ST. LOUIS (AP) — Miles Mikolas sent a message against the Dodgers: Crowd the plate at your own risk.

Mikolas pitched six solid innings despite hitting three batters, Marcell Ozuna homered and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied for a 4-3 victory on Monday night, ending Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak.

Mikolas, who allowed three runs on five hits, had never hit more than one batter in a game and now has 17 in his career.

“They got a lot of guys who are pretty close to the dish. You could tell that none of them were intentional,” Mikolas said. “I like to throw inside. It’s assumed risk I guess. I’m not going let a couple of hit batters force me to pitch back out over the plate.

“I led our league in hit batters my last year in Japan.”

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt approves of Mikolas’ approach.

“One thing we appreciate about Miles, among many things, is the fact that he throws inside,” Shildt said. “He can throw inside for strikes. He not trying to hit anyone. He just grazed a few guys.”

An All-Star and 18-game winner last season, Mikolas signed a $68 million, four-year contract extension in February that raised his pay to $75.5 million over the next five seasons.

After losing the season opener and not getting a decision in his second start, Mikolas was happy to pick up his first win.

“Kind of getting that monkey off your back against a team as hot as the Dodgers felt good,” Mikolas said. “It’s a team we’ll probably see in the playoffs. It felt good to see what the sixth inning felt like this season.”

For the Dodgers, the loss could be painful because of another groin injury to starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who left with two outs in the second inning.

St. Louis rallied with two runs in the seventh. Jose Martinez singled off Joe Kelly (1-2) to drive in Matt Carpenter, who had singled off Scott Alexander. Paul Goldschmidt later scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Kelly, who has blown three save opportunities.

“I think that obviously you look at the stuff and the stuff is really good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Kelly. “I certainly applaud him for calling down to the dugout and wanting to take the baseball. Joe’s going to keep fighting, and I believe in him. I know it’s going to turn. I just love the way this guy wants to pitch.”

With the Cardinals trailing 3-2, Mikolas got out of a jam in the sixth when Russell Martin hit a flyball to short center. Harrison Bader raced in to make the catch and threw home. Kike Hernandez, who had homered, was around third base, and catcher Yadier Molina threw to second to complete the double play.

“Thankfully that softball didn’t fall,” Shildt said.

John Gant worked two scoreless innings in relief and Jordan Hicks pitched the ninth for his second save in as many chances.

Ozuna homered off Ryu in the first to tie the game at 2. It was his 16th career first-inning home run.

Los Angeles had taken the lead on a fielder’s choice and a double by A.J. Pollack.

Corey Seager put the Dodgers ahead in the fifth with an RBI single.

EARLY EXIT

Ryu was diagnosed with a strained left groin, the same injury that forced him to miss more than half of last season. He threw a strike to Mikolas before stepping off the mound. The Dodgers assembled, and Ryu walked off. The 32-year-old left-hander threw 34 pitches, allowing two runs on two with a strikeout and a walk. Ryu is 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA. Dylan Floro relieved.

“It was different from the pain I felt last year,” Ryu said through a translator. “It was more of a precautionary measure to come out of the game. So compared to the left groin injury I had last year, right now I feel better. Right now I’m not too concerned. I’ll have to see tomorrow, but I’ll try to prepare the way as if I’m starting for my next outing, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

HOMERLESS

The Dodgers didn’t hit a home run for the first time this season. Los Angeles had 24 homers in its first 10 games and had homered in 13 consecutive games dating to last Sept. 28.

EX-CARDS RETURN

The Dodgers’ David Freese got a loud ovation when he came up to pinch-hit in the seventh. He tipped his helmet to the fans. Freese won the World Series and NLCS MVP awards for the Cardinals in 2011. Kelly, who pitched three years in St. Louis, also was cheered when he came in to pitch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw, who began the season in the injured list with shoulder inflammation, will make his second rehab start Tuesday at Double-A Tulsa. In his first rehab start last Thursday, Kershaw gave up two runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings against San Antonio. He struck out and walked two. If his start goes well, Roberts said Kershaw will rejoin the team next weekend.

Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill is playing with a sore toe he hurt Saturday. O’Neill entered the game in the seventh inning, replacing Martinez in right field.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Right-hander Ross Stripling (0-0, 2.31 ERA) will be making his third start. He allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in last start and got a no-decision in a 5-3 win over San Francisco.

Cardinals: Right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-1, 5.40) will be making his second start. In his last outing, he pitched two-thirds of an inning, stranding the bases loaded in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright has always wanted to make a grand entrance. The veteran St. Louis right-hander got his chance on Sunday.

Wainwright led the Cardinals onto the field with his fist in the air, shaking and cheering to pump up his team as the crowd went wild.

The theatrics worked perfectly as Wainwright was in vintage form, pitching six sharp innings as the Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep by beating the San Diego Padres 4-1.

“I’ve always dreamt about coming out on the field, and cuing music and getting the guys to run out in front of me,” Wainwright said. “I texted the team this morning and said, `I’ve always wanted to do this. You might think it’s corny.’ But they were like, `Let’s do it.”

“It fired me up, that’s what the goal was,” he said.

The actions by the normally businesslike Wainwright set the tone for the rest of the day.

“He brought us out and kicked our fans into gear,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said.

Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong, who drove in two runs, enjoyed the show.

“He’s a leader and a legend in this uniform,” DeJong said. “For us to be out there competing (with him) is a true honor. We were all engaged looking at him.”

The Padres hadn’t swept a series in St. Louis since 1980, and Wainwright (1-0) prevented it from happening this time at Busch Stadium.

The 37-year-old gave up one run and five hits. He struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk while throwing 100 pitches.

The longtime star of the St. Louis rotation was injured for most of last season, going just 2-4 in eight starts. He struggled in his first outing this year, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks in four innings at Pittsburgh.

“I knew coming into today I needed to be in a better place mentally,” Wainwright said. “When I’m good mentally, I’m usually pretty good physically.”

Wainwright struck out two in four of his six innings.

“The stuff was definitely there,” San Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “He looked good. You can tell he’s feeling pretty healthy.”

Hosmer had an RBI single in the third for the Padres, who had won three in a row. San Diego’s other four hits off Wainwright were doubles.

Jordan Hicks recorded four outs for his first save in two chances. He struck out Manny Machado with a runner on to end the eighth.

“He’s got unbelievable talent,” Hicks said of Machado. “But I know I’m good as well.”

DeJong drove in a pair of runs with a fourth-inning double off Matt Strahm (0-2). Matt Carpenter walked and Paul Goldschmidt reached when left fielder Hunter Renfroe lost the ball in the sun. Renfroe was given an error on the play.

Carpenter added a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the seventh. Kolten Wong and Jose Martinez began the inning with back-to-back singles.

Wong pushed the lead to 4-1 with an infield single in the eighth. It brought in Yadier Molina, who led off the inning with a single, his third hit of the game.

St. Louis center fielder Harrison Bader made a pair of running catches and also threw out Renfroe at third on a fly ball to end the third.

San Diego won six of its first nine games entering the contest, its best start since the 2009 team also went 6-3.

“It’s good for a club’s confidence,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “Any time you have a chance to win three against a very good club, it’s great, but we didn’t seal the deal on that today.”

YADI ON THE RISE

Molina moved into seventh place on the Cardinals all-time hit list with 1,857. He passed Ken Boyer, who had 1,855.

“It’s a great honor,” Molina said. “I’m seeing the ball pretty well.”

MOVES

St. Louis RHP Alex Reyes and INF Yairo Munoz were sent to Triple-A Memphis prior to the game. LHP Tyler Webb and RHP Giovanny Gallegos were recalled and in uniform.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: OF Franchy Cordero was held out of the lineup due to a sore right elbow. He left Saturday’s game in the fifth inning.

UP NEXT

Padres: LHP Eric Lauer (1-1, 3.27) will face LHP Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 1.38) in the first of a three game series in San Francisco on Monday. Lauer tossed six shutout innings on opening day in a 2-0 win over the Giants.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-1, 7.20) will face LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0, 2.08) in the first of a four-game set in St. Louis on Monday.

— Associated Press —