Andrew Knizner lashed his first major league triple past a diving Victor Scott II in center field, scoring Christian Koss with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and allowing the San Francisco Giants to outlast the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Wednesday night.
The loss in the series finale was a costly one for the Cardinals (78-81), who had a chance to gain a game in the race for the final National League wild card. Instead, St. Louis will enter the final four days of the season 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (81-77).
After the Cardinals rallied into a 3-3 tie on a Nolan Arenado sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, Koss led off the bottom of the inning against Riley O’Brien (3-1) with a blooper that fell between first baseman Alec Burleson and second baseman Brendan Donovan, resulting in a hit.
Koss took second on a Drew Gilbert grounder to Burleson, then coasted home when Knizner’s liner into shallow center got past Scott and rolled all the way to the fence.
Knizner, a catcher who played his first five seasons for the Cardinals, had come to the plate 971 times in his seven-year career without recording a triple.
Tristan Beck, aided by a double play after a leadoff single by Pedro Pages, threw a scoreless ninth for his second save. He preserved the win for Jose Butto (5-3), who blew a lead while recording the final two outs of the eighth.
The Giants (78-81) trailed only momentarily in the game, scoring once in each of the second, third and fourth innings. Rafael Devers provided the big hit in the early going, a solo homer in the third, his 34th of the season.
Seeking a career-best 15th win, Cardinals starter Sonny Gray left after six innings, having allowed three runs (two earned) and seven hits. He walked two and struck out seven.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the third against Giants starter JT Brubaker, who got the nod when San Francisco elected not to start veteran Robbie Ray a day after being formally eliminated from the NL playoff race. Donovan had an RBI double and Ivan Herrera a run-scoring single in the uprising.
Brubaker was pulled after four innings, charged with two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
Casey Schmitt collected a double and two singles for the Giants. Bryce Eldridge enjoyed the first two-hit game of his career with a double and a single for San Francisco, while Knizner finished with two RBIs and Koss scored two runs.
Herrera had a pair of singles for the Cardinals, who were out-hit 11-7.
