Brendan Donovan tied the score with his fourth double of the game in the ninth inning and Alec Burleson put St. Louis ahead with a run-scoring single as the visiting Cardinals rallied for two in the ninth inning to stun the San Francisco Giants 9-8 on Tuesday.
Ivan Herrera and Nolan Arenado hit home runs for the Cardinals (78-80), who remained 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (81-76) in the National League wild-card race. St. Louis has just four games remaining.
Heliot Ramos launched his 20th home run for the Giants (77-81), who were eliminated from postseason contention.
After a four-run Cardinals seventh erased all but one run from an 8-3 Giants advantage, the visitors jumped on Giants closer Ryan Walker (5-7) in the ninth. Victor Scott II produced a leadoff single, and Donovan followed with a game-tying double.
One out later, Burleson singled to right field, scoring pinch runner Jose Fermin.
Riley O’Brien, the seventh St. Louis pitcher, entered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and struck out pinch hitter Wilmer Flores with the potential tying run at second base to record his sixth save. Matt Svanson (4-0) threw a scoreless eighth inning.
After Burleson and Thomas Saggese contributed RBI singles to a three-run uprising in the St. Louis first, the Giants built their big lead on the back of a five-run third inning, which featured a two-run throwing error by third baseman Arenado.
Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee added RBI singles later in the third before run-scoring hits by Bailey and Koss in the fifth. Ramos’ homer, a solo shot, made it 8-3 in the sixth.
Giants starter Logan Webb allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.
The St. Louis assault on the San Francisco bullpen began with four runs in the seventh, three coming on Herrera’s 19th homer and the other on Arenado’s solo shot, his 11th.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante was charged with five runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four.
Herrera, Burleson, Arenado and Lars Nootbaar had two hits apiece, Burleson drove in a pair of runs, and Herrera and Scott scored twice each for the Cardinals, who out-hit the Giants 15-11.
Ramos scored twice and joined Adames and Bailey with two hits apiece for the Giants, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
