MIAMI (AP) — When Lance Lynn threw his final pitch Thursday for strike three to escape a jam, he turned toward center field and screamed something with adrenaline-fueled fervor.

Was it rated PG?

“I don’t remember,” he said, poker-faced.

Whatever Lynn hollered, he earned his moment of triumph, pitching six shutout innings in his first outing since June 7 to help the St. Louis Cardinals complete a three-game sweep by beating Miami 5-1.

Lynn (5-4), who had been on the disabled list with a strained forearm, allowed only two hits and lowered his ERA to 2.84.

“That was a good one to come back to,” he said.

“He was awesome,” teammate Pete Kozma said. “He was doing what he did before he went on the DL.”

Backup infielder Kozma, who came into the game hitless in his past 21 at-bats, singled three times, scored twice and drove in a run for his second RBI this year. His average rose to from .093 to .140.

“A good night all the way around for Pete,” manager Mike Matheny said. “When it gets to the point where you’re hitting .100, you really start pressing a little bit. I say that from experience.”

The sweep was the first for the Cardinals in Miami since Aug. 4-7, 2011, and their first on the road this year.

“That’s news to me,” Matheny said.

The rarity of the road sweep is surprising given that the Cardinals (48-24) have the best record in the majors. They went 5-3 on a three-city trip to move a season-high 24 games above .500.

Miami (30-44) fell a season-worst 14 games under .500.

“It’s very hard,” losing pitcher Dan Haren said in the clubhouse. “Obviously it’s pretty much dead silent in here now. I don’t know where to gauge it. Things aren’t going well.”

Haren (6-5) allowed four runs in six-plus innings.

Miami’s Adeiny Hechavarria hit his fourth homer off the foul pole with two outs in the ninth to avert a shutout. Four St. Louis relievers completed a four-hitter.

The Marlins have lost seven of their past eight games while scoring a total of 17 runs, and their defense is slumping, too. Second baseman Dee Gordon had two errors, doubling his season total.

The Marlins’ leadoff batter in the third inning reached second base, but Lynn escaped. He walked consecutive batters with two outs in the sixth before striking out Marcell Ozuna with his final pitch, preserving a 1-0 lead.

“That could have gone in a real bad direction,” Matheny said. “Fortunately he was able to finish it off.”

Miami went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, and 1 for 17 in the series in those situations.

“We’re 2 for 28 our last two series with runners in scoring position,” manager Dan Jennings said. “That’s not going to get it done.”

Lynn improved to 4-0 lifetime in six games against the Marlins.

Haren retired the first seven batters before his pitch brushed Kozma, who scored on a two-out double by Kolten Wong.

The Cardinals added three runs in the seventh while hitting one ball hard. They reached on back-to-back bunt singles, Mike Dunn walked in a run, and Kozma scored on Mark Reynolds’ popup to Gordon, who caught the ball in short right field with his back to the plate.

RESTED

Kozma played for SS Jhonny Peralta, who was given the day off and was out of the starting lineup for only the second time this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia, hobbled by a cramp in the eighth inning Wednesday, was back in the weight room Thursday and on target to make his next start as scheduled. “At this point, he’s going to try to stay on his normal program,” Matheny said. “If anything doesn’t feel right, we’ll back off.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (6-4, 3.41) is scheduled to start Friday when St. Louis opens a three-game series against the Cubs at home.

“Pretty good showdown this weekend,” Lynn said.

Marlins: LHP Justin Nicolino, who threw seven shutout innings against Cincinnati to win his major league debut, is scheduled to pitch Friday for Miami against the Dodgers.

— Associated Press —

MIAMI (AP) — Jaime Garcia made a mistake against Giancarlo Stanton, and later took a misstep on his way to scoring.

Otherwise, he and the St. Louis Cardinals rolled again.

Jason Heyward homered for the third consecutive game, Kolten Wong added a two-run shot and the Cardinals topped the Miami Marlins 6-1 on Wednesday night — improving baseball’s best record to 47-24.

“Jaime’s been pitching his butt off for us,” Wong said. “It’s good to repay him.”

Heyward hit a three-run homer, his ninth of the season, in the seventh to blow the game open. The Cardinals had just one hit in the first six innings against Miami starter Mat Latos (2-5), that hit being Wong’s ninth home run in the third.

Garcia (3-3) allowed one run — the Stanton homer, his ML-leading 27th — in seven innings for the Cardinals, lowering his ERA to 1.69.

Garcia singled and eventually scored in the eighth, but grimaced and began to limp shortly before crossing the plate. He came out of the game, but afterward Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said it was merely because of a cramp and didn’t believe there was reason for concern.

“He was terrific,” Matheny said. “Gave up a couple hard-hit balls, one to Stanton, but he really limited the damage.”

Stanton had three hits in four at-bats — all leading off innings, something the Marlins absolutely don’t want.

“At the end of the day we’re still getting seven to 10 hits,” Stanton said. “It’s a matter of how important they are.”

Latos threw seven innings, giving up three hits and two walks — with all five of those runners scoring, and all earned.

St. Louis’ only hit in the first six innings came in the third, Wong’s homer off the facade on the upper deck in right. That gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead, and it stayed that way into the seventh.

Jhonny Peralta led off with a single and Mark Reynolds then took a four-pitch walk. Two pitches later, Latos left a fastball up and Heyward sent it over the wall in right for a 5-1 lead.

“The minute I make a mistake, boom, it gets hit,” Latos said. “That’s what they’re supposed to do. Sometimes you get away with stuff like that, but it just seems to be a theme of my season.”

Stanton gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead in the second, hitting his first first-pitch home run of the year in his 301st plate appearance. Garcia’s 91 mph offering left in a hurry, a line drive that just kept going until it nestled in the bushes behind the center field wall that sits 418 feet away from home plate.

But that would be one of the lone hurrahs for the Marlins.

“The goal is always to keep the ball down and keep the ball in the ballpark,” Garcia said. “Made a couple mistakes … but I was able to keep us in the game.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 3B Matt Carpenter returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday with back stiffness. … RHP Carlos Martinez had no problems with his pitching shoulder, a good sign after getting plunked with a fastball while batting Tuesday. “It looked bad at the time,” Matheny said.

Marlins: RHP Henderson Alvarez (right shoulder inflammation) is long-tossing from 120 feet and is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday, the same day as the final tuneup for ace RHP Jose Fernandez (right elbow reconstruction) before his return to the Marlins rotation next week. … The Marlins plan to activate right-hander Jarred Cosart (vertigo) off the disabled list Thursday and send him to the bullpen. He’s never relieved in the majors.

DIFFERENT STICK

Some of the NHL’s top draft prospects — this year’s draft starts Friday in nearby Sunrise, Florida, home of the NHL’s Panthers — were at Marlins Park on Wednesday. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, who will almost certainly be picked No. 1 and No. 2 overall, threw out some of the ceremonial pregame pitches. And forward Lawson Crouse, possibly a top-five selection, homered in batting practice. “I know he can hit the crap out of a hockey puck,” Marlins third base coach Lenny Harris said.

WONG’S HOMERS

The Cardinals lost the games in which Wong hit his first two big-league home runs. They’re 18-3 when he homers since.

UP NEXT

RHP Lance Lynn (4-4, 3.07) goes for the Cardinals in the series finale on Thursday against Miami RHP Dan Haren (6-4, 3.19). Lynn is 3-0 all-time against the Marlins, and Haren hasn’t gotten a single run of support in either of his last two outings.

— Associated Press —