By Canadian Press

Lukes lifts Blue Jays over Cardinals 3-2; Toronto gets three-game sweep

Sep 15, 2024 | 2:30 PM

TORONTO — Nathan Lukes’s RBI double in the eighth inning was enough to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 3-2 win and a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

The outfielder drilled a one-out line drive into the left-field corner, scoring the speedy George Springer from first base after his pinch-hit single to centre.

Lukes’s game-winning extra-base hit off Andrew Kittredge (4-5) gave the Blue Jays (72-78) their fifth sweep in 2024, while the Cardinals (74-75) departed with a sub-. 500 record.

Zach Pop (2-4) of Brampton, Ont., faced only one batter, but he got the final out in the eighth for the win. Chad Green gave up a lead-off single in the ninth but recovered to retire three of the next four Cardinals for his 17th save.

St. Louis tied the game 2-2 in the seventh with a lead-off homer to right field from Lars Nootbaar, his 10th, off reliever Ryan Yarbrough.

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The visitors grabbed a 1-0 lead when catcher Ivan Herrera led off the fifth inning with a single. He scored on a one-out double off the centre-field wall from Jordan Walker.

The Blue Jays snatched the lead in their half of the inning thanks to a two-run homer from Davis Schneider, his 12th.

Schneider’s second homer in as many games after going without a long ball in more than 2 1/2 months delighted the 34,793 at Rogers Centre.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas faced the minimum of 12 batters through four innings. But he began the fifth by hitting Leo Jimenez. Schneider made Mikolas pay for his mistake with a one-out blast to left.

Jimenez missed Saturday’s game with a sore right index finger. He showed no signs of slowing down with a brilliant diving stop in the sixth to start an inning-ending double play by flipping the ball while on his stomach to shortstop Ernie Clement.

Mikolas lasted five innings, giving up two runs on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Toronto starter Yariel Rodriguez was only good for 4 ⅓ innings, surrendering a run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

BUFFALO BO — Bo Bichette had a day off in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo. In four games with the Bisons, the 26-year-old shortstop has hit .286 (4 for 16) with two RBI.

Bichette is expected to rejoin the Blue Jays this week after missing two months with a right calf strain.

ON DECK — The Blue Jays have Monday off before embarking on their final road trip of the season with three-game sets against the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press