Cardinals slug 3 homers to beat the Astros 7-5 and extend winning streak to 4 games

HOUSTON (AP) — Masyn Winn hit a two-run homer and José Fermín and Alec Burleson added solo shots to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros Saturday night.

Winn’s homer made it 4-1 in the third and the second home run of Fermín’s career pushed the lead to 5-1 in the sixth. Burleson’s shot to the second deck in right field in the seventh made it 6-1.

Yordan Alvarez hit his major league-leading ninth homer in the first inning and Shay Whitcomb hit a three-run homer in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to keep the Astros from losing for the 11th time in 13 games.

Jordan Walker singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Nolan Gorman had two hits and two RBIs to help the Cardinals to their fourth straight victory.

Andre Pallante (2-1) allowed three hits and a run with a season-high five strikeouts in five innings to get the win for the Cardinals. Riley O'Brien got the last two outs of the game to get his sixth save.

Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1) yielded four hits and four runs, walked three batters and hit two in five innings.

McCullers hit the first two batters with pitches before walking Walker with one out. Gorman hit a two RBI single on a grounder to right field to make it 2-0.

Alvarez cut the lead to 2-1 with his home run to center field with one out in the first.

Gorman singled with one out in the third before Winn’s home run to left field made it 4-1.

Fermín connected off Colton Gordon with one out in the sixth on his shot to the seats in left field to push the lead to 5-1.

St. Louis LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 4.29 ERA) opposes RHP Mike Burrows (1-3, 6.55) in the series finale Sunday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

St. Louis Cardinals' José Fermín (15) celebrates with Iván Herrera after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Houston, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn runs the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — San Jose Sharks teenage sensation Macklin Celebrini is open to signing a contract extension this summer after breaking the franchise record for points in a season in just his second year in the NHL.

Celebrini has one year remaining on the three-year, $2.925 million entry-level contract he signed after being drafted first overall in 2024. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent after next season but can sign an extension any time after July 1.

“I’m just open to every possibility,” Celebrini said Saturday at locker clean out day. There’s nothing really that goes into it. It goes hand in hand with me. I want to commit to this team and being here. I love it here. I’m open to whatever happens."

Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, this is the last summer that players remaining with their own team can sign extensions for eight years. Starting in September, those deals will be limited to seven years.

Celebrini said he hadn't thought about whether he was interested in a long or short-term deal.

General manager Mike Grier said later that the team would like to get a deal done this summer but added that the team has another year before something needs to get done.

“We’re definitely open to it, and he’s obviously someone we want to be here for as long as possible,” he said. “We haven’t really had any talks or discussions yet, and hopefully you guys won’t know when we do. But obviously it’s something we would like to get done it at some point, but if it’s the case where we don’t get it done, it’s not the end of the world either.”

Celebrini said he has talked to 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks about the approach. Bedard opted not to sign an extension last summer and will be eligible to be a restricted free agent this summer.

“Connor and I are pretty good friends,” Celebrini said. “I talked to him a little bit just about his situation. He approached it differently, and every guy’s situation is going to be a little bit different.”

Celebrini is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever for a teenager, even if it wasn't enough to send the Sharks to the playoffs. San Jose missed the postseason for a seventh straight season, finishing four points out of the second wild-card spot.

Celebrini had 45 goals and 70 assists with his 115 points breaking Joe Thornton's franchise record of 114 set in 2006-07 and trailing Wayne Gretzky (137 in 1979-80) and Sidney Crosby (120 in 2006-07) for the most in a season for a player before turning 20.

Celebrini's performance generated frequent “M-V-P!” chants from the crowd at the Shark Tank. Celebrini has a chance to be a finalist for the Hart Trophy given to the league's MVP alongside players such as Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov.

“Those are the guys that I’m looking to to learn from and watch them,” Celebrini said. “They’ve been around for 10-plus years so they’re the guys when I was a kid I was watching and even now I’m still trying to learn them and see what makes them successful. That would be pretty cool.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) drives the puck as Vancouver Canucks left wing Liam Ohgren (92) defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)