ST. LOUIS (AP) — Finally, Cole Hamels got a few runs to work with.

The Philadelphia Phillies put some key hits in the right places and the lefty won for the first time in seven starts dating to last September in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

“You just know that you don’t have to be as precise,” Hamels said. “You can kind of let the ball go a little bit and see what happens.”

Ben Revere’s two-run double just inside the foul line in left field in the seventh inning was the go-ahead hit for the Phillies, who have won three of four.

Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg left Hamels (1-2) in to sacrifice in the seventh to give the pitcher a shot at ending his winless skid. Besides the bunt that moved up the runners for Revere, Hamels retired his final seven batters in order, finishing with 114 pitches.

“I thought that would be big for him,” Sandberg said. “But the fact that he can hit a little bit, that came into play also.”

The Cardinals needed five baserunners to get a run in the third on Matt Holliday’s RBI single. Mark Reynolds, who got a spot start in right field, grounded out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Cardinals starter John Lackey (1-1) didn’t help his cause when he struck out attempting to bunt after Jon Jay drew a leadoff walk in the third. Lackey has spent virtually all of his career in the American League.

“Obviously, tonight I didn’t get it down,” Lackey said. “He threw me a breaking ball, changeup — he kind of showed me a little bit of everything.”

Hamels and Lackey both went seven innings. Hamels had a season-best nine strikeouts and allowed four hits, while the Phillies put just two runners in scoring position before their three-run seventh.

Hamels had been 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA since Sept. 23, receiving four total runs of support while he was in the game. He’s 2-2 in seven career starts at Busch Stadium, the other win coming on Aug. 3, 2006, and this was his first victory over the Cardinals since 2007.

“I think personal wins aren’t something I really focus on that much,” Hamels said. “It’s more for the team. You want to set the tone no matter what and I think that’s what we were trying to do.”

Ken Giles had two strikeouts in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon made it 13 strikeouts for Phillies pitchers while earning his fifth save in five tries.

The Cardinals have lost two straight since ace Adam Wainwright tore his left Achilles. The team announced before the game that the two-time 20-game winner will miss the rest of the season, and general manager John Mozeliak was optimistic Wainwright will be ready for spring training.

Cody Asche’s infield hit off first baseman Matt Adams’ glove began the Phillies seventh, and Revere’s opposite-field flare on the chalk in shallow left put Philadelphia up 2-1. Odubel Herrera followed with an RBI single, his third hit of the day.

Carlos Ruiz doubled for his fourth hit leading off the eighth against Matt Belisle and scored on a groundout by Darin Ruf.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Domonic Brown could be close to joining the team after starting the year on the disabled list with tendinitis in his left Achilles. He is scheduled to complete a 20-game rehab assignment Tuesday.

Cardinals: OF Jason Heyward (hamstring) did not start after being removed from Sunday’s loss at Milwaukee. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth and is expected to play Tuesday. One reason to sit him Monday: He’s a .219 career hitter against Hamels with no RBIs in 32 at-bats. Jhonny Peralta batted second for the 21st time in his career in place of Heyward.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Severino Gonzalez makes his major league debut in place of injured Sean O’Sullivan. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. RHP Hector Neris was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

Cardinals: Michael Wacha (3-0, 1.33 ERA) is 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA in his career at home. He’ll be facing the Phillies for the first time and is 4-2 with a 1.52 ERA against NL East foes.

SLICK FIELDING

Lackey snared Revere’s liner to start a double play in the fifth, and third baseman Matt Carpenter made a diving stop down the line and threw out Herrera.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Adam Lind’s homer gave a quick boost to the Brewers’ struggling hitters. The runs that Mike Fiers kept off the board were just as important.

Lind hit a two-run shot and Milwaukee beat the St. Louis 6-3 Sunday for just their second victory in the last 12 games.

The Cardinals got 13 hits, but stranded a season-high 14 runners, including eight in the first three innings.

“The ball that Lind hit, that was huge for us,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “To get three points up there early and to have a lead, and to hit a home run to do it, which we haven’t had many of, so I thought that was huge to get us going.

Milwaukee, off to the worst start in team history, improved to 4-15. Every other team in the majors has at least six wins.

The Cardinals had won nine of 10. They headed back to St. Louis, where ace Adam Wainwright will have an MRI on Monday to see how long his injured Achilles and left ankle will sideline him — there is speculation he could miss the rest of the season.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, so might as well not be nervous about it or worried about it,” said Wainwright, wearing a protective boot on his left ankle. “Worry doesn’t do anybody any good.”

Mike Blazek (1-0) pitched two innings for the victory. Fiers gave up one earned run on nine hits and two walks in four-plus innings, pitching out of bases-loaded jams in the second and third.

“I had to battle today. I do not think a lot of things went my way,” said Fiers, who gave up two grand slams in his previous start. “I made some big pitches when it really mattered and got out of some tough innings with the bases loaded.”

The Brewers took a 3-0 lead in third off Lance Lynn (0-3), who was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in five innings.

Logan Schafer reached on infield single that bounced off the back of Lynn and Gerardo Parra tripled. Cardinals right fielder Jason Heyward appeared to stumble on Parra’s hit and left the game with left groin tightness, and was listed as day to day.

Lind then hit his third homer.

“I didn’t get the job done, plain and simple. I’ve got to be better than that,” Lynn said. “It’s just get people out when it’s time to get them out and I wasn’t able to do it when I was supposed to today.”

The Cardinals got a run back in the fourth when Jon Jay, who replaced Heyward, singled with two outs. Jay moved up when Lind mishandled a pickoff throw and scored on Jhonny Peralta’s single.

Mark Reynolds, who played last season for Milwaukee, cut the lead to 3-2 with his first home run to lead off the fifth, chasing Fiers.

The Brewers scored three times in the bottom half on doubles by Parra, Khris Davis and Elian Herrera, and an RBI single by Hector Gomez.

Catcher Cody Stanley, called up from Triple-A Memphis to take Wainwright’s roster spot, made his major league debut as a pinch hitter to lead off the eighth and singled off Jonathan Broxton. He later scored on Matt Adams’ bases-loaded grounder.

“It was a good at-bat, too, against a good setup guy with good stuff,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “And, it was able to get us one run closer to where we needed to be. Just a good first day for him.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was out of the lineup for the second straight day as he recovers from getting hit by a foul tip on Friday. “He’s feeling better, even though we just need to go ahead and take at least another day,” Matheny said. “He can hit, he can run, but squatting is the major issue right now.”

Heyward said he felt something grab when he turned to make his throw after fielding Parra’s triple. “When I tried to throw the ball, that’s when I felt it. When I tried to set my back foot and throw, that’s when it grabbed.” Heyward said coming out of the game was precautionary and his availability on Monday would be up to the training staff.

Brewers: CF Carlos Gomez is getting closer to ready to play when he’s eligible to come off the 15-day DL. “(Gomez) was really good running bases yesterday,” Roenicke said. “He is taking flyballs. He is doing all the things I think he needs to do to be ready. We will just see where the timing is. He should be close.” Gomez went on the DL on April 16 with a strained right hamstring.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey gets the start as the Cards return home for a four-game series against Philadelphia after a six-game road trip. He is 1-0 with a 4.34 ERA in three starts.

Brewers: Jimmy Nelson, 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA, will be making his fourth start to open a three-game series at Cincinnati. The 25-year-old right-hander has been one of the few bright spots this season, giving up no more than two runs in any start.

PERFECT TIME

Stanley didn’t have much time to spare after being told Saturday night that he was being called up. He said he arrived at the stadium at 11:30 a.m. with the game scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. “Came to straight to the field, got dressed and went out,” he said. “It’s an indescribable feeling, for sure.”

— Associated Press —