Jordan Montgomery gives St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 win over Houston Astros

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Montgomery threw six hits in the seventh inning in his second straight victory, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Tuesday night.

“That’s a super aggressive team over there,” Montgomery said. “I wanted to set the tone for the guys.”

St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol was pleased with the left-hander’s performance.

“He established that lead and imposed his will on these guys,” Marmol said. “It was a really good outing. He stepped in and did it.

Paul DeJong scored for St. Louis in his return after splitting two games against the Chicago Cubs in London this weekend. Nolan Arenado had two hits, including an RBI double.

It was the first meeting between the teams since St. Louis lost two of three to Houston in July 2019.

Martin Maldonado scored for Houston, which fell to 7-14 in its last 21 games. Framber Valdez (7-6) was charged with four runs and eight hits in six innings.

“DeJong hurt us,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “Their pitcher hurt us. He kept the ball on the ground. He got double plays when he needed them and kept his count down. We simply failed.

Houston led 2-0 before DeJong hit a leadoff drive in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

“We got some hits at the right time and kept the pressure on,” DeJong said. “He hooked me with a curveball there in my first at-bat and I was able to get the barrel on it. With the bases loaded in the fourth, he attacked me with a few fastballs and I put a good swing at one to right center. Overall, it’s a good day for us.

St. Louis took the lead to stay with two more runs in the fifth. Arenado doubled Paul Goldschmidt, took third on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch.

Arenado was called out at the plate, but the Cardinals contested and the game was called by a replay.

“I made a good jump and saw the ball go away and I went for it,” Arenado said. “I didn’t feel anything, so I let them know to challenge.”

Valdez struck out six and walked three. He was 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his previous six starts.

Montgomery (5-7) allowed six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He left with the bases loaded and Giovanny Gallegos retired pinch hitter Bligh Madris on a fly ball to left for the final out of the seventh.

“I had all the confidence in the world in Gio,” Montgomery said.

Jordan Hicks made his fifth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Astros produced an unearned run in the first half when Mauricio Dubón scored on a fielder’s choice. Maldonado led off the third with his fifth homer.

ROOKIE HIT SERIES

St. Louis rookie Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 16 games. This is the longest active hitting streak in the majors.

LIST MOVES

Cardinals: Returned C Iván Herrera to Triple-A Memphis. He was added to the roster Saturday as the 27th player on the taxi squad.

TRAINERS ROOM

Astros: 2B Jose Altuve (right heel soreness) missed his second game since being injured Saturday against the Dodgers. He participated in pregame drills and is expected to play Wednesday. … RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder inflammation) threw 25 pitches in the bullpen before the game. He will throw an extra bullpen before throwing to batters.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (right hip tightness), who was scratched from his scheduled start in London, is expected to start Saturday against the Yankees. … OF Tyler O’Neill (lower back sprain) has returned to baseball activities. He is expected to begin a rehabilitation mission next week. … LHP Packy Naughton (forearm sprain) underwent season-ending surgery to repair his flexor tendon Monday.

FOLLOWING

Astros: RHP Cristian Javier (7-1, 3.25 ERA) is scheduled to make his first career start against the Cardinals on Wednesday. In his last start against the Mets, Javier allowed a career-high five walks while allowing four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-5, 4.23) faces the Astros for the first time since 2014, when he was with Texas. In his last outing, he suffered a 3-0 loss to Washington at Nationals Park, losing his fourth straight decision in June.

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