Cards walk off on J. Martinez’s single

With the path now cleared for Tyler O’Neill to assert himself as a fixture for the future, the outfielder parlayed a spot start in right field on Thursday afternoon into a showcase of his skill set. With a pair of defensive gems and a series of productive at-bats, O’Neill bought time for the rest of the supporting cast to show up. They did so in the ninth, when a series of three consecutive hits lifted the Cardinals to their ninth walk-off win of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Rockies. Jose Martinez came off the bench to deliver the game-winning hit, which scored Greg Garcia and Harrison Bader without a play at the plate. The hit bailed out starter Miles Mikolas, whose throwing error had tipped things the Rockies’ way back in the fourth inning.