Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson lead Cardinals past Rays

Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson drove in two runs each as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 Wednesday.

Masyn Winn went 2-for-4 with two runs for the Cardinals, who have won the first two games in this three-game series.

Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (8-5) allowed one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two. Ryan Helsley, the fourth St. Louis reliever, earned his 36th save.

Tampa Bay went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley (6-6) allowed five runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Tampa Bay reliever Drew Rasmussen threw two scoreless innings in his first appearance since recovering from elbow surgery. He hadn't pitched in the majors since last May 11.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 first-inning lead. Winn hit a double, moved up on a flyout and scored on Willson Contreras' single off Bradley's leg.

Tampa Bay tied the game 1-1 in the third inning. Alex Jackson hit a single, raced to third on Yandy Diaz's hit-and-run single and scored on Brandon Lowe's chopper back to the mound.

St. Louis regained the lead 3-1 in the bottom of the inning when Burleson and Contreras hit singles and Arenado hit a two-run double.

The Cardinals increased their margin to 5-1 in the fourth. Nolan Gorman walked, Winn hit an infield single, and Burleson hit a two-run double.

St. Louis chased Bradley in the fifth inning when Matt Carpenter walked and Gorman hit a ground-rule double. Reliever Hunter Bigge stranded the runners by coaxing Victor Scott II's groundout.

In the sixth inning, Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez allowed singles by Josh Lowe and Dylan Carlson, then walked Jose Siri to load the bases with nobody out.

Jose Caballero's sacrifice fly cut the Rays' deficit to 5-2, but Fernandez retired the next two batters to avoid a big inning.

--Field Level Media