The St. Louis Cardinals (58-56) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (57-55) 4-3 on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
Brandon Lowe got the scoring started with a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Rays an early 2-0 lead. The Cardinals answered in the second inning - moments after Victor Scott II hit a two-run homer to tie the game 2-2, former Ray Tommy Pham hit another two-run homer to make it 4-2 St. Louis.
The Rays pulled within one in the ninth inning when Jonny DeLuca hit a RBI single to make it 4-3, but that would be as close as the Rays would get.
Jeffrey Springs (0-1, 6.23) pitched five innings in which he allowed four earned runs on six hits while striking out three and walking three to get the loss.
The Rays now look to bounce back when they meet the Cardinals in the second game of the three-game series on Wednesday night. First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 7:45 PM - pregame coverage begins with Inside Pitch at 6:30 PM on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620, your Home of Rays Baseball.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES