ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals needed a spark and JJ Wetherholt provided it.
St. Louis' top prospect belted two homers and made a dazzling catch in the Cardinals’ 6-5 win in 10 innings over the Guardians on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. It was the first multihomer game for the 23-year-old rookie, who has cemented his role as the team’s leadoff hitter.
Wetherholt’s dingers each came in different fashions.
His solo shot in the third inning was a laser over the right-field wall that left his bat at 106.4 mph, according to Statcast. It was his first homer since Opening Day.
Wetherholt’s second long ball, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, left his bat at 99 mph but carried over the left-field wall for his first career opposite-field homer.
Most importantly, the second homer gave the Cardinals life after they surrendered three runs in the top of the eighth. They capitalized on that second chance in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game after Masyn Winn reached on a two-out error, went to second on a wild pitch and scored to tie the game on a Yohel Pozo double.
Riley O’Brien held the Guardians off the board in the 10th and Nathan Church’s sacrifice fly scored Thomas Saggese in the bottom of the frame as the Cardinals improved to 4-0 in extra innings.
Iván Herrera hit his first homer of the season in the first inning and Jordan Walker singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
José Ramírez and Daniel Schneemann each hit solo homers for the Guardians in the first two innings.
Cleveland took a 5-2 lead with a three-run eighth. George Valera’s RBI double broke the 2-all tie and Angel Martínez followed with a two-run double for insurance.