The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium. Right-hander Hunter Dobbins pitched six scoreless innings while JJ Wetherholt hit the game's only run.
Dobbins allowed six hits, struck out five and issued no walks in his best start of the season. His sweeper generated a 44 percent whiff rate and helped him record a first-pitch strike 67 percent of the time.
Wetherholt's solo home run off left-hander Reid Detmers in the fifth inning proved decisive. The National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner now has 15 home runs this season.
Detmers worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run on his 85th and final pitch. He struck out six and fell to 3-7 with a 4.05 ERA.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised Dobbins for attacking the strike zone and avoiding walks. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki noted Detmers mixed his pitches well before exiting in the sixth.