Martinez uses arm, bat to help Cardinals down White Sox 3-2

Carlos Martinez hit his first major league home run and also threw 7 1-3 effective innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Dexter Fowler added a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who won their second game in a row.

Chicago has dropped four straight and 13 of 17. The White Sox fell to a season-low 12 games under .500.

Martinez (3-1) hit a 407-foot shot off Lucas Giolito (1-4) with two outs in the sixth to break a scoreless tie. Martinez allowed one run on five hits and left with a 3-0 lead. He struck out five and walked two. The Cardinals have won each of his six starts.

Giolito surrendered three runs on four hits over 6 1-3 innings. He struck out seven and walked two. He had walked 21 batters and struck out 11 over his first five starts.

Bud Norris picked up his sixth save in as many opportunities by getting four outs.

Martinez fanned three consecutive batters after giving up a leadoff double to Jose Abreu in the fourth. He also induced Daniel Palka to hit into an inning-ending double play in the seventh.

Fowler hit his 100th career home run in the seventh to push the lead to 3-0.

Yolmer Sanchez had an RBI single in the eighth. Abreu followed with a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 3-2.

Yadier Molina had two hits for the Cardinals.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Danny Farquhar continues to show progress after suffering a brain aneurysm on April 21. He went for a couple of short walks with his wife Lexi on Tuesday.

INF Yoan Moncada left the game in the eighth inning with left hamstring tightness. He is listed as day to day.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (0-2, 1.78) will start against RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-2, 3.94) in the first of a four-game set with the Twins on Thursday. Lopez has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all five starts. The matchup kicks off a six-game homestand for the White Sox

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (3-0, 3.27) takes on LHP Jose Quintana (3-1, 5.74) in the first of a three-game series against the Cubs on Friday. Mikolas leads the majors with a walk-strikeout ratio of 1-13.5.