From third base, Willson Contreras raised four fingers toward the Cardinals' dugout. The Athletics, having just narrowed the Cardinals' lead down to two runs, walked Lars Nootbaar ahead of Contreras in the eighth inning Wednesday to get the matchup they preferred for right-hander Tyler Ferguson.

Willson Contreras had three hits and four RBIs, Nolan Gorman homered and Matthew Liberatore pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-1 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night. Liberatore (7-11) struck out seven. Gorman hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 14th of the season.