ST. LOUIS (AP) — Victor Scott II and Pedro Pages each hit three-run homers to propel the St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Nolan Gorman also homered for St. Louis, which swept the series and is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2006.
It marks the 17th 3-0 start in franchise history covering 134 years.
Willi Castro homered for the Twins, who lost their first three games for the first time since 2016.
The contest was halted by rain for 58 minutes in the middle of the fifth inning.
Pages had three hits. Alec Burleson added a two-run double for the Cardinals.
Andre Pallante gave up two runs on four hits over five innings.
Scott homered in the third off Bailey Ober, who surrendered eight earned runs over 2 2/3 innings.
Burleson kick-started a five-run uprising in the third with his double for a 5-1 lead. Pages ripped his first homer of the season four batters later.
Steven Matz tossed four scoreless innings in relief for his first career save.
Key stat
The Cardinals longest winning streak to open the season is seven, which came in 1962 with wins over the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia.
Key moment
Pallante, nursing a 3-1 lead, worked out of a two-on, one-jam in the third by retiring Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach.
Up next
Twins: RHP Chris Paddack will face Chicago White Sox LHP Martin Perez in the first of a three-game series in Chicago on Monday afternoon. Paddack went 1-0 in five spring training starts, striking out 21 in 17 innings.
Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas will face Los Angeles Angels LHP Tyler Anderson in the first of a three-game set in St. Louis on Monday.