CLEVELAND (AP) — Matt Carpenter’s first three at-bats were miserable, forgettable and completely unproductive.

He more than made up for them with one swing.

Carpenter hit a two-run homer off reliever Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth inning after Cleveland replaced starter Trevor Bauer, rallying the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Indians on Thursday.

Bauer struck out Carpenter three times and blanked St. Louis on four hits over 7 1/3 innings before giving up a one-out walk to Peter Bourjos. Indians manager Terry Francona brought in the left-handed Rzepczynski (1-1) to face Carpenter, a lefty, who drove a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right-center — just above outfielder Michael Bourn’s glove — to help the Cardinals win the series after being overpowered by Corey Kluber on Wednesday night.

“Obviously, I wasn’t happy with the way the day was going,” Carpenter said. “What turned it around for me was the Bourjos at-bat. That kind of rejuvenated me. I knew I needed to follow up with another good at-bat and we had a chance to maybe do something. I was able to lay off a couple of tough sinkers and get one up in the zone.”

It’s the first homer Rzepczysnki has given up to a left-handed hitter since June 12, 2012, when he was with the Cardinals.

“My job is to get that guy out,” Rzepczynski. “I fell behind with a couple good sinkers that he laid off. And then I tried to go again and it’s probably the straightest ball I’ve thrown in a long time.”

Kevin Siegrist (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings, and Trevor Rosenthal put the tying run on with one out in the ninth before striking out pinch-hitter Zach Walters and Jason Kipnis for his 12th save.

Michael Brantley homered for the Indians, who haven’t won consecutive games since April 8-9.

Following Kluber’s 18-strikeout performance, Bauer fanned 10, allowed just four hits and deserved a better fate. He kicked the dirt on the mound in frustration after walking Peter Bourjos on his 110th pitch, knowing Francona was coming to get him. Carpenter made things worse with his sixth homer, a shot that helped ease the sting for the Cardinals, who struck out 30 times in two games.

Carpenter recently sat out a three-game series in Pittsburgh with what the Cardinals described as “extreme fatigue.” Carpenter had been dizzy and light-headed in the days leading up to staying behind when the team traveled.

“It feels great,” Carpenter said. “I hate not being out here every day, missing time. Any chance you can come out here play and not only help us win a game but win a series, it’s a big deal. I’m pretty happy with the way it played out.”

Brantley snapped a scoreless tie with his fourth homer to open the sixth against Michael Wacha, who settled in after two shaky innings and gave up five hits in five-plus innings.

The Indians had other scoring chances, but had three runners thrown out, including two on rundowns between third and home.

Cleveland’s hitters made Wacha work, forcing him to throw 59 pitches in the first two innings. However, the Indians wasted a one-out triple by Michael Bourn in the second with a poorly executed bunt by Jose Ramirez. Bourn broke late on the apparent squeeze and got tagged out in a rundown.

St. Louis didn’t fare any better against Bauer, who followed Kluber’s gem with his best since holding Houston without a hit for six innings in his season debut.

“We faced some really tough pitching,” Carpenter said. “They were nasty. Somehow we found a way to win two.”

SERIES DOMINATION

The Cardinals are 9-1-1 in series and improved to 5-0 in games on Thursday.

NO HOLLIDAY OFF

Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday talked himself into the lineup as DH after getting hit on the left elbow by Kluber. Holliday has reached base safely in 32 straight games, the longest streak in the majors this season and the third longest to start a season in club history. Albert Pujols had a 42-game streak in 2008 and 33-gamer in 2005.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Jon Jay went on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left wrist. Jay had surgery on the wrist in October, and he’s hoping some rest will alleviate soreness.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (3-1), who has posted a 14.00 ERA in his past two starts, opens a three-game series in Detroit. He has never faced the Tigers.

Indians: LHP Bruce Chen (0-1) tries to bounce back from a rocky debut with Cleveland, the veteran’s 11th team, in the opener of a three-game series at Texas.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber shrugged his shoulders at making history.

He was just as dismissive with the Cardinals.

Kluber struck out 18 — the most by an AL pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1998 — and allowed just one hit in eight innings to get his first win this season in style, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 2-0 win over St. Louis on Wednesday night.

The reigning AL Cy Young winner, Kluber (1-5) didn’t yield a hit until Jhonny Peralta grounded a clean single to center with two outs in the seventh. A small crowd of 12,313 on a crisp night at Progressive Field gave Kluber a warm ovation and he finished the inning by striking out Jason Heyward.

Kluber’s 18 strikeouts tied the club record for a nine-inning game held by Bob Feller (1938), the late Indians legend who had a new exhibit opened at the ballpark in his honor before the game. As usual, the stoic Kluber wasn’t impressed by his own performance, taking it in stride.

“Any time that you throw your name in there with Bob Feller, that’s obviously very humbling and a great accomplishment,” he said. “Moreso important is obviously getting the win.”

Kluber, who didn’t walk a batter, had a chance to break the major league mark of 20 strikeouts shared by Clemens and Kerry Wood, but he was pulled before the ninth after 113 pitches for closer Cody Allen, who struck out one in getting his fifth save.

Third-base coach Brad Mills, filling in for ejected manager Terry Francona, was the one who made the move with Kluber.

“Millsy knows what he’s doing,” said Francona. “You can’t manage with your heart.”

According to information provided by the Indians, it’s just the second time since 1900 that a team has recorded 19 or more strikeouts while allowing one or fewer hits in a game.

The Indians haven’t had a no-hitter since Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981, and Cleveland hasn’t had much to celebrate so far in 2015.

But Kluber, who came in 0-5 with a 5.04 ERA, finally had the kind of start the team came to expect from him when he went 18-9 last season.

Relying heavily on a fastball in the mid-90s, the right-hander, who recently shaved off his beard as a Mother’s Day gift to his wife, Amanda, struck out the side in three innings and set down 18 straight batters after hitting Matt Holliday with a pitch in the first.

“Everything,” Francona said when asked what Kluber had working. “He elevated. He cut it. He spun it. He two-seamed it. He had everything going.”

The Cardinals, who came in with the majors’ best record, were no match.

“I think we got a taste of why he won the Cy Young last year,” said third baseman Matt Carpenter, who went 0-for-3 and struck out twice against Kluber. “His numbers this season don’t reflect how good of a pitcher he is. He was as good, if not better, than anybody I’ve ever faced in the big leagues.”

Kluber nailed Holliday on the left elbow with a 94 mph fastball, dropping the outfielder to one knee and knocking him from the game. Holliday’s plunking touched off a back-and-forth of tight pitches between the teams.

When Cardinals starter John Lackey (2-2) retaliated for Holliday and hit Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis in the fourth, plate umpire Mike Everitt issued warnings to both dugouts, prompting Francona to come out and argue.

Francona was quickly ejected, but Kipnis was hit again in the sixth by reliever Randy Choate to load the bases. Kipnis singled in the eighth and made sure the Cardinals saw him flip his bat as he headed toward first.

Brandon Moss and David Murphy had RBI singles in the first off Lackey, who allowed two runs in 5⅓ innings.

Kluber was locked in from the outset. He struck out two in the first and one in the second before setting the side down in order in the third and fourth. Before Peralta’s single on a 2-0 pitch, the Cardinals didn’t even put good wood on the ball against Kluber.

LEADOFF MAN

Kipnis is now batting .385 (25-of-65) with three homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs since moving to the top of the order on April 26. He’s reached base safely in 14 of 16 games batting first.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina (upper back stiffness) started after leaving Tuesday’s game in the ninth inning. OF Jon Jay (sore thumb) didn’t start for the third straight game.

Indians: LHP T.J. House (sore shoulder) will make a minor league rehab start at Class A Lake County on Friday. C Yan Gomes (sprained right knee) could see action at designated hitter for Lake County this weekend. Gomes has been out since April 11, injured in a home-plate collision in the second home game.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-0) will start Thursday’s series finale and look to remain unbeaten in his seventh start. His five-game winning streak is second best in the majors, trailing only Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, who has won six straight.

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (2-1) lost his first decision of the season in his last start against Minnesota. He hasn’t won since April 15 against the White Sox, his second start of the season.

— Associated Press —