ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Holliday homered twice and drove in five as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 13-2 Saturday night to earn a split of a doubleheader.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for St. Louis, which won for just the third time in its past nine games. It’s the most runs this season for the Cardinals and the first time in seven games they scored at least three runs. Their previous high was 10, which they did twice.

Chicago is 2/3 in its past five, but has won nine of 14.

Marco Gonzales (1-2) gave up one run on three hits over a season-high six innings. His previous long outing was in his debut on June 25 when he pitched five innings against Colorado but didn’t figure in the decision in a 9-6 win for St. Louis.

Tsuyoshi Wada (4-2) gave up four runs in six innings.

Holliday hit his 14th home run in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie. His three-run, two-out blast to center scored Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter.

He got No. 15 leading off a nine-run eighth. It marked his 19th career multi-homer and his first since getting two on August 10, 2013 against the Cubs. Holliday now has an 11-game hitting streak during which he has gone 14 for 43.

The first 10 batters reached to start the eighth for St. Louis. Holliday’s homer was followed by five singles and three walks before he was hit by a pitch to drive in the seventh run of the frame. Matt Adams hit a sacrifice fly and Yadier Molina got his third hit of the night to drive in the ninth run before second baseman Javier Baez made a nice play on an Oscar Taveras grounder to start an inning-ending double play.

Felix Doubront pitched seven strong innings in his National League debut and Starlin Castro hit one of Chicago’s three solo homers, sending the Cubs to a 5-1 victory in the opener of the day-night doubleheader.

Doubront (1-0) scattered seven hits in his return from the disabled list. He had been out with a strained right calf since Aug. 1, two days after Chicago acquired him from Boston. Logan Watkins and Chris Valaika also connected for Chicago in the makeup of a May 14 rainout.

Justin Masterson (2-3) gave up all three homers and five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings for St. Louis. Masterson has allowed four or more runs in five of his six starts for the Cardinals and pitched five innings or fewer in four of his starts.

WELCOME BACK:

Molina went 3 for 5 with three singles in his second game since returning to the lineup following a seven-week absence. Molina, who had surgery on his thumb in July, went 0 for 3 in his return Friday and sat out the first game of the doubleheader. He also threw out Alcantara trying to steal second in the fifth, the first attempt against Molina since his return.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo, who was second in the NL with 30 homers, sat out again. Rizzo’s lower back tightened during a rain delay Tuesday in Cincinnati. He has not played since and is expected to sit out Sunday as well. … RHP Edwin Jackson (strained right strain) threw in the bullpen before the game. He has been on the disabled list since Aug. 21.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (right shoulder strain) will pitch Sunday in Tulsa for Double-A Springfield. Wacha went on the DL after his June 17 start.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Travis Wood (8-11, 4.72) will start Sunday afternoon. He is 2-5 with a 5.83 ERA against St. Louis in his career, with both victories coming this year. In his last outing against the Cardinals, he got a no-decision after giving up five runs (two earned) in five innings July 25 in a game Chicago won 7-6.

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (2-1, 4.50) gets his second career start against Chicago. He earned his second win with St. Louis in his last start, giving up one run in seven innings in a 3-2 win Aug. 25 at Pittsburgh.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Chicago Cubs’ kids roughed up an All-Star reliever who has been close to untouchable.

Rookies Javier Baez and Jorge Soler had two RBIs apiece against Pat Neshek in a go-ahead eighth inning, leading the last-place Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

“That’s baseball,” Neshek said. “This game’s not for the weak. You can’t beat yourself up too much.”

Soler, 22, homered twice and was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. He homered in his first career at-bat Wednesday and has seven hits in 11 at-bats over his first three games since being called up from Triple-A Iowa.

“I can’t expect that we’ll expect that every single day,” manager Rick Renteria said. “That would be impossible.”

Soler signed a nine-year contract in 2012 out of Cuba and began the year at Double-A Tennessee.

“I feel so happy,” Soler said through an interpreter. “I don’t know how to explain it. Everything is going so good right now.”

Baez had a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth. He is batting .192 in 99 at-bats but has seven homers and 15 RBIs.

“I was just trying to make contact,” Baez said. “I think that’s my greatest at-bat since I came up.”

The Cardinals lost in the return of Yadier Molina. The All-Star catcher, who had been sidelined by a torn ligament in his right thumb, went 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in his first major league game since July 9.

The crowd at Busch Stadium gave Molina a standing ovation when he walked in from the bullpen after pregame warm-ups and another cheer before he batted in the first inning.

Neshek (6-1) led National League relievers with a sparkling 0.81 ERA entering the game. It was 2-all when he came in to begin the eighth, and he gave up hits to the first three batters.

“Everybody that’s watched this team all season long realizes that just hasn’t happened,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s been incredible.”

Chicago’s Neil Ramirez (2-1) allowed two hits in a scoreless seventh.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks worked six solid innings after a rough beginning in his bid to become the franchise’s first rookie to win five games in August.

“That first inning, I wasn’t throwing any pitches with conviction,” Hendricks said. “My stuff wasn’t like it was the rest of the game because I wasn’t throwing it.

“Luckily I was able to roll from there.”

Soler hit his second homer of the season on Shelby Miller’s first pitch of the seventh, tying it at 2. He then hit a two-run shot with two out in the eighth.

Luis Valbuena and Arismendy Alcantara also homered for the Cubs. They entered with 30 homers this month, tied for most in the NL.

Cubs reliever Justin Grimm struck out four in the ninth. One of the batters reached on Grimm’s wild pitch.

Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta had RBI singles in the St. Louis first. After Peralta’s hit, Hendricks retired 11 in a row.

— Associated Press —