Cardinals silence Blue Jays bats for second straight game, win 5-0

TORONTO – Left-hander Jaime Garcia pitched seven strong innings and Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta hit home runs as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 on Sunday.

It was the second consecutive 5-0 victory over the Blue Jays for the Cardinals after they lost the opener of the three-game series on Friday.

Garcia (2-0), who started the season on the disabled list after shoulder surgery ended his 2013 season, allowed three hits and three walks and struck out four in his fifth start of the year. The walks were the first he has allowed this season.

Right-hander Pat Neshek replaced Garcia in the eighth inning and right-hander Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth.

Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison (4-4) allowed five runs on six hits, including two home runs, in three innings, his shortest start of the season.

Right-hander Todd Redmond took over from Hutchison in the fourth and pitched a bullpen-saving five runless innings, allowing four hits while striking out three. Left-hander Brett Cecil took over in the ninth.

The series loss ended a string of seven successive series in which the Blue Jays had not been defeated, something they had not done since June of 2000. The Blue Jays (38-26) last were undefeated in eight consecutive series in 1993.

The Cardinals (33-31) scored four runs in their bat-around second. Jon Jay and Mark Ellis singled. Peter Bourjos hit a sacrifice fly and Tony Cruz hit an RBI double that was followed by Carpenter’s second homer of the season, a drive to centre on a 1-1 change-up.

Peralta led off the third with his 10th homer of the season, a blast to left on a 1-0 slider. Hutchison retired the next three batters to finish his outing at 70 pitches.

NOTES: Attendance was announced as 45,726, the fifth sellout of the season. … The Blue Jays have signed two players selected in the draft, catcher Matt Morgan, 18, a fourth-round pick and right-handed pitcher Justin Shafer, 21, an eighth-round pick. … Matt Holliday (tight back) was scratched from the Cardinals starting lineup and Yadier Molina replaced him as designated hitter. … Former Blue Jay Carlos Delgado threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game on behalf of the Extra Bases Foundation. … The Blue Jays open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at Rogers Centre. Right-hander R.A. Dickey (6-4, 4.25 earned-run average) will get the start for the Blue Jays against Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco (4-5, 5.65 ERA).