ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brett Gardner’s leaping catch in the 11th inning gave the New York Yankees life. Patient at-bats and their first hit since the fifth inning put them over the top.

“I just tried to get back there as fast as I could,” Gardner said of his catch at the top of the left field wall that denied Yadier Molina of at least extra bases and perhaps a game-ending two-run homer in the Yankees’ 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 12 innings Monday. “It was an easy play, just go back and make sure I get the ball in the glove before my back hits the wall.”

Brian Roberts’ bases loaded single was the go-ahead hit in a three-run 12th fueled by two walks and a hit batter. The Yankees won for the fourth time in extra innings on the season, three of them in the last six games.

“It’s a grind,” Gardner said. “But we’ve been playing pretty well and we seem to really stay focused.”

Pinch-hitter Alfonso Soriano and Brendan Ryan each added an RBI for the Yankees, who took the opener of a three-game interleague series for their third straight win. Alfredo Aceves (1-2) worked two scoreless innings and David Robertson earned his 11th save in 12 chances.

“At that point, you’re just trying to get the guy in,” Roberts said. “You need to be selective and find ways to win.”

Jon Jay had an RBI double in the 12th for the Cardinals, who lost for the third time in 12 games.

“Just a really bad day,” reliever Randy Choate said. “I felt fine coming in, just didn’t have good stuff.”

A standing-room crowd of 47,311, the third-largest at 9-year-old Busch Stadium, showed up to see an opponent making only its second appearance in St. Louis since losing to the Cardinals in the 1964 World Series.

The enthusiasm did not appear to be dampened by a 61-minute weather delay — for rain that did not materialize — before the first pitch.

Cardinals pitchers retired 20 of 21 batters before the 12th, when Choate (0-2) faced five batters and four reached safely.

Five Yankees relievers were stingy, too, permitting two hits in seven innings.

“It comes down to doing little things and getting big hits,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “That’s no secret. We had a couple of opportunities to get the big hit. You can’t do it all the time.”

Jacoby Ellsbury got the rally started when he walked to lead off the inning and stole second, a call upheld after Matheny challenged. After coming through, Roberts is 3 for 6 in extra innings.

“Another big hit for us,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I thought the bottom of the lineup was extremely productive.”

Molina slammed his helmet in frustration after Gardner came down with his drive at the top of the fence with a runner on and one out in the 11th.

Derek Jeter got a standing ovation before his first at-bat, and thousands stood again when he singled, although they also roared when he took a called third strike to end the eighth against Carlos Martinez after Molina’s pinpoint throw on Gardner attempting to steal.

Michael Wacha dealt with a rain delay for the fourth time in his 11 starts — total idle time of 4 hours, 52 minutes. After nine pitches the Yankees had the lead, with a walk by Gardner and a single by Jeter setting up Ellsbury’s RBI single.

The first three batters reached in a two-run fifth, too, with Kelly Johnson’s RBI single and Gardner’s sacrifice fly putting the Yankees up 3-1.

New York rookie starter Chase Whitley was vulnerable early, too. The Cardinals needed two at-bats to tie it in the first when Matt Carpenter tripled off the right-field wall and Kolten Wong doubled, but they missed a chance for more when Wong overslid third and was caught stealing for the first time in eight attempts this season.

Whitley qualified for a win for the first time in three career starts, but left with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth before the Cardinals tied it against Preston Claiborne. Allen Craig had an RBI groundout and Jhonny Peralta followed with a sacrifice fly.

Wacha bounced back after taking a foul liner off his elbow while sitting in the dugout his last time out, giving up three runs on four hits in seven innings. He had a season-low two strikeouts, the first against Ellsbury leading off the sixth.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Adam Wainwright became the National League’s first eight-game winner by dominating Cincinnati again, and the St. Louis Cardinals pulled away to a 4-0 victory Sunday night that completed another successful series against their division rival.

The Cardinals are 6-3 against the Reds this season. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 series together.

Overall, St. Louis has won nine of its last 11 games and moved to within 1 1-2 games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.

Wainwright (8-2) beat Johnny Cueto and the Reds on opening day in Cincinnati, allowing only three hits during seven innings of a 1-0 victory. On Sunday, the right-hander gave up five hits in eight innings and matched his career high with 12 strikeouts.

He set the tone by striking out five of the first six batters on a total of 24 pitches. He got Brandon Phillips on three pitches that clocked 73, 91 and 93 mph.

Tony Cruz and Kolten Wong each had a pair of singles and drove in a run off Mike Leake (2-4). Wong also stole a pair of bases.
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The game drew 42,273 fans, the Reds’ third sellout crowd of the season. All three sellouts have come against the Cardinals.

Leake went six innings and continued his streak of solid pitching. The right-hander hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his last five starts, giving up a total of eight earned runs.

With Wainwright on his game again, it was two runs too much. Wainwright, the NL’s Cy Young runner-up last season, lowered his ERA to 1.67. In his last two starts, he has given up only six hits and no runs in 17 innings.

Cruz led off the third inning with a single and advanced on Wainwright’s sacrifice bunt. Wong singled up the middle with two outs for a run.

Matt Adams singled, Allen Craig walked and Cruz singled home a run with two outs in the sixth. The Cardinals added a pair of runs in the seventh with the help of two errors by the Reds, who lead the majors in fielding percentage.

Wainwright pitched out of Cincinnati’s best threat in the fifth, when the Reds got runners to second and third with two outs. He got Billy Hamilton on a called third strike to end the inning.

Hamilton struck out four times against Wainwright on opening day and three more times Sunday, leaving him 0 for 7 with seven strikeouts and a walk off the right-hander.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After returning from Triple-A Memphis a day earlier, Shane Robinson didn’t take long to make his presence felt with the big club.

Robinson was given a start and made the most of it by going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored and the St. Louis Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of Arizona by beating the Diamondbacks 4-2 Thursday night.

“It was a good feeling to be able to get in there and help out the club and get a win tonight,” Robinson said. “I’m just feeling blessed to be up here.”

Allen Craig drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the seventh inning. Craig was 2 for 4 and also scored a run.

The sweep was the first of a three-game series this season for St. Louis, which has won seven of eight.

Pat Neshek (1-0) pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings to pick up his first win as a Cardinal.

“You try to throw strikes and keep the game within reach and maybe our hitters will score,” Neshek said. “Tonight, they did.”

Trevor Rosenthal retired Arizona in order in the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt had an RBI single and Aaron Hill drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley (3-5) lasted 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs and seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

Miley seemed poised to get through seven innings as he retired Matt Carpenter and Peter Bourjos on groundouts to start that inning.

But he walked Matt Holiday, and Craig hit his next pitch into the gap in right-center to score Holliday and give St. Louis a 3-2 lead.

“He was trying to hit the ball the other way in that situation and get back on track,” Miley said of Craig. “I make a better pitch and it’s a different situation.”

Matt Carpenter gave the Cardinals some insurance with a two-out RBI single off Arizona reliever Joe Thatcher in the eighth.

Arizona manager Kirk Gibson credited the Cardinals for their ability to extend innings.

“They scored two-out runs on us this whole series,” Gibson said. “They’re very good at that.”

The Diamondbacks jumped on St. Louis starter Lance Lynn early.

Gerardo Parra led off the game with a single to right and went to second on a walk to Martin Prado. Goldschmidt singled to right to score Parra and move Prado to third. Hill then made Arizona’s first out, but it was a productive one as his sacrifice fly to right made it 2-0.

But those were all the runs that Lynn allowed. He lasted six innings and allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out six.

“I stopped throwing the ball down the middle,” Lynn said. “I left a few balls up in the first. I was able to regroup.”

St. Louis scored twice in the sixth to tie it at 2-2.

With one out, Craig reached on an infield single to second.

One out later, Craig moved to third on Jhonny Peralta’s double down the line in left. Robinson then scored both of them when he followed Peralta with a double to the gap in left-center to tie it 2-2.

“My swing feels pretty good right now,” Robinson said. “I had a chance to work on it down there (at Memphis) I think it helped getting in right away.”

— Associated Press —