Cards grab early three-run lead, add on to put away Dodgers

Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson each hit home runs, Jordan Walker had four hits. The St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-2 victory Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matthew Liberatore (1-1) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Walker capped his third career four-hit game with a two-run double in the seventh inning, improving the Cardinals' record to 11-5 since April 14. Relievers George Soriano, Gordon Graceffo, and Matt Svanson held Los Angeles scoreless in the final 3 1/3 innings. Max Muncy had an RBI double, and Kyle Tucker brought home a run on a sacrifice fly as the Dodgers lost their third consecutive game, falling to 5-8 since April 18. Emmet Sheehan (2-1) gave up four runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Sheehan balked in a run during the first inning, giving up a two-run home run to Gorman, his fifth of the season. The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead. The Dodgers got a run back in the second when Muncy’s double scored Andy Pages. St. Louis made it 4-1 in the third with Burleson’s home run. Los Angeles cut the deficit in half on Tucker’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. The Cardinals took complete control in the seventh, scoring through Walker’s two-run double and a run-scoring ground ball by Nathan Church, taking a 7-2 advantage. The 12-hit game came after the Cardinals had 14 hits in a 10-5 victory Thursday against the Pirates.