ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jerad Eickhoff is making up for lost time.

Eickhoff allowed three hits in eight innings, Cesar Hernandez homered and drove in three runs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Wednesday.

Aided by a pair of double plays, Eickhoff (2-1) faced just two batters over the minimum through the first seven innings as the NL East-leading Phillies took two of three from the Cardinals and won for the fifth time in their last seven games. Eickhoff threw a season-high 106 pitches and has allowed one run over 20 innings in his last three starts.

“Early on it was just really fastball, slider,” Eickhoff said. “In the third inning I started dropping a curveball in there. I was having a hard time getting it over for a strike. Once that came, it kind of opened up everything else.”

Eickhoff, who missed most of the 2018 season with a right lat strain, has not allowed a home run this season, a span of 30 innings.

“He pitched with a fearlessness,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “Any pitch, any count, behind in the count, secondary pitch behind in the count. He’ll throw a slider outside of the zone when he’s confident he’s going to get a swing and he’ll fill it up too. He’ll fill up the zone with his breaking balls and utilizes his fastball really effectively.”

Seranthony Dominguez worked the ninth to complete the three-hitter.

After winning 20 of their first 30 games, the Cardinals lost for the sixth time in their last seven.

Odubel Herrera sparked a four-run fifth inning for the Phillies with an RBI double. Herrera has hit safely in 16 of his 18 career games at Busch Stadium.

Hernandez capped the rally with a two-run double. A fielding error by Matt Carpenter helped set up the big frame for the Phillies. It was one of two errors by the Cardinals, who also committed two miscues Tuesday night that led to six unearned runs for the Phillies in the second inning of an 11-1 loss.

Hernandez drove a slider from Giovanny Gallegos into the right-field bullpen in the seventh. He went 3 for 5 and has hit in 10 straight games against St. Louis.

Jack Flaherty (3-3) faced just one batter over the minimum in his first four innings before getting derailed by a 43-pitch fifth.

“We’ve been absolutely right there so many times and it’s been one little thing has opened the floodgates numerous times,” Flaherty said. “Our defense has been really good, but if something goes wrong we’re not able to pitch out of it. We haven’t been able to. And that’s something we’ve got to clean up with just being able to deal with or handle whatever the situation is and continue to be able to pitch out of it.”

FACES IN THE CROWD

St. Louis Blues players David Perron and Tyler Bozak were at the game. The Blues defeated the Dallas Stars in double overtime in Game 7 late Tuesday night to advance to the NHL’s Western Conference final.

PHILLY MOURNS MONTGOMERY

Phillies chairman David Montgomery, who was team president during Philadelphia’s 2008 World Series championship season, died Wednesday morning after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 72.

Montgomery spent nearly 50 years working for the Phillies. He was promoted to executive vice president after the 1981 season, became chief operating officer in 1992 and was promoted to general partner, president and chief executive officer in 1997.

“I think there were points in the dugout where I legitimately found myself asking, what would David do in the situation?” Kapler said. “Pretty special moment as group to be able to win this series and feel like we were doing it in honor of David Montgomery.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: RHP David Robertson (right elbow soreness) began gripping exercises and hopes to start throwing this weekend.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) will pitch Wednesday night at Triple-A Memphis. He is expected to throw between 10 and 20 pitches.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jake Arrieta (4-2, 3.40 ERA) will kick off a three-game road series against the Royals and RHP Homer Bailey (3-3, 5.25) on Friday night. Arrieta is 2-0 with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against the Royals.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 5.17) gets the start in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Pirates and RHP Joe Musgrove (1-3, 2.63) on Thursday night. Wacha received a no-decision in his last start, but had a pair of hits and drove in two runs at the plate for his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game since 2015.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a grand slam, his first with the Phillies, and Rhys Hoskins added four hits, including a homer, to spark Philadelphia to an 11-1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Harper’s homer capped a six-run second inning. Philadelphia took advantage of two errors and two walks as all six runs were unearned.

Aaron Nola (3-0) allowed three hits in six innings, giving up one run. He struck out seven.

Dakota Hudson (2-3) gave up eight runs in five innings.

Hoskins also had a double among his four hits. His solo homer came in the ninth inning.

Odubel Herrera led off with a double and went to third on a passed ball. Cesar Hernandez walked. Maikel Franco grounded to second, scoring Herrera. Kolten Wong’s throw to shortstop Paul DeJong was first called an out at second. The Phillies challenged and won. Wong was given a throwing error. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt fielded Nola’s bunt and threw wildly to third, scoring Hernandez. Andrew McCutchen drew a walk to load the bases.

With one out, Harper deposited a 2-1 Hudson fastball deep into the right field bullpen for his fourth career grand slam. His last came on April 19, 2017, against Atlanta.

Harper, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk before being lifted in the eighth, has hit well at Busch Stadium. In 21 career games, he is hitting .315 with six homers and 17 RBI.

The Phillies added two runs in the fifth on singles by Harper, Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto along with a fielder’s choice.

Matt Weiters, who came in as a defensive replacement at catcher in the sixth, hit his first home run of the season leading off the sixth.

Philadelphia added two runs on three hits and a sacrifice fly in the seventh for a 10-1 lead.

ON THE ICE

The St. Louis Blues were playing a second-round winner-take-all Game 7 against Dallas down the street. With the Cardinals getting blown out early, fans reacted loudly to the first Blues goal. The Busch Stadium organist played the Blues theme and the fans began to chant “Let’s Go Blues” to it.

HOME SWEET HOME

St. Louis shortstop Paul DeJong singled in the sixth to give him a hit in all but one of his 18 homes games. He is hitting .391 at Busch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Relief pitcher David Robertson (right elbow soreness) still has yet to throw a baseball but he’s getting close. “Robertson is doing gripping exercises, progressing well. Perfect world, he’s playing catch by week’s end,” Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) headed Tuesday to Triple-A Memphis. He will pitch Wednesday night. “We’d like him to get more than six (pitches),” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “We’d like him to get six and then we’d like him to go back out and get some more.” In pitching Sunday at Class A Peoria, Martinez threw only six pitches to get three outs. “If he doesn’t get more than 10 in the first inning, he’ll probably go back out and get another 10. I don’t think we’re quite at the 30-mark.”

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 2.05) did not figure in the decision in his last start against Washington. He struck out seven to give him 27 in 22 innings through four appearances (including three starts) this season.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-2, 4.17) lost in his last start at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. He earned his first major league win with a 13-strikeout masterpiece in a 5-1 win over Philadelphia last May 20.

— Associated Press —