SAN FRANCISCO — Lars Nootbaar homered and tripled to drive in three runs and Ryan Helsley recorded his franchise record 49th save as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-3 on Friday night.
The Cardinals have won five of six and secured their 23rd winning season in the last 25 years. The Giants’ loss means they will finish below .500 for the third straight season since winning a franchise-record 107 games in 2021.
Nootbaar, who leads the team in on-base percentage since the All-Star break, hit a solo homer in the third to cut into a 3-1 deficit and then capped a four-run fourth inning for the Cardinals when he knocked in two runs with a two-out triple …