ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Yandy Díaz matched a career high with five hits and drove in four runs, leading a relentless Tampa Bay offense as the Rays avoided a season-opening sweep with an 11-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at Busch Stadium.

Steven Matz earned the win against his former team, and the top of the Rays’ lineup combined for nine hits and eight RBIs to power a 17-hit attack. Tampa Bay improved to 1-2, while St. Louis fell to 2-1.

The game’s decisive sequence came in the fourth inning. Holding a 3-1 lead, the Rays struck with two outs against Cardinals starter Dustin May. Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Cedric Mullins ripped consecutive RBI doubles, each driving a run home to push the advantage to 6-1 and knock May from the game.

Tampa Bay had built its early lead with a three-run second inning. Jonny DeLuca and Carson Williams delivered RBI doubles before Díaz singled home Williams for his first RBI of the afternoon.

St. Louis answered the Rays’ big fourth with one of its own. After a single and a walk, Jordan Walker launched a three-run homer to center field off Matz, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Matz (1-0) finished with five innings pitched, allowing four runs on six hits with two strikeouts.

May (0-1) took the loss, charged with six runs on nine hits over 3 2/3 innings.

The Rays broke the game open in the eighth against Cardinals reliever Matthew Pushard in his major league debut. Ben Williamson and Carson Williams reached before Díaz delivered an RBI single. Aranda followed with another run-scoring single, and Mullins added a sacrifice fly to make it 9-4.

St. Louis refused to go quietly in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch-hitter Nolan Gorman led off with a solo home run. After a Walker single, catcher Pedro Pagés connected for a two-run shot to left-center, pulling the Cardinals within 9-7.

Tampa Bay provided crucial insurance in the ninth. DeLuca scored on a sacrifice bunt by Williams, and Díaz capped his stellar day with an infield RBI single, his fifth hit, to restore a four-run cushion.

The Rays’ bullpen secured the win. After the Cardinals’ eighth-inning rally, Garrett Cleavinger and Kevin Kelly each pitched a scoreless inning, with Kelly closing out the ninth.

Díaz finished 5 for 6 with a double, four RBIs and a run scored. Aranda added three hits and two RBIs, while Mullins drove in two. For St. Louis, Walker went 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Pagés added two hits, including his two-run homer.

The game lasted 2 hours, 55 minutes and was played before an afternoon crowd of 27,653. The teams combined for 28 hits.

Tampa Bay travels to Milwaukee for a three-game series starting Monday. The Cardinals will host the New York Mets for a three-game set beginning Monday.