NEW YORK — – JJ Wetherholt hit a two-run double and scored on Iván Herrera’s ground-rule double to help Andre Pallante and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the punchless New York Yankees 3-1 on Wednesday night.

St. Louis took two of three games at Yankee Stadium to win a series for the first time since going 2-1 against Atlanta from July 10-12.

New York fell 4 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Making his Yankee Stadium debut, Pallante (12-6) was charged with one run and three hits in 5 1/3 innings after the first pitch was delayed 68 minutes by rain. The right-hander improved to 7-0 in nine road starts this season and has lasted at least five innings in 21 of 22 outings overall.

New York scored without a hit in a rainy sixth when reliever George Soriano walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. with the bases loaded. Soriano, a first cousin of former Yankees All-Star Alfonso Soriano, then struck out Ryan McMahon to end the inning.

McMahon tossed his bat and helmet in frustration. A fired-up Ryne Stanek screamed on the mound after whiffing touted rookie George Lombard Jr. on three pitches with two aboard to end the eighth – the last a 100 mph fastball.

Riley O’Brien pitched a hitless ninth for his 27th save.

Minus injured sluggers Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, the Yankees have been held to two runs or fewer six times in the past seven games. They drew eight walks Wednesday but mustered only four hits and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position while stranding 11 overall.

Wetherholt and Herrera drove consecutive doubles over the head of center fielder Trent Grisham against starter Will Warren (8-6) with two outs in the fifth.

All-Star right fielder Jordan Walker missed his second consecutive game for St. Louis because of right knee inflammation.

Coming off a big major league debut Tuesday night, Lombard made a spectacular play at shortstop to rob Wetherholt of a hit and turned in another slick pickup, too.

Up next

Cardinals: Following a day off, RHP Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.44 ERA) starts Friday night at home against RHP Ryan Feltner (4-5, 5.75) and the last-place Colorado Rockies.

Yankees: LHP Max Fried (4-3, 3.12 ERA) faces his former team for the first time Friday night when New York hosts NL East-leading Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbbr/]

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