The St Louis Cardinals jumped on the Cleveland Guardians early, as Nolan Gorman’s home run set the scene for a 7-0 shutout of the hosts Sunday, June 29 in Cleveland.

Gorman’s home run came with two outs in the first and runners on first and third. It was Gorman’s seventh of the year and provided a solid cushion for Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore, who limited the Guardians to three hits. Despite allowing five walks, Liberatore struck out five and contributed to Cleveland’s 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, earning his sixth win of the year. The Cardinals extended their lead when Victor Scott II sent a two-run shot in the seventh to right field. They added two runs in the eighth, first with a sacrifice fly by Pedro Pagés that scored José Fermín, then a Garrett Hampson single to bring home Gorman.

St Louis are now 47-38 on the year, still third in the NL Central but with a one-game lead on the Padres for the third wild card spot. The Cardinals head down the pike to Pittsburgh for the start of a three-game series against the Pirates. Erich Fedde will get the start, with first pitch at 5:40 p.m.