The bullpen has been a major weakness for the St. Louis Cardinals. This time the relievers slammed the door.

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte both got big outs Sunday to protect a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had been trying to sweep a series of at least three games in St. Louis for the first time since 1997. It was a nice confidence boost for a unit that entered the game 7-14 with a 4.62 ERA and 13 blown saves in 29 chances.

”It’s been a rough couple days before today, playing a team you’re behind in the standings that’s playing really well,” Boggs said. ”For us to get this last one, and for our bullpen to get some pretty big outs in a tight game, it doesn’t hurt.

”We feel like we’ve got guys that can do the job and we’ll show up tomorrow and expect to do the same thing.”

Allen Craig homered for the second time in three days and All-Star Yadier Molina also connected for the Cardinals, who prevailed in 98-degree heat. Molina has 13 homers, one shy of last year’s season total, and Craig has 11 in just 39 games.

Craig is batting .378 (24 for 74) with five homers and 16 RBIs for his career against Pittsburgh.

”That home run was huge,” manager Mike Matheny said of Craig’s two-run shot in the third. ”He’s dangerous every time he goes up there.”

Motte got the last four outs for his 17th save in 21 chances, and third of the season of more than one inning, to end the Pirates’ four-game winning streak. Motte was the last in a flurry of moves by Matheny that left three players seeing time at two positions, and said he felt no extra pressure to finish things off.

”That’s ridiculous, I’m not out there going, ‘Oh man, don’t screw this up or we’ll get swept,”’ Motte said. ”Those are negative thoughts, you go out there with those and you end up getting yourself hurt.”

Matt Holliday and rookie Shane Robinson had an RBI apiece in a two-run fifth that gave the Cardinals the 5-4 lead. Robinson had been 4 for 32 with runners in scoring position before his first career go-ahead hit.

Michael McKenry’s three-run homer had capped a four-run fourth that put the Pirates ahead for the first time and also gave them a homer in nine straight games. They’ve totaled 15 homers in their longest streak since another nine-gamer in June 2008.

McKenry couldn’t come through in the eighth when he fouled out to first against Boggs with two men on.

”They’ve used a lot of different bullpen guys the last few days, but their three best guys got in there today and they’re as tough as anybody in the league,” McKenry said. ”They’re a special group.”

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle also was inventive with substitutions, using two players at two spots. Pedro Alvarez had two hits and a walk for the Pirates before coming out with apparent leg cramps after singling to start the eighth.

”That’s all it is,” Hurdle said. ”It was tightening up, so we didn’t want to push him.”

Jake Westbrook (7-6) beat the Pirates for the first time in six career decisions, allowing four runs in six innings. Westbrook has won three straight decisions.

Motte got the bullpen’s biggest out when Josh Harrison popped out to shallow center with two on to end the eighth.

The Pirates also had a chance to tie it in the seventh, when Robinson dropped Garrett Jones’ fly ball to center for a two-base error with two outs. Given another chance during the next at-bat, Robinson secured the ball on pinch-hitter Casey McGehee’s routine fly ball against Boggs.

The Pirates ended a 4-3 trip including a four-game split in Philadelphia that left them 1 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Reds and 1 1/2 games ahead of the third-place Cardinals.

”We are pleased,” Hurdle said. ”We lost the first two games in Philly, we battled back there, and we came in here and battled.”

The Pirates gave No. 3 hitter and All-Star Andrew McCutchen a day off after the center fielder left Saturday’s game with a strained left wrist from making a diving catch. Cardinals All-Star Carlos Beltran also got a day off as a concession to the persistent heat wave.

Erik Bedard (4-9) threw 100 pitches in 4 2-3 innings and gave up five runs. The lefty has allowed 25 runs in 23 2-3 innings, a 9.51 ERA, in his last five starts away from home since his last road victory May 3 in St. Louis.

In his last three starts in Pittsburgh, Bedard has given up just three runs in 19 innings. He hadn’t been aware of the discrepancy.

”Is it that big of a split? Really?” Bedard said. ”I didn’t know, I haven’t even looked at it.”

— Associated Press —

The Pittsburgh Pirates stuck with Pedro Alvarez, and now it’s paying off.

Alvarez hit a grand slam in the first inning off suddenly scuffling 10-game winner Lance Lynn and Andrew McCutchen had two hits before leaving with a sprained left wrist as the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 Saturday for their fourth victory in a row.

”I’m the guy who kept running him out there. Not everybody was on that bandwagon,” manager Clint Hurdle said. ”There weren’t a lot of ‘Pedro for Mayor’ signs being hung up in the ballpark.

”We know this guy’s significant in a lot of different ways and we had to ride this out and see where it took us,” he said.

The Pirates got good news on a player they can’t afford to lose, too. X-rays showed no significant injury to McCutchen, who tweaked his wrist making a diving catch.

”I thought it was awesome and then I thought he was hurt,” pitcher Jeff Karstens said. ”And I was like, ‘I wish he’d have missed it and not dived.

”He’s our best player, there’s no ifs and buts about it. He’s electric, he changes the game.’

Manager Clint Hurdle said McCutchen will probably rest on Sunday.

”I don’t get days off, I’m not trying to get days off,” McCutchen said. ”I get days off in the offseason.”

Jeff Karstens (1-2) thrived in sweltering heat, allowing four hits with seven strikeouts in seven strong innings for his first victory since Aug. 10, 2011 at San Francisco. Karstens changed his pregame routine, running and stretching inside, and then confounded the Cardinals by changing speeds.

Pittsburgh matched its longest winning streak of the year aided by fast starts with 11 first-inning runs the last three games, and stayed one game back of NL Central-leading Cincinnati. It was 99 degrees for the first pitch and the temperature spiked to 103 later in the game.

The Pirates are a season-best seven games above .500 after finishing June 17-10, their most victories in a month since August of 2007. If they complete their first three-game sweep in St. Louis since May 27-29, 1991 on Sunday it’ll mark the franchise’s high water mark since the final game of their 96-66 NL East championship team in 1992. Erik Bedard (4-8, 4.27 ERA) opposes Jake Westbrook (6-6, 3.77).

”We have a very good team,” Alvarez said. ”We’ve just got to keep it going and not change anything.”

Carlos Beltran drove in a run with his 400th career double off Tony Watson in the eighth for St. Louis, one night after getting his 2,000th career hit. Beltran has an eight-game RBI streak, longest in the majors this season, and leads the league with 61 RBIs.

Jared Hughes retired the last four batters in order for his first career save as the Cardinals fell to 17-18 at home.

McCutchen, who leads the Pirates with a .346 average and 51 RBIs with 15 homers, was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh, four innings after sprawling to catch Beltran’s sinking liner. McCutchen also banged into the center field wall in an unsuccessful bid to rob Tony Cruz of a double to start that inning.

”I missed it, man,” McCutchen said. ”That would have been a sick catch if I caught it.”

Alvarez is 2 for 2 with an astounding 10 RBIs with the bases loaded, the other hit a three-run double to go with two sacrifice flies and a walk. He has 13 RBIs in five games in St. Louis and 15 total against the Cardinals, most of any opponent.

The 25-year-old Alvarez, the second overall draft pick in 2008, batted just .191 in an injury-shortened 2011 and was hitting just .205 after the first two months this year. Though he’s still batting just .226, in June he emerged with seven homers and 20 RBIs.

”I like getting an opportunity to play, no matter where it’s at,” Alvarez said. ”That kind of production, it’s just a coincidence. I never know one of these things until someone brings it up.”

Lynn (10-4) was pummeled for the third straight start, surrendering six runs in five innings. Since combining for 23 strikeouts in consecutive victories earlier this month, the first-year starter who replaced injured Chris Carpenter in the rotation has given up 17 runs on 25 hits in 15 1-3 innings.

The 25-year-old right-hander said his troubles have nothing to do with fatigue.

”This is the best I’ve felt all year, and I’m not getting the job done,” Lynn said. ”You have times when you feel good and things don’t go your way and then some when you feel bad and thing’s seem to go your way.

”It’s part of the game and that’s just the way it is.”

The Pirates homered an NL-leading 39 times in June to tie the franchise record set in 1975, and lead the league with 51 road homers.

Lynn got a pair of groundouts to open the game before running into trouble. McCutchen and Garrett Jones singled to put runners at the corners and Neil Walker walked before Alvarez swatted a full-count fastball into the right-field stands for his second career grand slam and 15th homer overall, tying McCutchen for the team lead.

”You can’t give that guy a chance to do anything in the first inning, and I just didn’t get it done,” Lynn said. ”It cost us the whole game right off the bat.”

Karstens totaled 17 innings in his first four starts of a season interrupted by a shoulder injury. He struggled only in the third when Cruz scored on Jon Jay’s groundout and Matt Holliday added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2.

— Associated Press —

In triple-digit heat, the Pittsburgh Pirates played it cool.

Clint Barmes, pinch-hitter Alex Presley and Garrett Jones each homered in a four-run sixth inning that snapped a tie, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-5 in a game that began with the temperature at 101 degreees Friday night.

”It’s warm for both teams,” Jones said. ”You’ve just got to suck it up, dunk your head in some cold water and just go for it. You get that good sweat going, you feel good out there, and after the first few innings you kind of forget about how hot it is.”

Andrew McCutchen had four of the Pirates’ season-high 19 hits, the last a three-run homer off Marc Rzepczynski in the ninth. McCutchen also robbed Allen Craig of a third extra-base hit with a running catch near the center field wall in the fifth.

”They’re following McCutchen,” losing pitcher Adam Wainwright said. ”He’s probably going to carry them, he’s a great player.”

The Pirates’ previous high hit total for the season was 14, just two days earlier at Philadelphia in an 11-7 victory.

”We have the capability to do it,” manager Clint Hurdle said. ”The guys connected the dots. We were able to stretch the starter’s pitch count out a little bit and then we were able to pile on a little bit.”

The Pirates have 38 homers this month, one off the franchise record set in 1975, and the run total was the franchise’s best since they also scored 14 on Aug. 31, 2010, at the Chicago Cubs. The three-homer inning was their first since July 22, 2009, against the Brewers and Presley’s pinch shot was the first of his career and the Pirates’ first pinch-hit homer since last August.

”I do like the way our offense has thrown some punches back this month,” Hurdle said.

Carlos Beltran got his 2,000th career hit on an RBI single in the third against Kevin Correia (4-6), also his NL-leading 60th RBI of the season and giving him an RBI in seven consecutive games. Craig hit a three-run homer and doubled. He is a career .394 hitter (26 for 66) against the Pirates with four homers and 14 RBIs.

”I don’t know how to approach or embrace milestones like that,” Beltran said. ”I don’t show a lot of emotions, but inside my heart, God knows I’m happy and pleased with everything I’ve done in this game.”

Pittsburgh won its third straight after entering the night one game back of Cincinnati for the NL Central lead and a half-game ahead of the Cardinals. The Pirates, who have homered in a season-best seven straight games, can match their longest winning streak of the year on Saturday with Jeff Karstens opposing Cardinals 10-game winner Lance Lynn.

The Pirates had a pair of big two-out hits earlier, Walker’s two-run single in the first and a bases-clearing double by Pedro Alvarez that tied it at 5 in the fifth that Hurdle thought ”took the crowd out of it.”

They homered in consecutive at-bats for the second straight game when Barmes and Presley connected to start the sixth and chase Wainwright (6-8).

”Kind of frustrating, very disappointing,” Wainwright said. ”I just didn’t make pitches when I needed to, kind of a mixture of bad luck with some poor pitches.”

Correia was lifted after 90 pitches and five innings, with the temperature down only to 96 degrees. He has surrendered 13 homers in his last 11 starts after giving up just one in his first four outings.

Reliever Brad Lincoln allowed one hit in three scoreless innings and struck out four in a row in the seventh and eighth.

Craig provided much of the Cardinals’ early offense. He doubled and scored on David Freese’s groundout in the second and his 10th homer came the next at-bat after Beltran’s 2,000th hit, had given them a 5-2 cushion.

Wainwright struck out seven, fanning leadoff man Drew Sutton twice. He didn’t allow a homer his previous four outings and pitched seven innings each of his previous three starts.

Two weeks ago, the 35-year-old Beltran became the first switch hitter in major league history to accumulate 300 homers and 300 stolen bases.

— Associated Press —

It took a few minutes, but the umpires’ verdict was worth the wait for the Miami Marlins.

John Buck and pinch hitter Logan Morrison connected for consecutive home runs in the seventh inning, rallying the Marlins past St. Louis 5-3 Wednesday night and ending their eight-game losing streak against the Cardinals.

Buck tied it with one out when he homered off Fernando Salas. Morrison then sent a drive off Sam Freeman (0-1) that hit the top of the right-field fence, bounced off a nearby railing and dropped back into play.

”I thought it hit the back of the concrete and went out, I didn’t even know it came back onto the field,” Morrison said.

After being stopped at second base while the umpires reviewed the play, Morrison was allowed to finish his home-run trot. It was Morrison’s first career pinch-hit home run.

”Thank God we had instant replay because if not that would have been double,” Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. ”It also helps the umpires. I don’t think it killed anybody in baseball for that idea. It helped the game.”

The Cardinals had won five in a row overall. Miami won for just the second time in 10 games.

”Any time you beat the Cardinals, it’s a good win especially when they’re playing that well,” Buck said. ”Hopefully it can be momentum we can build on and start our own little stretch here.”

Tony Cruz’s first career homer in the top of the seventh put the Cardinals ahead 3-2.

”I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and I got it,” Cruz said. ”Thankfully, it went out. It’s a great feeling. I had a lot of family here tonight. They knew I was playing. I thank Mike (manager Matheny) for giving me the opportunity of letting me play in front of my family. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, though.”

Buck has seven home runs this season, including three in his last six games. This was the second time the Marlins have hit back-to-back home runs this season – Justin Ruggiano and Morrison accomplished the feat on June 1 at Philadelphia.

”Any time Buck is at the plate we know he has a chance to hit the ball out of the ballpark,” Guillen said. ”We need that from him.”

Omar Infante’s RBI double in the eighth gave the Marlins an insurance run.

Anibal Sanchez (4-6) ended his three-game losing streak, allowing three runs in seven innings.

”We have a great team so if we keep playing like that we can start winning a lot of games,” Sanchez said.

Steve Cishek pitched the eighth and Heath Bell recorded his 15th save in 19 chances by pitching the ninth. He got Allen Craig to pop up with Matt Carpenter on second to end the game.

”Five consecutive wins is always a positive,” Matheny said. ”Guys are always going to remember that. That was a good run.”

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran and an RBI double by David Freese.

The Marlins tied it at 2 in the fifth against Joe Kelly on an RBI single by Buck and a groundout by Jose Reyes.

— Associated Press —

Yadier Molina hit a three-run homer and Kyle Lohse pitched into the eighth inning to lead the St. Louis Cardinals past the staggering Miami Marlins 5-2 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.

One night after Molina’s tying homer in the ninth inning keyed a huge comeback, St. Louis scored five unearned runs in the first.

The Marlins have lost eight of nine and are 3-17 in their last 20 games. Miami manager Ozzie Guillen was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Dan Bellino.

Lohse (7-2) allowed two runs and four hits while striking out four to lower his ERA to 2.82. Jason Motte pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 20 chances.

The Cardinals jumped out to a big early lead, aided by errors from Marlins starter Carlos Zambrano (4-6) and shortstop Jose Reyes. Molina took advantage of the miscues with his 12th homer. Carlos Beltran had an RBI single.

Molina has homered in three straight games and is two shy of tying his career best set last season. His two-run shot with two outs in the ninth Monday night off Miami closer Heath Bell capped a four-run inning, and St. Louis went on to win 8-7 in 10 innings.

Giancarlo Stanton’s 17th home run and Greg Dobbs’ sacrifice fly pulled the Marlins to 5-2 on Tuesday.

Miami threatened in the sixth after Reyes and Hanley Ramirez reached, but Lohse got out of the jam when shortstop Rafael Furcal snagged a hard-hit grounder by Logan Morrison and turned a double play.

Guillen was tossed in the seventh. Following a walk issued by Zambrano to Allen Craig that loaded the bases, Guillen came out of the dugout to lift Zambrano. Guillen walked by Bellino to voice his displeasure with a call and was ejected. It was Guillen’s first ejection as the Marlins’ manager.

Zambrano pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing five unearned runs and seven hits. He struck out five and walked five while throwing 73 of 125 pitches for strikes.

— Associated Press —

Quintin Berry slapped a base hit through the drawn-in infield, then took off for first base. He raised both hands in the air in celebration, rounded the bag and ripped off his helmet.

”I’ve never had a walk-off before,” the Detroit outfielder said. ”I showed it out there, jumping around, acting crazy. You don’t know what to do with yourself.”

Berry’s tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Tigers a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. It was another bright moment for the 27-year-old rookie, who is hitting .315 on the year.

Detroit also got an encouraging performance from another youngster. Jacob Turner allowed a run and four hits in five innings in his first start of the season.

”He did fine. I will say this: He’s much improved,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. ”There’s no question about that. He’s much improved from the last time I saw him, particularly at the big league level.”

Prince Fielder homered for the Tigers.

Ramon Santiago and Jhonny Peralta started the winning rally with one-out singles off Victor Marte (0-1), who then grazed Austin Jackson’s jersey with a pitch. Berry followed with a grounder up the middle to end it, and the Tigers poured onto the field to mob him.

”They gave me a good shot, but it’s the best feeling you could get, being ripped up a little bit,” Berry said. ”I’ll let them do it every day.”

Joaquin Benoit (1-1) got the win.

Kyle Lohse allowed a run and four hits in seven innings for the Cardinals.

The 21-year-old Turner was recalled from Triple-A Toledo before the game. Left-hander Drew Smyly has been out because of a blister on his left middle finger.

Turner kept the Tigers in the game while their offense struggled. He walked five – one intentionally – and struck out three.

Fielder put Detroit in front with a 425-foot homer in the fourth. The slugging first baseman flipped his bat forward after making contact with his huge uppercut swing, and there was no doubt about his 11th homer of the year.

”I was going to bounce a breaking ball,” Lohse said. ”Unfortunately, I missed bouncing it by about four feet and Prince killed it.”

The lead didn’t last long. With one out and men on second and third in the fifth, Matt Holliday lifted a foul fly that Detroit right fielder Don Kelly caught while almost falling into the seats. The tying run came home on the play, but after an intentional walk to Carlos Beltran, Turner got out of the inning on a flyout by Allen Craig.

Kelly appeared OK after his catch but eventually left in the eighth with a left knee contusion. He is day to day.

Turner, a first-round draft pick in 2009, posted an 8.53 ERA in three starts last year. He was named Detroit’s top prospect by Baseball America earlier this year, and he acquitted himself fine in his return to the big leagues – against his hometown team, too.

Turner grew up about 25 miles outside St. Louis, and current Cardinals manager Mike Matheny actually helped mentor him in high school.

”My parents came up for the game,” Turner said. ”I grew up rooting for the Cardinals, so it’s kind of surreal to pitch against them.”

After Turner departed, Octavio Dotel, Phil Coke, Brayan Villarreal and Benoit pitched the next five innings, holding the Cardinals to two hits and striking out six.

The Tigers are without closer Jose Valverde, who has an injured right wrist.

Daniel Descalso hit a leadoff double against Coke in the seventh, but the Cardinals couldn’t get him home.

Detroit intentionally walked Beltran with first base open again in the 10th, and again the move worked. Craig popped out with men on first and second to end the threat.

Tigers catcher Alex Avila had a single in his return from a right hamstring injury.

— Associated Press —

Jake Westbrook took advantage of some extra rest and pitched a little longer – all the way until the end for his first complete game in over two years.

Westbrook gave up only an unearned run in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night. The right-hander’s last two starts have been on five days’ rest, and he’s won them both.

”I guess the older I get, the better it is to get a little more rest,” the 34-year-old Westbrook said.

Westbrook (6-6) allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one. It was his 14th career complete game, but his first since May 16, 2010, when he was pitching for Cleveland at Baltimore.

”It’s a great feeling,” he said. ”Every time you go out there, you want to finish what you start.”

The Cardinals took the lead in the sixth when Yadier Molina hit into a bases-loaded double play, breaking a 1-all tie. The Cardinals added an eighth-inning run on an error by Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

Rick Porcello (4-5) allowed two runs and 10 hits in seven innings.

Carlos Beltran had two hits and two walks for St. Louis.

The Cardinals loaded the bases in the sixth on a double by Matt Holliday, a walk by Beltran and a single by Allen Craig. Detroit played its infield back for a double play up the middle, and that’s exactly what the Tigers got when Molina hit a groundball to short.

The Tigers limited the damage to one run that inning, but managed only one more base runner the rest of the game.

”Today was definitely a good step in the right direction, and I want to keep that going,” Porcello said. ”With this offense, if I can go out and throw seven innings and give up two runs, we’re going to win a lot of games. If I can keep doing what I did tonight, we’ll be OK.”

Westbrook hadn’t thrown more than seven innings in a game this year.

”He was awesome,” St. Louis outfielder Allen Craig said. ”When he’s pitching like that, he’s really fun to play behind.”

Westbrook allowed only two hits after the third inning, and both were with two out. Porcello had a similar outing but wasn’t quite as effective.

”Being a contact pitcher and a groundball pitcher, you are going to give up hits,” Porcello said. ”At the same time, for every grounder or line drive that gets through, you should be able to get another one that gets you out of an inning and limits the damage.”

Tigers catcher Gerald Laird left the game in the fifth with left hamstring cramping after tagging up and advancing from first to second on a deep flyout.

Austin Jackson had two hits for the Tigers and gave them a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the third. That came after Laird hit a bloop single and went to second on an error by second baseman Daniel Descalso.

David Freese led off the fifth for St. Louis with a single, and after a single by Matt Adams, Descalso hit a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game. Adams advanced to second on the out.

One out later, Skip Schumaker hit a single to left. Adams tried to score from second but lost his balance a bit coming around third, and outfielder Quintin Berry’s perfect one-hop throw to the plate was in time.

The Tigers gifted St. Louis an insurance run in the eighth. Beltran drew a one-out walk against reliever Brayan Villarreal and went to second on a balk. With two outs, Molina hit a line drive that went off Peralta’s glove for an error.

— Associated Press —