SAN FRANCISCO _ On the same afternoon the Memphis Redbirds won their 90th game of the season, enough of their players were present in the majors to help the Cardinals win one, too.
In his third consecutive brilliant start, rookie Luke Weaver struck out nine, outpitched Giants starter Madison Bumgarner and led the brigade of reinforcements to a 7-3 victory Sunday afternoon against the Giants at AT&T Park. Weaver has 29 strikeouts in his past three starts, and he's yet to lose since moving into the rotation, a place he will stay for the remainder of the season, as long as he's healthy.
He's allowed four earned runs in his past 19 2/3 innings.
Harrison Bader, who spent most of the year in Memphis, homered and scored twice; Paul DeJong, who started the year in Memphis, homered and scored once; and Jose Martinez, who was assigned to Memphis once but never really made it there, had two doubles, three RBIs, and a key home run as the Cardinals completed the series win.
The Cardinals won three of the four games against the toppling Giants and they could have swept the series if not for a rupture late Saturday.
The Cardinals packed on two runs in the seventh inning to extend their lead, and that included another RBI from Bader and an RBI from Martinez. The Cardinals would have had far more runs in the game if not for Giants center fielder Gorkys Hernandez who was evidently Reaganing out in center. He went back to rob Tommy Pham of a homer. He went to his left to rob Stephen Piscotty of extra bases. He went to his right to take a double away from DeJong.
Hernandez may have had four of the top 12 catches in baseball Sunday.
Just an estimate.
The Cardinals' lead was enough for them to let loose prospect Sandy Alcantara for his major-league debut. True to his reputation, he threw heat. The Giants responded with a solo homer from the backup catcher who had just entered the game, and eventually Alcantara had to be lifted for veteran Zach Duke to close out the eighth inning.
The long, lean, laser-throwing Alcantara did get a souvenir for his game. He struck out former MVP Buster Posey on three pitches.
Not one of those pitches was greater than 92 mph.
The last one he threw looked like a changeup, at 91 mph.
