ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jhoulys Chacin had some extra motivation.

Mike Moustakas hit a two-run double, giving Chacin all the runs he needed to beat St. Louis for the first time in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday.

“I can die now,” Chacin joked to reporters.

Milwaukee (69-57) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back ahead of St. Louis (68-57) for the second National League wild card. The Cardinals lost for just the second time in their last 12 games.

“We talk about racking up wins and banking wins and we banked a win today and got a great pitching performance,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought we swung the bats pretty good. It’s a good win. That’s a team that’s right in the thick of things and going to be there for the rest of the year.”

Chacin (13-4) entered the game 0-7 with a 6.90 ERA in nine career games, including eight starts, against the Cardinals, but shut them out through six innings as the Brewers avoided their first three-game sweep at St. Louis since July 1-3, 2016.

“This might be the biggest game of the season for me,” Chacin said. “The Cardinals have always been tough on me and this year it was an obsession.”

Chacin has won his last three starts and has given up three runs in his last 19 innings. The Brewers improved to 19-8 in his starts this season.

“I thought he kept them off balance, his slider was again good and his fastball,” Counsell said. “He threw fastballs and it was good sequencing.”

Jeremy Jeffress gave up a run in two innings of relief and Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 10th save in 13 opportunities for the Brewers.

Moustaskas hammered an 0-2 pitch down the first-base line to score Orlando Arcia and Lorenzo Cain, giving the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the third. Arcia and Cain each stole a base to help get them into scoring position ahead of Moustaskas.

“We always talk about little things and being able to vary our times and our holds and being quick to the plate is important, something that we’ve done really really well all year,” Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt said of Cain’s steal. “The reality is the guy’s an accomplished base stealer as well. It was a big play.”

John Gant (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. Gant has failed to make it past 4 1/3 innings in three of his last four starts.

“It was just one of those days,” Gant said. “I never really found a good, solid groove.”

Brett Cecil pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, Tyson Ross followed with three scoreless innings and Mike Mayers added another as Cardinals relievers combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings.

Patrick Wisdom hit his first career home run 414 feet into the bleachers in left-center to lead off the eighth for St. Louis.

The Brewers had lost six of their last eight heading into the game.

“It was a really good day for me and for the team,” Chacin said. “I think anything is possible for me and for the team. We win on Sunday, a day game and finally beat the Cardinals. It couldn’t get better. From this day I hope we keep rolling.”

IRONMAN

Yadier Molina started his 27th straight game, a major league record for catchers 35 years or older.

TRAINING ROOM

Milwaukee: C Manny Pina (left shoulder) missed his third straight game and is day-to-day.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (bruised elbow) pinch hit and flew out after being taken out of Saturday night’s game. RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) and IF Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) were scheduled to play Sunday at Double-A Springfield and could join the team in Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Milwaukee: RHP Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.97 ERA) will start a three-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and RHP Homer Bailey (1-10, 6.33 ERA) on Monday night. Anderson is 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in nine career starts against the Reds.

Cardinals: LHP Austin Gomber (3-0, 2.89 ERA) will kick off a six-game road trip Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and LHP Alex Wood (7-7, 3.51 ERA). Gomber has won his last two starts and has an 11-inning scoreless streak.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna homered and Miles Mikolas tossed six effective innings to push the St. Louis Cardinals into the second wild-card spot in the NL with a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

St. Louis moved a half-game ahead of Milwaukee and within four of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

The Cardinals, who are a half-game behind wild card-leading Philadelphia, have won 10 of their last 11 and captured their seventh straight series after winning the opener of the three-game set on Friday.

The seven-series winning streak is the longest since St. Louis won eight in a row from April 10-May 7, 2015.

Travis Shaw and Christian Yelich homered for the Brewers, who have lost six of eight.

Ozuna hit his 15th homer of the season in the second off Wade Miley (2-2).

Paul DeJong and Harrison Bader added two-run hits as St. Louis improved to 21-10 under interim manager Mike Shildt, who took over after Mike Matheny was fired on July 14.

Mikolas (13-3) gave up one run on five hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter in winning his fifth consecutive decision.

Miley surrendered four runs on four hits over five innings. Three of the runs were unearned thanks to a missed third strike by catcher Erik Kratz that prolonged a three-run third inning.

Tyler O’Neill broke a 1-all tie with a bloop single to right following the passed ball by Kratz, which would have ended the inning. Following a walk to Ozuna, DeJong hit a two-run single to push the lead to 4-1.

St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter had a 35-game streak of reaching base snapped with a 0-for-4 performance.

DeJong drove in three runs.

Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the first inning by home plate umpire Cory Blaser. Blaser had warned Miley for throwing inside to O’Neill. Mikolas hit Lorenzo Cain in the top of the first.

Counsell came out to argue the warning and was ejected for the fourth time this season.

St. Louis infielder Kolten Wong was removed in the fourth inning with a bruised right elbow. He was hit by a pickoff attempt from Miley.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: OF Ryan Braun missed his second straight game with a sore rib cage. He is listed as day-to-day.

Cardinals: OF Jose Martinez was originally in the starting lineup, but was scratched 90 minutes before the game with right hip tightness. He was replaced by O’Neill. … RHP Carlos Martinez will make his second rehab appearance on Sunday for Double-A Springfield. Martinez, who was bothered by a right shoulder strain, threw two innings on Friday.

UP NEXT

RHP Jhoulys Chacin (12-4, 3.72) will face RHP John Gant (5-4, 3.74) in the final game of the three-game series on Sunday. The Brewers are 18-8 when Chacin starts. He is 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in three career starts in St. Louis. Gant hit a two-run homer in his last outing, a 6-4 win over Washington on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kolten Wong and Marcell Ozuna drove in two runs apiece, Jack Flaherty pitched six shutout innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Friday night.

The Cardinals won for the ninth time in 10 games and pulled within a half-game of the Brewers for the National League’s second wild-card spot.

Milwaukee has dropped three of four.

Flaherty (7-6) gave up three hits, walked three and struck out seven. The Brewers had only two runners reach second base against the rookie, who has allowed two earned runs in his past 19 innings pitched.

Bud Norris earned his 24th save in 28 opportunities.

Freddy Peralta (5-4) went six innings, giving up three earned runs. He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out five. It was his third loss in his last four decisions.

Wong’s two-run double in the eighth padded the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2.

Jedd Gyorko hit his 10th home run of the season to open the fourth. The shot to left field gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis took an early lead after Ozuna followed Yadier Molina’s single and a double from Jose Martinez with a hard grounder up the middle.

The Brewers threatened a comeback in the eighth. They loaded the bases against Jordan Hicks, and Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run single to pull the score to 3-2 with one out. But Travis Shaw fouled out to left field and Jonathan Schoop’s flair to shallow center field was snagged by shortstop Paul DeJong.

ON BOARD

Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter was issued an intentional walk in the seventh and has reached base in 35 consecutive games. It’s the longest such streak in the majors.

TRAINING ROOM

Brewers: OF Eric Thames was removed from the game before the bottom of the third inning with a sore right knee. The right fielder collided with center fielder Lorenzo Cain while making a catch in the bottom of the first. … C Manny Pina was held out of Friday’s game as a precaution following a collision with the Cubs’ Javier Baez on Wednesday. Manager Craig Counsell said Pina should be available for the remainder of the weekend series, but wanted to provide another day of rest for his left shoulder that was hurt when he dove back into second against the Cubs.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) continues his rehab assignment and was available to work out of the Double-A Springfield bullpen on Friday. The Cardinals announced earlier in the week that Martinez, typically a starter, would serve as a reliever when he returns to St. Louis. The Cardinals hope to have him back next week . IF Yairo Munoz (right wrist sprain) begins his rehabilitation assignment in Springfield on Saturday. . RHP Michael Wacha (left oblique strain) is headed to Palm Beach, Florida to begin a rehab assignment. He went on the DL on June 21.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Wade Miley (2-1, 2.23) looks for his first win since he went seven innings July 21 in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was his longest outing of the season.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (12-3, 2.85) has won five consecutive games. He went seven innings in each of his last three starts and the Cardinals have lost just one of the past eight games in which he started.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Gomber tossed six shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

St. Louis has won a season-high eight straight. The Cardinals, who are 18-9 since the All-Star break, captured their sixth successive series after taking the first three of the four-game set.

Daniel Murphy homered in the ninth for Washington, which has lost four in a row and seven of nine to fall below .500 and nine games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The current skid began with a loss to the Cubs on a two-out, walk-off grand slam.

Ozuna homered in the second inning, his 14th of the season and his first since July 30.

Gomber (3-0), in his fourth start of the year, gave up three hits, struck out six and walked four.

Bud Norris pitched the ninth to pick up his 23rd save in 27 opportunities.

Harrison Bader and Yadier Molina added run-scoring hits for St. Louis, which improved to 19-9 since Mike Matheny was fired and replaced by interim manager Mike Shildt.

St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter extended his on-base streak to 33 games with a walk in the fifth. It’s the longest current streak in the majors. Carpenter left the game in the seventh after he was hit on the hand by a pitch from Matt Grace, but X-rays were negative.

Jeremy Hellickson (5-3) left in the fifth inning after colliding with Bader on a play at the plate following a wild pitch. Hellickson gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.

Bader, who had three hits, also made a diving catch of a liner off the bat of Bryce Harper in the fourth.

The Cardinals, who have an NL-best 12-2 mark in August, remain one game behind Philadelphia for the second wild card spot. They are four games behind Chicago in the NL Central.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg threw a simulated game on Wednesday. He threw around 70 pitches and could be ready to return early next week, manager Dave Martinez said.

Cardinals: LHP Brett Cecil was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Cecil, who had been sidelined with inflammation in his right foot, pitched four scoreless innings in four appearances with Triple-A Memphis. LHP Tyler Webb was optioned to Memphis.

UP NEXT

RHP Tanner Roark (7-12, 4.12) will face RHP Luke Weaver (6-10, 4.66) in the finale of the four game series on Thursday. Roark has won his last four decision, Weaver is 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA in nine career games against NL East foes.

— Associated Press —