Starting pitching. Veteran hitters. Dependable relievers. The St. Louis Cardinals have it all, so all this success on the road is no accident.

Carlos Beltran and Jon Jay drove in two runs apiece, and the Cardinals capped an impressive trip with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Beltran also had three hits as St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games and improved to a major league-best 14-7 on the road. The Cardinals went 5-1 on a six-game swing to Milwaukee and Chicago, with the lone loss Tuesday in their first game of the season against the last-place Cubs.

”We’ve been an opportunistic team,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”We make the most of the opportunities that we’re getting, even though they’re not that many right now. And then they’re resilient, they just keep coming back.”

The Cardinals trailed 4-3 before Beltran singled in Matt Carpenter in the seventh, and Jay drove in Yadier Molina with a tiebreaking single against Michael Bowden (1-2) in the eighth. Each rally featured a costly mistake by the Cubs, with Carpenter moving to third on an error by right fielder Nate Schierholtz and Molina advancing to second on a wild pitch.

Jay also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and hit .500 (10 for 20) with a homer and eight RBIs on the trip. The center fielder has been playing so well that Matheny decided to move him up to sixth in the lineup, pushing struggling David Freese down one. The lineup switch also provided more protection for Molina, who responded with two hits.

”I’m just trying to keep it simple up there,” Jay said. ”Trying to hit the ball hard, and I’ve been able to get some pitches over the plate that I’ve been able to drive.”

Anthony Rizzo had three hits and Schierholtz ripped a two-run double for Chicago, trying for its second three-game winning streak this season. Instead, the Cubs finished a 4-6 homestand.

”We just can’t seem to shut anybody down in the sixth, seventh inning,” manager Dale Sveum said. ”We’re getting two strikes on people, we just can’t make a pitch when we have to.”

Chicago had 11 hits but grounded into four double plays, one in every inning from the fifth to the eighth. The last one was particularly heartbreaking, with the potential tying run on third.

Four Cardinals relievers combined for 3 2-3 innings of two-hit ball after Jake Westbrook had his worst start this season. Seth Maness (2-0) got five outs to get the win and Edward Mujica worked the ninth for his ninth save in nine opportunities.

”They did a great job,” Westbrook said. ”They got into a little trouble, but then they found ways to get out of it.”

The afternoon game on a picturesque spring day in Chicago attracted 26,354 to Wrigley Field, and fans were treated to a little bit of everything. There were a couple of adventures on the basepaths, a rarely seen 4-2-3 groundout and a bunch of singles – just three of 22 hits were for extra bases. Julio Borbon of the Cubs was called out for interference for running inside the baseline in the seventh.

The Cubs used Schierholtz’s two-run double, which caromed off the wall in foul territory and straight out into right field, and a well-placed grounder by Dioner Navarro to take a 4-2 lead in the fourth.

The Cardinals had their infield in with Navarro at the plate, but Schierholtz scored easily. With Molina standing in front of the plate and pointing to first, Carpenter still came home with the throw from second, and the Gold Glove catcher made a strong throw to first to retire the lumbering Navarro.

Molina also cut down Rizzo when the big first baseman tried to steal third following his two-out RBI double in the first. But the Cardinals had their own baserunning blunder in the fifth, when Carpenter was thrown out after he made a wide turn at second on Beltran’s run-scoring single.

Westbrook allowed four runs – three earned – and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings, increasing his ERA from 1.07 to 1.62. He had allowed just four earned runs all year.

”I was battling my location today,” he said. ”Kind of fighting pretty much all day.”

Carlos Villanueva pitched 6 2-3 innings for Chicago and was charged with three runs and seven hits. He has a 3.02 ERA in seven starts, but only one victory.

”You can see the boys coming alive now. The weather is warming up a little bit. We’re right there,” Villanueva said. ”We’re close. Keep chipping away.”

— Associated Press —

Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum has his choice for best starter right now in the major leagues: Travis Wood.

Wood pitched impressively into the seventh inning to outduel Lance Lynn, Nate Schierholtz hit a two-run homer and the Cubs snapped the St. Louis Cardinals’ six-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory.

Wood (3-2) allowed one run and five hits while striking out eight in 6 2-3 innings for his first win since April 27 at Miami. He has worked at least six innings in each of his seven starts this season.

”He’s got it,” Sveum said. ”He’s figured it out.”

Wood earned his first win at Wrigley Field since July 1 when he beat Houston. Over his previous 12 starts at Wrigley, he was 0-7 with a 4.58 ERA.

Sveum added: Wood is ”the best starter in baseball, pretty much” through the first part of the season.

Responded Wood: ”That’s a strong statement.”

He had to be pretty close to beat Lynn and the Cardinals.

St. Louis’ six-game winning streak was its longest since an eight-game run in July 2010, and Lynn was trying to be the National League’s first six-game winner.

”That’s a really good lineup,” Wood said. ”I was fortunate enough to be able to locate pitches and have good command tonight and keep them off balance and end up having a good game.”

Carlos Marmol relieved Wood with two outs in the seventh and pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings. In the eighth he allowed a single to Yadier Molina and walked Jon Jay before getting out of the inning by picking Molina off between second and third.

Molina stole second earlier in the inning, and Marmol stepped off the mound with the Cardinals catcher on second.

”I’m glad he made that mistake,” said Marmol, who’s had consecutive scoreless outings since allowing three runs in a loss to Cincinnati on Saturday.

Kevin Gregg pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities since signing with Chicago on April 15.

The Cubs have won two straight since dropping four in a row.

Lynn, meanwhile, pitched seven innings and gave up two runs and four hits while striking out eight. Last year, Lynn (5-1) went 6-0 to start the season, earning his sixth victory on May 7.

He might have matched that feat if not for Schierholtz’s fourth-inning home run.

”You look back at it, you gave up two runs on one swing,” Lynn said. ”I got behind him and made him hit it and he put a good swing on it so you tip your cap there, but for the most part I threw the ball well. That was only one I wanted back.”

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead with no outs in the second inning when Allen Craig hit a 2-2 fastball into the left field bleachers for his second home run of the year. Craig, who hit 22 last season, has two in the Cardinals’ last three games.

That was it for the St. Louis offense, which had scored 29 runs in its last four games.

”(Wood) made good pitches when he had to,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ”We couldn’t capitalize on the mistakes.”

There weren’t too many mistakes from Wood. He left with the lead May 2 against San Diego, but lost after he and the bullpen couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead in a 4-2 defeat.

Nothing like that happened Tuesday against Lynn and the Cardinals

”(Lynn is) a good pitcher. I mean, that whole club over there is outstanding,” Wood said. ”They’ve got good players, solid players, good staff and everything. It’s a confidence booster for us to come in and take Game 1 from them.”

— Associated Press —