TORONTO (AP) — A power-packed lineup has helped carry the Toronto Blue Jays to the top of the AL East. But those booming bats were no match for Shelby Miller.

Miller took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and finished with a three-hit shutout as the St. Louis Cardinals snapped Toronto’s six-game winning streak, 5-0 Saturday.

The Blue Jays failed to hit a home run for the first time in five games and were held to three hits, their lowest total of the season. Toronto was shut out for the second time in 2014, and the first time since April 17 at Minnesota.

“He carved us up pretty good,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Miller.

Mark Buehrle lost for the first time in eight starts despite allowing just one run, a solo homer by Randal Grichuk. Buehrle (10-2) had won six straight decisions.

“Buehrle was great,” Gibbons said. “His command was off a little bit, but he gutted it out for seven innings and did what he does.”

Buehrle allowed five hits and left with a 2.05 ERA, second in the AL to New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. He matched a season-high with five walks and struck out six.

Grichuk hit his first career home run as the Cardinals won for only the third time in 11 games.

“Hopefully we get the ball rolling,” Miller said.

Miller (7-5) struck out five and walked one. He retired the first 13 batters before walking Adam Lind in the fifth.

Miller had lost his previous three starts, permitting at least four runs each time. He was in command against Toronto, pitching the second complete game of his career. His other came May 10, 2013, when he gave up a leadoff single to Colorado’s Eric Young and then set down 27 batters in a row.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Saturday’s performance might have been even better.

“This one, especially with the way their offense has been producing, is the best one I’ve seen,” Matheny said.

Jose Reyes lined a single to right field with two outs in the sixth for Toronto’s first hit. Melky Cabrera followed with a ball that nicked first baseman Allen Craig’s glove for a double, but Miller struck out Jose Bautista swinging at a high fastball to end the inning.

The Cardinals avoided dropping below .500. The NL champions scored more than two runs for just the third time in eight games.

Grichuk’s one-out homer in the fifth was just the third allowed by Buehrle this season, and the first since May 22.

“It was changeup away,” Buehrle said. “It was on the outside of plate, it may have been up a tad. I knew he hit it pretty good but I thought it was more of a pop fly so it kind of surprised me.”

St. Louis broke it open with four runs in the eighth. Mark Ellis drew a bases-loaded walk from Aaron Loup and one out later, Tony Cruz hit a two-run single.

Steve Delabar replaced Loup and issued back-to-back walks to Matt Carpenter and Grichuk that made it 5-0.

— Associated Press —

TORONTO (AP) — Jose Bautista was never far from his next big moment on Friday night.

Bautista and Brett Lawrie each homered, rookie Marcus Stroman won his second straight start and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 for their sixth straight victory.

Besides swatting his 15th home run, Bautista also threw a runner out at home plate, lined into a triple play and was involved in a fan interference call.

“It’s got to be the most eventful game I’ve ever had in my career,” Bautista said. “I’d like to see if anyone can find somebody else to have that a game with that combination of plays.”

The Cardinals turned their first triple play in nine years but still lost for the eighth time in 10 games. They dropped their fifth straight meeting with Toronto.

Bautista hit a leadoff homer against Lance Lynn in the third inning and Lawrie connected with a two-out drive off Lynn (6-4) in the fifth. The AL East-leading Blue Jays have hit an ML-best 89 home runs.

“These guys are putting up some pretty radical numbers,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Toronto.

Stroman (3-0) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings, walked one and struck out a career-high seven.

“Out of the gate he struggled a little bit but then he started using all his pitches,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “When he started using his breaking ball and his changeup a little bit, it made all the difference in the world.”

Toronto has won 15 of 17.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the sixth, but the Cardinals escaped with a triple play.

Bautista hit a sharp liner to Daniel Descalso at second that nearly struck umpire Manny Gonzalez.

Descalso flipped to shortstop Jhonny Peralta to double Jose Reyes off second base and Peralta threw to first get Melky Cabrera for the third out.

“He happened to hit it right at me,” Descalso said. “It got us out of a jam and kept us in the game.”

It’s the first triple play for the Cardinals since May 5, 2005, against San Diego. It’s the seventh time the Blue Jays have hit into a triple play.

Bautista was obstructed by a fan on Tony Cruz’s fly ball in the ninth. Originally ruled a dropped catch, the call was changed after a review.

Brett Cecil got one out in the seventh, Dustin McGowan worked 1 2/3 innings and Casey Janssen finished for his 11th save in 12 chances.

Allen Craig put the Cardinals in front with an RBI single in the first but Bautista threw out Matt Holliday trying to score from second, his sixth outfield assist.

“Every run for us right now is a big play,” Matheny said. “They made a great throw, we thought (Holliday) might have got around it but the camera showed different.”

Lynn allowed two runs and six hits in five innings, and is winless in two starts since beating the Yankees with a five-hitter on May 27. The right-hander matched a season high with four walks and struck out six.

“I thought I had good life on all my pitches tonight,” Lynn said. “It seemed like if it wasn’t in the strike zone, it wasn’t swung at. A very good approach by them.”

Reyes made it 3-1 with an RBI single off Jason Motte in the eighth.

Encarnacion returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursday with a sore back.

— Associated Press —