Brendan Donovan hit four doubles, including one in the ninth inning that tied the game and set up Alec Burleson’s game-winning single in the St Louis Cardinals’ 9-8 comeback win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Oracle Park.

Donovan was the first run across the plate for St Louis, when Burleson had an RBI single in the first inning that advanced Iván Herrera to third. Nolan Arenado brought Herrera home with a ground ball that turned into a double play, but the Cardinals weren’t done in the frame, as Lars Nootbaar would get on base, then come home on Thomas Saggese’s single.

The Giants responded in the third with five runs, sparked by a throwing error by Arenado on a fielders choice. The Giants added three more runs in the fifth, capped by a Heliot Ramos home run to left-center field. The Cardinals would rally with a pair of home runs in the seventh inning, including a three-run blast to center field by Herrera, followed by a solo shot from Arenado.

While Donovan’s doubles in the first, second and fifth innings contributed to the Cardinals’ 15 hits, his double in the ninth was most helpful to the Cardinals’ cause. After Victor Scott II claimed a leadoff single off Ryan Walker, Donovan sent his hit right field, allowing Scott to score from first. José Fermín replaced Donovan at second base, providing an extra burst of speed to bag the game-winning run when Burleson’s single also went to right field. The Giants claimed a one-out double off JoJo Romero in the bottom of the ninth, but Riley O’Brien came in to strike out Wilmer Flores to end the game.

Donovan was among five Cardinals that recorded multiple hits on the night, as the Redbirds went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Matt Svanson had a spotless eighth, claiming a strikeout for his fourth win of the year, while Andre Pallante went 2.2 innings, tagged with five runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts.

While still under .500, the Cardinals (78-80) are still in contention for the final wild card spot but on a razor’s edge, trailing the Mets by 3.5 games with four remaining in the season. Sonny Gray will seek his 15th win of the year when he takes the mound Wednesday evening, with first pitch at 8:45 p.m.