against the Phillies since the 2017 season.

Matthew Liberatore (1-1) limited the Phillies to three hits in his six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Phil Maton, JoJo Romero and Kyle Leahy pitched an inning each to complete the shutout.

Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (1-1) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one.

Liberatore worked out of major trouble in the second inning. J.T. Realmuto hit a leadoff single and went to third on Edmundo Sosa's one-out single.

Sosa moved to second on the throw to third, giving the Phillies a second runner in scoring position. But Liberatore escaped by striking out Brandon Marsh and throwing out Johan Rojas attempting to bunt his way on.

Wheeler retired his first six batters on just 14 pitches. Then the Cardinals threatened in the third when Walker hit a single and Victor Scott II reached on a one-out bunt single.

But Lars Nootbaar flied out and Alec Burleson struck out to strand them.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Arenado hit a single and Contreras followed with his homer.

St. Louis increased its lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning. Brendan Donovan and Arenado hit one-out doubles to produce a run, then Nolan Gorman dropped an RBI ground-rule double down the third-base line.

The Cardinals made it 5-0 in the seventh inning. Yohel Pozo hit a ground-rule double, advanced on a bunt and scored on a wild pitch.

Arenado hit a double and Walker hit his two-run homer in the eighth inning to make it 7-0.

--Field Level Media