Tyler Colvin hit a tiebreaking double and rookie Josh Rutledge homered in his fourth straight game, lifting the Colorado Rockies over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Thursday night to avert a three-game sweep.

Wilin Rosario hit his first career pinch-hit homer, a two-run shot off reliever Brian Fuentes in the eighth inning, and Jordan Pacheco went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs to help the Rockies snap a five-game losing streak. It was their first win in their last eight games at Coors Field.

With the score deadlocked at 2, DJ LeMahieu singled off reliever Fernando Salas (1-4) to start the seventh inning and was sacrificed to second. Colvin then doubled to left to put the Rockies back on top.

Rutledge followed with his fifth home run since his July 13 call-up, driving a 2-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers. He’s the first rookie in Rockies history to homer in four consecutive games.

Ramon Hernandez added a run-scoring double in the eighth and, one out later, Rosario connected on an 0-2 pitch from Fuentes for his 17th home run.

With St. Louis trailing 1-0, Rockies starter Alex White started the sixth by striking out his counterpart, Lance Lynn, to retire his 10th consecutive Cardinals batter. Skip Schumaker then singled and scored when Jon Jay followed with a double to the left-center gap.

Matt Holliday was intentionally walked and Carlos Beltran hit a run-scoring double to put the Cardinals in front. David Freese was hit by a pitch, loading the bases and finishing White. Rex Brothers (6-2) relieved and got Lance Berkman to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Rockies tied it at 2 in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Pacheco, his second RBI of the night. He singled in the fourth to drive in Carlos Gonzalez, who was aboard with a double.

White, recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, allowed two runs and five hits. He struck out three and walked one.

Lynn went six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked four.

— Associated Press —

Anthony Rizzo checked off another milestone as he continues to live up to the hype.

Rizzo hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and lifted the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Sunday.

Starlin Castro led off the inning with a single against Trevor Rosenthal (0-1), and Rizzo followed with his seventh homer — and first game-ender.

“This is the best,” an elated Rizzo said. “This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing since I was a little kid. I’ve never done it before. Not in the minors, not in little league, not ever.

“This is awesome.”

James Russell (5-0) worked an inning for the win. The Cubs are 12-3 in their last 15 home games, and 17-10 since Rizzo was called up in June.

The 22-year-old slugger didn’t remember running around the bases or getting mobbed by teammates at the plate. He maintained his presence of mind leading up to the big hit.

“Later innings, guys press a little harder. I see a lot of veteran hitters throughout baseball always just relaxed at the plate, taking pitches and not being too aggressive,” Rizzo said. “That’s something I took into this at-bat.

“I’m always a little overanxious in situations like that, and took a clean swing and let the rest take care of itself.”

A struggling Carlos Beltran homered off Shawn Camp with one out in the St. Louis eighth, tying it at 2. The opposite-field solo shot was his 23rd homer, but just his third in July. The All-Star is hitting .188 this month.

Cubs starter Paul Maholm allowed one run and four hits over 6 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out five.

Maholm exited with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Manny Corpas retired Allen Craig on a fly ball to end the threat.

Maholm has allowed one run or fewer in six straight starts, becoming the first lefty in modern Cubs history to do so. He had won the previous five outings.

“He is arguably the best pitcher in the last month in all of baseball,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “That’s the best lineup in the National League and by far the best right-handed hitting lineup in the National League, too.

“He did one heck of a job against the best.”

Even with trade rumors flying around, the rebuilding Cubs have kept on winning.

“There’s a reason I signed here. I’ve always enjoyed playing here throughout my career,” Maholm said. “They gave me a chance to come in and prove that I was healthy, and I am. Hopefully we can turn this into a long-term thing. We’ll see how everything unfolds and go from there.”

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright gave up two runs in six innings. He wasn’t fooling anybody early, allowing six of the first nine batters to reach base.

David DeJesus tripled in the first and scored on Castro’s groundout. Darwin Barney doubled in the second and scored on an error in the second.

Barney had two doubles and a single.

Wainwright settled down to retire 12 of his final 14 batters.

“No fastball control whatsoever. Luckily, I had a good breaking ball and a good cutter going,” Wainwright said. “Early on we had to make some adjustments on how we were going to attack guys and try to figure out a way to make it work.”

Beltran’s homer got Wainwright off the hook for what could have been his first loss in 13 career appearances at Wrigley Field. Wainwright is 5-0 at the ballpark, including his 20th win in 2010 when he finished second in the NL Cy Young voting.

The Cardinals threatened several times but were largely unable to get the big hit, leaving 10 men on base.

“(Maholm) kept us off balance,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He did a nice job of pitching, mixed up everything — used both sides of the plate, up and down. We couldn’t get anything going.”

Despite a throwing error that allowed Barney to score in the second, shortstop Daniel Descalso made several exceptional defensive plays, including a dazzling diving stab and throw in the third to rob Rizzo of a hit.

— Associated Press —

 Reed Johnson saw only one pitch in the game, and that was all he needed to have a big impact with a little hit.

Pinch hitting in the seventh inning, Johnson drove in the go-ahead with a bunt single and the Chicago Cubs got past St. Louis 3-2 on Saturday, ending the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.

Johnson caught the Cardinals by surprise when he squared up on the first pitch with runners on first and third and two outs. Johnson’s bunt fell perfectly between reliever Brian Fuentes and third baseman Matt Carpenter, allowing pinch-runner Tony Campana to score.

“That’s a part of my game,” Johnson said. “If there is an RBI out there (and if) they’re going to give me that bunt at third, I’m going to take advantage of that every time.”

The Cubs snapped a five-game skid against St. Louis and have won nine of their past 11 at Wrigley Field. One day after the Cardinals homered in each of the first five innings in a 9-6 win over the Cubs, Chicago evened the series on a hit that traveled about 40 feet.

“That was all on his own,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “Reed is one of them baseball players that has those things in his toolbox.

“He’s just an ultimate baseball player that you love having around,” he said.

James Russell (3-0) earned the win in relief.

Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances. He struck out Skip Schumaker and got John Jay on a groundout with pinch-runner Tyler Greene on second to end the type of game the Cubs struggled to win earlier this season.

“The back of that bullpen has been pretty good,” Sveum said. “It wasn’t all that good at the beginning.”

Bryan LaHair drew a leadoff walk in the seventh from rookie Joe Kelly (1-4). Campana entered the game and stole his 26th base in 29 tries, then went to third on Geovany Soto’s single. Two outs later, Johnson bunted for a hit.

“Campana, that’s a huge stolen base against the best throwing catcher in baseball after they were really keeping him close, ” Sveum said. “That’s a big-time stolen base in a big situation.”

Kelly gave up a two-run triple to Alfonso Soriano in the first, but limited Chicago to three runs over a career-high 6 1/3 innings. He retired 14 straight batters at one point and struck out a career-best six. Kelly hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his nine outings this season.

“I went out there and gave up two early and in that environment it’s not too easy to come back from,” Kelly said. “I was confident in my skills and my stuff and felt good, make quality pitches down in the zone and let our team have a chance to come back.”

Both starters struggled early, then settled down — combining to strike out seven straight batters at one point.

Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija’s first seven pitches eluded the strike zone and he walked the bases full on 16 pitches. He limited St. Louis to one run in the inning on an RBI grounder by Carlos Beltran.

“Back in the day, it probably would have been a different day for me,” Samardzija said. “I’m starting to learn how to pitch in those situations, and how to get out of them with minimal damage.”

The Cubs are still 17 games under .500 for the season, but improved to 17-10 since June 25.

“I really like how we’re playing baseball right now,” Samardzija said. “It’s fun to come to the park. Everybody is excited and happy.”

— Associated Press —

The Cards almost had five of a kind.

Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and Lance Berkman started a power show by the St. Louis Cardinals, who became the first team in eight years to hit a home run in each of the first five innings and went on to beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 Friday.

Matt Carpenter and Allen Craig also connected off Travis Wood (4-6), whose five homers allowed matched the Cubs record.

Molina hit a two-run homer in the second, with the rest solo shots.

“The flags were blowing in, but the ball was still carrying,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “There were just a lot of hard hit balls. “Whenever you can mix five home runs in five innings, that’s pretty impressive.”

Carpenter put St. Louis ahead 7-6 when he homered on the first pitch of the fourth, and Craig homered into the left-field bleachers in the fifth. The previous team to homer in each of the first five innings was Houston against Colorado on Oct. 2, 2004, according to STATS LLC.

“All those balls were crushed,” Holliday said. “None of those were cheap home runs. If the wind was blowing out, those would have been a lot more impressive.”

Lance Lynn (13-4) tied the Mets’ R.A. Dickey and Washington’s Gio Gonzalez for the NL lead in wins despite allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings. Jason Motte completed four shutout innings for the Cardinals’ bullpen, getting three outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances as St. Louis won for the seventh time in eight games.

“The offense carried me, and the bullpen came in and did what they do,” Lynn said. “It was one of those days — a team win.”

Lynn allowed one run in 19 innings during his first three July starts, but the Cubs’ first three batters scored. Lynn also gave up three runs in the third as the Cubs rallied to tie 6-6 and ended a streak of 21 straight games in which the St. Louis starter pitched at least six innings — the club’s longest stretch since 2004.

“It was hit or miss it seems like,” said Lynn, who threw six scoreless innings in his previous start. “The time before I was able to make pitches and get out of innings with runners on. Today when they got the runner on they scored.”

Rookie Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer for the Cubs, his sixth in 25 games since he was brought up from Triple-A Iowa.

“It’s a good feeling to be in that kind of mindset at the plate,” Rizzo said. “I just want to stick to it right now and keep going.”

Berkman’s third-inning homer gave him 1,200 career RBIs and was just his second home run this season. Berkman has reached base in 37 straight games dating to last July 31, the longest streak in the majors, but he has missed 68 games this year because of lower body injuries.

Holliday’s solo homer in the first landed just to the left of the camera booth in center field. He added an RBI single in the seventh and singled in the ninth, leaving him with a .434 average, eight homers and 31 RBIs over his last 34 games. He’s homered five times in 12 games against the Cubs this season.

Starlin Castro had three hits for the Cubs, including an RBI single in the first and a leadoff triple to center in the third.

Rizzo added an RBI single in the third and scored on Alfonso Soriano’s double into the left-field corner, tying the game at 6-all. Rizzo’s 28 hits in July are the most among NL rookies.

Wood gave up eight runs and seven hits in five innings and has allowed 22 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings since the All-Star break.

“He does have to keep the ball down,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “You’re going to get away with that a little more against some other teams. This team, there’s a reason why those left-handed numbers are what they are. If you make a mistake, they don’t miss them.”

The prior Cubs starter to give up five homers in a game was Carlos Zambrano, in his final start for Chicago last Aug. 12.

“Things didn’t go as planned,” Wood said. “I missed some pitches, and they didn’t miss the pitches that I missed.”

Chicago put two runners on in the eighth, bringing the potential tying run to the plate with one out, but Reed Johnson and Geovany Soto hit long flyouts off Marc Rzepczynski.

“I was real happy and impressed with the bullpen,” Matheny said.

— Associated Press —

Thus far, Hanley Ramirez hasn’t helped the Los Angeles Dodgers gain any wins.

St. Louis had a season-high 18 hits, including three apiece from David Freese and Matt Carpenter, and beat the Dodgers for the second straight game since the Ramirez trade, 7-4 Thursday.

“He definitely makes their lineup that much tougher,” Jake Westbrook said. “So, it’s good to get a couple wins with him in there It says a lot about our team, how we came back after losing the first one and winning three straight.”

Obtained a day earlier from Miami, Ramirez started at third base and batted fifth for the second straight game. He had an infield hit, two walks and a steal, and grounded into a double play. The 2009 NL batting champion is 2 for 6 with three walks and an RBI with his new team, which has lost three in a row overall after a five-game winning streak.

Before dropping the last three, the Dodgers had won eight in a row in the series. They head to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants, with a callup to be determined opposing All-Star game starter Matt Cain on Friday night.

“It seems like the momentum we had kind of shifted the other way on us,” catcher Matt Treanor said. “I think we’re looking forward to leaving town and get fired up for the Giants.”

Freese and Carpenter had three hits each and Matt Holliday hit his 17th homer, his third on a 6-1 homestand.

St. Louis fell behind 4-2 by allowing four runs in the fifth and then scored four in the bottom half. Allen Craig and Tony Cruz each had two hits and an RBI for the Cardinals, who entered six games back in the NL Central.

All week, manager Mike Matheny said he didn’t care about the standings. Only about the way the Cardinals played.

Freese left the game with cramping in his right calf for a pinch hitter in the sixth, an inning after getting a bit of medical attention following a two-run single for the go-ahead hit. He was 11 for 20 on the homestand.

Matt Kemp had an infield hit and was 2 for 16 with seven strikeouts and no RBIs in the series. Manager Don Mattingly believed it was simply a matter of tough matchups for his No. 3 hitter.

Though he faced Westbrook for the first time, Kemp is 2 for 17 against Adam Wainwright and 4 for 17 against Kyle Lohse, but with a homer and five RBIs.

“Well, I mean there’s other guys in the lineup,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, you like your chances better if Matt’s going 8 for 16 with five homers or something, but Matt’s going to have his troubles.”

Westbrook (9-8) allowed four runs — three earned — and seven hits in seven inning with six strikeouts. The right-hander, who pitched at least seven innings for the third straight start, responded from the Dodgers’ four-run fifth, allowing a hit and walk his last two innings.

“I felt really I only made one bad pitch, but it kind of snowballed on me there quick,” Westbrook said. “I was able to settle down and our offense came right back.”

Mitchell Boggs allowed a hit in the eighth to give him 14 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, a season best for the team and Jason Motte struck out the side against three pinch hitters in the ninth for his 22nd save in 26 chances.

In his last nine appearances Motte hasn’t allowed a run with seven saves, 12 strikeouts and no walks in 10 1/3 innings.

“When these guys are hitting, which we all know they can do, and our pitchers are going out there and executing our pitches, this what we’re capable of doing,” Motte said. “It’s fun to watch.”

Chris Capuano (10-6) gave up six runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings, dropping to 0-4 with a 7.90 ERA at 7-year-old Busch Stadium. He gave up two hits the first three innings but retired only three of his last 12 batters.

“Coming out in the fifth I was trying to tell myself ‘Hey, this is a big inning here, try to shut them down,'” Capuano said. “Especially after we scored for that runs. I just for whatever reason got a little sloppy with my location.”

Given a 2-0 lead, Westbrook had thrown 11 consecutive scoreless innings and had struck out four in a row before the Dodgers opened the fifth with four singles in five pitches, taking the lead on RBI hits by Juan Rivera and Cruz.

A third run scored on Treanor’s infield hit when second baseman Daniel Descalso relayed to third after cutting off the ball, and Freese made an error with wild throw to the plate in an attempt to catch Rivera.

Capuano contributed his third RBI of the year with a sacrifice fly that made it 4-2 with two outs.

St. Louis went ahead in the bottom half on Freese’s hit and RBI singles by Craig and Luis Cruz. Holliday homered to straightaway center off Javy Guerra in the sixth.

— Associated Press —

The Cardinals look for leadoff man Rafael Furcal to get on base. He’s also done a pretty good job of driving in runs from the top of the order.

Furcal came through again Wednesday night, as his two-out, RBI single off Jamey Wright in the 12th inning gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The RBI was No. 42 for Furcal, tops in the National League for leadoff hitters.

“It was something right there middle in,” Furcal said of his game-winning hit. “I tried to get good contact.”

Lance Berkman, who left the lineup a day earlier with a bruised right knee after being hit by a pitch, drew a one-out walk as a pinch-hitter in the 12th from Wright (4-3). Matt Carpenter singled with two outs and Furcal drove home pinch-runner Joe Kelly.

Kelly made things more difficult by falling down on Carpenter’s hit, forcing him to go back to second base. He was able to score without a play when Tony Gwynn Jr., bobbled the ball in left field.

“I saw the hit and I knew the outfielder was kind of deep,” Kelly said. “I didn’t take a good round and lost my footing. When I saw (Furcal’s) base hit, I just wanted to make sure to touch third.”

Fernando Salas (1-3) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up his first victory since July 9, 2011, against Arizona.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse went seven innings and allowed two runs and seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. He drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

“Salas did a terrific job,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “You can’t ask for anything more than that.”

The loss spoiled the otherwise successful Dodgers debut of Hanley Ramirez. Acquired in a trade earlier Wednesday with the Miami Marlins, Ramirez tripled on the first pitch he saw with his new team. The three-time All-Star infielder went 2-for-4 with a walk. He scored once and hit an RBI single in sixth that made it 2-all.

“I feel comfortable,” Ramirez said. “Great group of guys here; you just go out there and have fun. I’m happy to be here.”

Aaron Harang was sharp for the Dodgers, giving up just two hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Ramirez helped the Dodgers to a 1-0 lead in the second when he tripled off the wall in center and scored on James Loney `s sacrifice fly.

After St. Louis grabbed a 2-1 lead on Lohse’s sacrifice fly in the fifth, Ramirez tied it with a two-out single in the sixth.

Ramirez played third base, the spot he moved to with the Marlins to make room for new shortstop Jose Reyes. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he plans to put Ramirez at shortstop when the former NL batting champion is comfortable with the switch back to his old position.

Mattingly was ejected by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg for arguing balls and strikes while on the mound during a 10th-inning pitching change. The ejection was the fifth this season for Mattingly.

— Associated Press —

Adam Wainwright’s first two RBIs of the season helped knock out Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the sixth inning in a game that began in 103-degree heat as the St. Louis Cardinals ended Los Angeles’ five-game winning streak with an 8-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Wainwright (8-10) allowed two runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings.

He was a career .223 hitter entering the year with five homers and 23 RBIs but was batting .079 (3-for-38) with three singles and 17 strikeouts this season.

Wainwright doubled to left-center with two outs in the fifth for St. Louis’ first run, then scored the tying run on Rafael Furcal’s single. After Daniel Descalso was intentionally walked to load the bases in the sixth, Wainwright walked on five pitches to give the Cardinals a two-run lead in a six-run sixth that put them up 8-2.

The Cardinals have won four of five and ended the Dodgers’ eight-game winning streak, which had tied the franchise’s best since moving to Los Angeles.

Kershaw (7-6) gave up eight runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings, the second-most runs ever allowed by the 2011 NL Cy Young winner. Kershaw, who entered with a 2.74 ERA that ranked among the NL leaders, gave up a career-worst nine runs in 4 2-3 innings on April 26, 2009 at Colorado.

Kershaw sailed through the first four innings in 51 pitches, then needed 53 against 14 batters to get his last five outs.

Kershaw allowed two runs in 14 innings the two starts before Tuesday and threw a shutout against the Cardinals in Los Angeles in May. The Dodgers gave him a vote of confidence after Wainwright’s walk, leaving him in, but Kershaw lasted just one more hitter before departing after Furcal’s two-run infield hit.

Wainwright (8-10) allowed two runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings, in addition to providing two of the biggest at-bats.

Descalso scored from second on Furcal’s infield hit, fielded up the middle by shortstop Luis Cruz, and Allen Craig added a two-run double off Josh Lindblom.

Lance Berkman was taken out for a pinch-runner not long after getting hit by a pitch on the right knee in the third inning by a breaking ball. Berkman went to first base after visiting with a trainer, but jogged to second on a single by Descalso and was removed after a chat with third base coach Jose Oquendo.

Berkman batted seventh for the first time since 2010 and for just the 18th time in his career, bumped down in the order because David Freese entered 10-for-18 during a six-game streak combined with the fact he’s just 4-for-22 with 22 RBIs since coming off the 15-day disabled list to start the second half without a rehab stint following right knee surgery in late May.

The Dodgers had scored only two runs in 28 2-3 innings against Wainwright in St. Louis before getting two in the fourth. Four straight batters reached safely with one out, and Juan Rivera and Cruz had an RBI apiece.

Wainwright is 3-1 with a 1.09 ERA at home against the Dodgers.

— Associated Press —

Chad Billingsley returned from the disabled list with a strong outing that ended a five-start losing streak and Luis Cruz hit a three-run homer as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 Monday night in 101-degree heat for their fifth straight victory.

Cruz, recalled July 2 to replaced injured shortstop Dee Gordon, has two career homers and 12 RBIs. Eight of his 14 hits are for extra bases. His three-run shot in the second barely cleared the left-field wall – the ball conked left fielder Matt Holliday on the rebound – to give the Dodgers the early jump in their eighth straight win over St. Louis dating to April 17, 2011.

Kenley Jansen struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 24 chances. The Dodgers also won eight in a row against St. Louis from 1975-76, their best streak in the series since moving to Los Angeles.

Carlos Beltran homered for the second straight game with a two-run shot in the eighth for the Cardinals, hitting his 22nd of the year off Ronald Belisario. But St. Louis was 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, failing to build on a three-game sweep of the Cubs in which it outscored Chicago 23-1.

Mark Ellis added a two-run double in the seventh off Victor Marte, the third reliever the Cardinals used in the inning in an effort to keep it close. Tony Gwynn Jr. contributed a pinch-hit single and scored, making him 8 for 16 with five RBIs in that role.

Rookie starter Joe Kelly (1-3) allowed two earned runs on four hits in six innings, and had a tougher day from a physical standpoint. He contributed to Ellis’ double-play ball the second at-bat of the game by deflecting a high chopper with his pitching hand, prompting a visit from team trainers and a brief delay to make sure he could still pitch.

Kelly got a second visit from the trainer after beating out an infield hit in the fifth, then stumbling over the bag and sprawling to the ground. Earlier in the at-bat, Kelly barely missed a homer on a ball that replays indicated was less than a foot outside the foul pole in left.

Billingsley (5-9) allowed a run and four hits in six innings to win for the first time since June 10 at Seattle and end a skid that matched his career worst. In the five starts he made prior to going on the DL, the right-hander had a 6.21 ERA while allowing 41 hits in 29 innings.

The Dodgers trailed for the first time in four games during a 10-game trip after Jon Jay doubled for his fifth consecutive hit with one out in the first and scored on Lance Berkman’s two-out single. Jay also singled to start the eighth and scored on Beltran’s homer.

— Associated Press —

For the third straight game, a St. Louis Cardinals starter thrived with get-me-by stuff. There was more than enough offense again, too.

Lance Lynn won his 12th game with six mostly spotless innings, and Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran homered on consecutive pitches to put the finishing touches on a 7-0 victory Sunday that completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.

The weekend was near perfect for the World Series champions, who were 1-5 and totaled 15 runs in their first trip after the All-Star break.

”We’re in a good rhythm now,” Lynn said. ”We just need to stay there.”

Jon Jay and Tony Cruz hit consecutive two-run doubles off Travis Wood (4-5) in the first for St. Louis, which outscored the Cubs 23-1 and outhit them 38-16 for their sweep over Chicago since June 3-5, 2011 in St. Louis. It’s just their second series sweep overall at home, where they’re 26-20.

The Cardinals have had strong pitching most of the year, and rookie manager Mike Matheny has been waiting for a spotty lineup to produce consistently. St. Louis leads the National League with a .276 average and 464 runs.

”You see guys having big numbers and our record really wasn’t indicative of that,” Matheny said. ”It’s just a matter of kind of putting it together and those hits falling in timely spots.

”That was probably one of the more frustrating things with the trip we just had. Hopefully we can ride this out for a while.”

Lynn (12-4) has allowed just one run in 19 innings his last three starts. Like Kyle Lohse, who allowed a run in seven innings Friday, and Jake Westbrook, who put up seven scoreless innings Saturday, the right-hander had to work for his outs.

”It was one of those days that command-wise I wasn’t where I needed to be early in the count,” Lynn said. ”But I was able to make pitches to get out of situations. You’ve got to do that sometimes.”

Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski finished a combined five-hitter as the Cardinals earned consecutive shutouts for the first time since Oct. 1-2, 2010, against the Rockies.

The Cubs’ 14-5 record entering the series was the best in the majors over that span. Aside from pitching woes with Ryan Dempster’s 33-inning scoreless streak ending and Matt Garza lasting just three innings, the offense ended the game with 25 consecutive scoreless innings and was 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position in the series, including seven chances Sunday.

”It’s very tough,” said cleanup man Alfonso Soriano, who was 1 for 11 with five strikeouts in the series. ”I think you have to give a lot of credit to St. Louis, they pitched very well and have a very good team, a very good offense. I think we forget this weekend.”

Attendance of 42,411 just missed a third straight sellout, with some fans perhaps scared off by forecasts of triple-digit temperatures. It was 94 degrees at game time.

Holliday also doubled in the first, giving St. Louis a two-game total of 12 one day after tying the decades-old major league record with seven. The Cardinals also tied the franchise record with a 12-run seventh against four Cubs relievers in that game Saturday.

Jay added three singles for his first career four-hit game, with everything to the opposite field including a dribbler down the third-base line that he legged out in the seventh, plus a nice running catch at the warning track in center field to deny pinch hitter Joe Mather’s bid for extra bases in the seventh.

Jay entered the series finale in a 2-for-20 slump and did not start the series opener Friday.

Lynn pushed aside workload concerns in his first season in the rotation. In his previous three starts, he gave up 17 runs in 15 1/3 innings while steadfastly insisting that the problems were solely pitch location at key spots.

Lynn’s lone problem, inattentiveness to baserunners, didn’t hurt him. David DeJesus, who’s just 3 for 8 on steals, and Bryan LaHair, 2 for 3, stole second standing up to start the first two innings, but stayed there.

”After they told me what I was doing, they didn’t steal again,” Lynn said. ”You give up two steals with no throw with a good catcher back there, you know you screwed up. So you fix it.”

Wood almost got out of the first without damage when Allen Craig stumbled rounding third on Holliday’s one-out double and had to retreat. Jay bailed out Craig with an opposite-field flare to left that dropped just inside the line.

”I’m not sure what happened,” Wood said. ”Their series, I guess. They put the ball in play, got the hits when they needed them.

”It just wasn’t our series at all.”

The Cubs paid homage to Hall of Famer Ron Santo before taking the field in the bottom of the first, jumping over the third-base foul line and clicking their heels.

”Everybody did it and I think everybody is happy for the team and for the Ron Santo family,” Soriano said.

— Associated Press —

The St. Louis Cardinals totaled 15 runs in their six-game trip to open the second half. They threatened that total in a single inning against the Chicago Cubs.

Jake Westbrook worked seven innings of three-hit ball and the Cardinals finally backed him – and then some – by tying a 76-year-old major league record with seven doubles in seventh inning of a 12-0 victory on Saturday night.

”I knew my spot was coming up hitting so I knew I was probably done,” Westbrook said. ”I just wanted to hopefully get some runs there, and we did. It was a fun inning.”

Rafael Furcal’s go-ahead single in the seventh turned out to be a mere appetizer as the Cardinals also matched an 86-year-old franchise record for runs in an inning. St. Louis totaled 10 hits with multiple hits by three players including pinch-hitter Allen Craig, who doubled twice with an RBI.

”It was crazy. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that in the big leagues,” Craig said. ”I came into the game in a big spot and I was glad I could make something happen, and the rest of the guys took it from there.”

The Cardinals managed five hits the first six innings before jumping on Justin Germano (0-1) and three other relievers. They tied the major record for doubles in an inning by the Boston Bees at St. Louis in the first inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader on Aug. 25, 1936.

They tied the franchise record for runs in an inning set Sept. 16, 1926, against the Phillies, in the third inning of the opener of a doubleheader in Philadelphia.

”We’ve had some against us that felt like 12,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”You look at this offense and they can come in bundles.

”It’s nice to see the guys, too, just keep putting good at-bats together no matter how many runs we’ve had or how many hits they’ve had already.”

The Cardinals totaled nine doubles for the first time in franchise history since setting a modern major league record with 13 doubles on July 12, 1931, against the Cubs.

Cubs starter Matt Garza was taken out after three scoreless innings with cramping in his right triceps, an injury that wasn’t obvious and prompted speculation that he had been traded. The Cubs added a bit of intrigue, waiting until the bottom of the sixth to announce the injury and the fact X-rays – as a precaution for possible elbow issues – were negative.

”The trade thing, I’m not so concerned about that,” Garza said. ”I’d rather go out there and throw eight or nine (innings) than come in here and say, ”I can’t throw the ball.”’

Germano got unlimited warmups in the fourth, an indication he was entering because of an injury or ejection, although the rule book also allows for an unspecified sudden emergency. Germano allowed a run in three-plus innings before the roof caved in on the Cubs, who allowed 12 runs in an inning for the first time since July 30, 2010, at Colorado.

James Russell gave up a career-high six runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning. Manuel Corpas gave up four runs without getting an out, surrendering three doubles and a walk.

”Russell’s our setup guy,” manager Dale Sveum said. ”He’s got a long four months basically without a hiccup like that, and those things will happen.

”Unfortunately, it was a nothing-nothing game.”

Previously, the Cubs hadn’t allowed more than six runs in a single inning. The Cardinals topped their previous season best of eight runs April 27 against the Brewers.

Westbrook (8-8) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, falling behind 3-0 in the count against Geovany Soto before inducing a groundout. The sinkerballer permitted only two baserunners his last six innings, a leadoff single by David DeJesus in the third and a walk by Luis Valbuena in the fifth, and neither of them made it second.

”The first couple of innings, I was a little erratic, I might have been a little geeked up,” Westbrook said. ”After that, I felt really strong.”

— Associated Press —