Cardinals' Donovan and Herrera shine in 12-2 rout of White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) — Brendan Donovan had four hits and Iván Herrera drove in four runs to back a strong start by Matthew Liberatore as the St. Louis Cardinals handed the Chicago White Sox their sixth straight loss, 12-2 on Tuesday night.

Alec Burleson went 3 for 5 for St. Louis, including his sixth home run, a solo shot in the seventh that made it 9-2. Victor Scott II — in the midst of a 5-for-35 slump — hit a two-run homer off Chicago position player Vinny Capra in the ninth.

Donovan drove in a run, hit his 21st double and scored twice in his third four-hit game this season and the fifth of his career.

Herrera had a two-run single in a five-run second inning. Michael A. Taylor took a home run away from Herrera leading off the fifth, but he came back to drive in a pair with a sixth-inning single.

Liberatore (4-6) gave up two runs on five hits in six innings for his first win since beating the Pirates on May 6.

Nolan Arenado singled to extend his hitting streak to seven games and spark the Cardinals' five-run second. Willson Contreras walked and later stole home — after a successful challenge — on a walk to Arenado to make it 6-1 in the fifth.

Edgar Quero and Capra drove in Chicago's runs.

St. Louis handed Chicago rookie starter Shane Smith (3-4) his worst defeat.

Liberatore, who had surrendered 16 earned runs over 14 innings in his previous three starts, retired 10 of the next 11 batters after Quero's RBI single in the first.

Smith allowed six runs — five earned — in 4 1/3 innings. He had given up more than three runs just once in his first 13 starts.

Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.84 ERA) starts Wednesday against White Sox RHP Sean Burke (3-7, 4.71).

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Chicago White Sox starter Shane Smith delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago White Sox's Edgar Quero watches his RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott III, right, celebrates with teammate Pedro Pages, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott III (11) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates in the dugout with teammates after scoring on a Ivan Herrera two-RBI single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)