ST. LOUIS -- Willson Contreras made sure this series ended on his terms.
Facing his former team, Contreras powered the Red Sox to a 9-3 win over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium, finishing a series-clinching victory with four hits and three RBIs.
After going hitless in the opener, Contreras caught fire over the final two games, collecting six hits and providing the spark for a Boston offense that had struggled to find consistency early in the series.
He wasted no time setting the tone Sunday. With two outs in the first, Contreras barreled a 94.6 mph sinker and sent it a Statcast-projected 411 feet to center field for a two-run homer, giving Boston an early lead.
The Red Sox broke things open in the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Jarren Duran drove a ball into the left-center-field gap, clearing the bases with a three-run double to make it 6-1. Contreras followed with an RBI single, extending the lead to 7-1.
Boston finished with 12 hits, with Trevor Story adding four of his own, including a two-run double in the ninth.
On the mound, Brayan Bello delivered his best outing of the season, allowing two runs on six hits across 6 2/3 innings. He worked efficiently after early traffic and leaned heavily on his sinker to keep St. Louis off balance.
The victory secured Boston’s second consecutive series win and capped a bounce-back weekend after dropping the opener Friday night.