Cardinals' Donovan and Herrera shine in 12-2 rout of White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) — Brendan Donovan had four hits and Ivan Herrera drove in four runs to back a strong start by Matthew Liberatore as the St. Louis Cardinals handed the Chicago White Sox their sixth straight loss, 12-2 on Tuesday night.

Alec Burleson went 3 for 5 for St. Louis, including his sixth home run, a solo shot in the seventh that made it 9-2. Victor Scott II — in the midst of a 5-for-35 slump — hit a two-run homer off Chicago position player Vinny Capra in the ninth.

Donovan drove in a run, hit his 21st double and scored twice in his third four-hit game this season and the fifth of his career.

Herrera had a two-run single in a five-run second inning. Michael A. Taylor took a home run away from Herrera leading off the fifth, but he came back to drive in a pair with a sixth-inning single.

Liberatore (4-6) gave up two runs on five hits in six innings for his first win since beating the Pirates on May 6.

Nolan Arenado singled to extend his hitting streak to seven games and spark the Cardinals' five-run second. Willson Contreras walked and later stole home — after a successful challenge — on a walk to Arenado to make it 6-1 in the fifth.

Edgar Quero and Capra drove in Chicago's runs.

St. Louis handed Chicago rookie starter Shane Smith (3-4) his worst defeat.

Key moment

Liberatore, who had surrendered 16 earned runs over 14 innings in his previous three starts, retired 10 of the next 11 batters after Quero's RBI single in the first.

Key stat

Smith allowed six runs — five earned — in 4 1/3 innings. He had given up more than three runs just once in his first 13 starts.

Up next

Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.84 ERA) starts Wednesday against White Sox RHP Sean Burke (3-7, 4.71).

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb