MILWAUKEE (AP) — With Jesus Aguilar hitting so well, Ryan Braun walked into manager Craig Counsell’s office with the unusual request of asking to be dropped lower in the Milwaukee batting order.

Counsell obliged, and the move paid immediate dividends.

Jonathan Villar and Christian Yelich homered, while Braun had three hits to lead the Brewers to an 8-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

“To this point in the season I’ve really been unlucky hitting third, so maybe you move to fifth and it changes the luck a little bit,” said Braun, who is batting .245 in 42 games.

Braun, dropped those two spots in the lineup, went 3 for 3 with a double, two singles and an intentional walk while scoring three times. It was the first time Braun batted lower than fourth in the lineup since Sept. 23, 2014 at Cincinnati, when he was batting fifth.

Aguilar took over at first base when Eric Thames went on the disabled list April 25 and is batting .315 with nine home runs and 30 RBI, hitting third while Braun was on the disabled list with a back injury. Braun returned from the DL on Thursday, and the stats prompted him to suggest to Counsell to leave the slugging Aguilar in the third spot.

“I didn’t know if he (Counsell) was going to be hesitant, or afraid to bring it up, like he might offend me or something,” Braun said. “So I went in there yesterday and said things are going so well, obviously Aggie’s swinging the bat so well, offensively the team’s in a good place, I think it makes a lot of sense to leave him there.”

Milwaukee starter Brent Suter (5-3) allowed three runs in five innings, but hit a two-run double in the fourth that gave Milwaukee a 4-0 lead. Milwaukee won for the 10th time in 12 games.

St. Louis starter Luke Weaver (3-5) lost his third consecutive start, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four innings.

“You try to find the positives in any type of failure situation, and I feel like I’ve been strong, I’ve made some good pitches, though some statistics or whatever might not show up in a positive way,” Weaver said.

The Brewers were shut out 5-0 by the Mets on Thursday. Since then, they’ve scored 37 runs in four games, all victories.

Milwaukee broke open the game in the seventh inning. With two outs and Yelich on second, the Cardinals intentionally walked Braun to face Villar. The second baseman hit the second pitch from Brent Cecil into the Milwaukee bullpen for an 8-3 lead.

“We had a good offensive day today, a bunch of innings where we put pressure on (Weaver) and we came through in a couple of those situations,” Counsell said.

Yelich hit his sixth homer, singled, stole two bases and scored twice.

Yairo Munoz hit his first major-league homer in the fifth, a two-run shot, and Matt Carpenter hit his sixth, a solo shot, later in the inning to pull the Cardinals within 4-3.

IN THE CLUTCH

The Brewers scored all eight runs with two outs, going 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position. St. Louis was 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. “The guys are working hard, going about their at-bats, and some days we score runs and some days we don’t,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game after being hit in the right knee with a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Trevor Williams. RHP Alex Reyes, who struck out 44 in 23 innings while allowing no runs and seven hits in four minor-league rehab starts, will make his first start since 2016 on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Reyes underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2017.

Brewers: Suter took a line drive from Harrison Bader off his chest in the second inning, but recovered to make the throw to first for the out. “I’ve actually taken one off the head before,” he said. “I was kind of trying to make sure my face was protected and it hit my chest. It’s one of those scary moments in baseball.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-1, 2.88 ERA) will be on the mound in the middle game of the series. He has held opponents to two runs or less in each of his last seven starts.

Brewers: RHP Zach Davies (2-4, 4.74) will make his second start since coming off the disabled list Thursday. He was the losing pitcher in the Cardinals’ 8-4 win on April 2 at Miller Park.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Harrison Bader stepped to the plate with a chance to pull the St. Louis Cardinals even knowing the heat Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vazquez was going to send his way.

So Bader dug in and swung as Vazquez’s 99 mph fastball ran in on his hands. When it dropped for a single in the eighth inning, the game was tied. Moments later, Vazquez’s control abandoned him and the Cardinals were on their way to a 6-4 victory over the slumping Pirates on Sunday.

“Obviously, it was pretty firm,” Bader said. “It was just working inside the baseball and I got enough on it to just muscle it out there. That was a good one.”

The Cardinals won for just the fourth time in 19 games when trailing after seven innings by pouncing on Pittsburgh’s bullpen. Jedd Gyorko’s pinch-hit, two-run single off Edgar Santana in the seventh pulled St. Louis within one.

The Cardinals quickly loaded the bases off Michael Feliz (0-2) and the Pirates brought in Vazquez with one out in the eighth. Bader dumped the fourth pitch he saw from Vazquez just over the outstretched hands of second baseman Sean Rodriguez. Vazquez walked Yairo Munoz on four pitches to hand St. Louis the lead and the Cardinals added another run when Carson Kelly bounced into a fielder’s choice.

“It happens fast, but it just shows you that hitting is always contagious,” Bader said. “You just do your best to pass the baton to the next guy. It was a really good team win. I wouldn’t be in that situation if it wasn’t for the guys in the game previous, what they did to allow me to have success up there.”

Vazquez has blown three straight save opportunities for the Pirates, who have dropped seven of nine. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said afterward that Vazquez experienced left forearm discomfort after his final two pitches. Vazquez was not available postgame and will be re-evaluated Monday.

“We haven’t seen him in this lane before as far as being inconsistent with the command, especially the fastball,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before Vazquez was examined by the training staff. “It’s been something that’s really been in a good place. We’ll keep hunting it and so will he.”

Sam Tuivailala (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless seventh. Bud Norris worked a perfect ninth for his 11th save.

Matt Carpenter went 2 for 4 for St. Louis and is hitting .422 (19 of 45) since May 16.

Rookie Austin Meadows continued his torrid start for the Pirates, going 2 for 3 to boost his average to .455 since making his major league debut on May 16. Adam Frazier hit a two-run triple off Miles Mikolas in the fifth, but Pittsburgh’s relievers couldn’t hold a 4-1 advantage after 6 1/3 solid innings by Jameson Taillon.

Taillon was charged with three runs when Gyorko’s looping fly ball to left off Santana fell for a hit in the seventh. Taillon allowed just five hits and struck out five but remains winless since April 8 as the Pirates lost for the first time all season when leading after seven innings (23-1).

The Cardinals’ comeback helped Mikolas avoid his first major league loss in nearly four years. Relying heavily on impeccable control after spending two seasons in Japan, Mikolas has been one of the biggest surprises in the majors and came in off a four-hit shutout against Kansas City that served notice his hot start was hardly a fluke.

He had little trouble through the first four innings before a rare walk opened the door for the Pirates in the fifth. Elias Diaz led off with just the seventh walk issued by Mikolas this season. Jordy Mercer followed with a single before Frazier wore him down, fouling off six pitches before sending a shot over Tommy Pham in center field to drive in Mercer and Diaz. Meadows followed with a sacrifice fly.

Mikolas tied a season high by allowing four runs in six innings as his ERA ticked up to 2.54.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Held OF Dexter Fowler out of the lineup a day after Fowler took a 91 mph pitch off the right knee from Pittsburgh’s Trevor Williams. … Bench coach Mike Shildt suffered a head contusion after getting hit by a foul ball off the bat of Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte while sitting in the dugout in the first inning. Shildt returned in the third inning after receiving treatment.

Pirates: Scratched C Francisco Cervelli due to flu-like symptoms. … The team will wait at least one more day before deciding whether Ivan Nova’s sprained left index finger is bad enough to put him on the disabled list. General manager Neal Huntington said left-hander Steven Brault or rookie right-hander Nick Kingham are the top options if Nova is out.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Head to Milwaukee to take on the first-place Brewers on Monday. Luke Weaver (3-4, 4.31 ERA) starts in the opener.

Pirates: Host the Chicago Cubs for three games starting Monday. Chad Kuhl (4-2, 4.20 ERA) starts the opener. Kuhl is 1-4 with an 8.23 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jack Flaherty’s first win in the big leagues sent a message that the St. Louis Cardinals rookie wants to be a part of his team’s recalibrated rotation. His second victory was just as impressive for an entirely different reason.

The swing-and-miss stuff that overwhelmed Philadelphia last weekend gone, the 22-year-old instead worked six efficient innings to lift the Cardinals by the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 on Saturday.

Flaherty (2-1) fanned just four batters but didn’t allow a runner past second base after giving up a home run to Starling Marte in the bottom of the first, a stark contrast from his dazzling performance against the Phillies last Sunday when his 13 strikeouts tied a franchise rookie record.

No matter, it was just as effective.

“Strikeouts come, and I happened to have 13 last time,” Flaherty said. “I don’t try to force them. If you can take a groundout and gets quick outs, you take them.”

Marte turned on a slider and sent it 447 feet into a fence beyond the bullpens in center in his return from a stint on the disabled list with a right oblique injury. His signature pitch not as crisp as it was against Philadelphia, Flaherty instead kept the Pirates off balance with an effective mix that Pittsburgh couldn’t seem to figure out.

“It’s good to see a young pitcher who knows he might not have a certain pitch that day be able to adjust,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “He has a lot of weapons, too, and that helps.”

Bud Norris worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save. Matt Carpenter finished 2 for 5, including a blast off Trevor Williams (5-3) leading off the game that cleared the right-field seats. Jose Martinez added three hits for the Cardinals, who bounced back from their most lopsided loss of the season on Friday night to topple the Pirates for the first time in five tries this season.

Williams lasted just four innings and 65 pitches, his shortest start of the season. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits with three walks as the Pirates lost for the sixth time in their last eight games.

“We were going for the edges and stuff was leaking out over the plate,” Williams said. “It was inconsistency at the corners. It was one of those days where my stuff had to be on and unfortunately it wasn’t.”

Williams has been Pittsburgh’s most consistent starter during the opening two months of the season but struggled from the outset. He only retired the Cardinals in order once, giving up Carpenter’s long drive in the first, an RBI single to Martinez in the third and a sacrifice fly by Francisco Pena and a run-scoring single by Yairo Munoz in the fourth. His four innings of work marked his briefest outing since he pitched just three innings in a loss to St. Louis last August.

“He’s going to see them again in five days,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “That was enough. Try to hold them to four and go on. He’ll bounce back fine.”

MEADOWS STICKS

Pittsburgh rookie outfielder Austin Meadows earned a longer initial stay in the majors than anticipated after hitting .448 (13 for 29) with three home runs while filling in for Marte. The Pirates opted to send utility player Jose Osuna back to Triple-A Indianapolis instead of Meadows, who will serve as the fourth outfielder for the time being.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen to be honest with you,” Meadows said. “I’m going to go out there and help the team win, play hard out there and show them what I can do. I’m just going to stick to that and we’ll see what happens down the road.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler left the game in the fourth inning after being hit in the right knee with a 91 mph fastball by Williams. The Cardinals said X-rays on the knee were negative. Fowler said the knee was sore and he will be re-evaluated on Sunday. … Matheny said RHP Alex Reyes (Tommy John surgery) will make his first major league appearance since 2016 on Wednesday when St. Louis plays Milwaukee. Reyes missed all of last season after having reconstructive elbow surgery in February 2017.

Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova is dealing with a sprained left index finger and could be placed on the disabled list. Nova, who is 0-4 with a 7.61 ERA in May, is scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. Nick Kingham will likely start in Nova’s place if Nova is unavailable.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (6-0, 2.24 ERA) starts the series finale on Sunday. Mikolas threw his first career shutout in a 6-0 victory over Kansas City in his last start.

Pirates: Jameson Taillon (2-4, 4.56) will look for his first win since April 9 on Sunday. Taillon is 0-4 with a 5.83 ERA in his last eight starts.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Musgrove’s first game with the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t have gone much better.

On the mound. Or, at the plate.

Musgrove came off the disabled list to pitch seven scoreless innings while also getting his first career hit and scoring the winning run as Pittsburgh beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 on Friday night.

“It was a really exciting night for me,” Musgrove said. “Everything went well.”

The right-hander singled to lead off the sixth inning, when the Pirates scored three times off John Gant to break a scoreless tie. Musgrove came home on Josh Harrison’s double to center before Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly and Corey Dickerson capped the inning with an RBI triple off Brett Cecil.

Musgrove (1-0) allowed five hits and struck out seven. He did not walk a batter while throwing just 67 pitches. Musgrove was activated before the game after being sidelined all season with a strained right shoulder. He was one of four players acquired from the Houston Astros in a January trade for right-hander Gerrit Cole.

“He relentlessly pounded the strike zone,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “If he didn’t get a strike on the first pitch, he got (one) on the second pitch.”

Musgrove had never faced the Cardinals and St. Louis manager Mike Matheny came away impressed.

“It didn’t look like he was missing a lot,” Matheny said. “Ball was jumping, had movement on it and put it where he wanted to.”

Gant (1-2) allowed just two singles through the first five innings before Musgrove led off the sixth with his single. Gant ended up being charged with three runs in 5 1/3 innings while giving up four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“The sixth, a couple things go on, but up until that point, what was there not to like?” Matheny said.

Francisco Cervelli broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh inning that pushed Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-0. The Pirates won for just the second time in seven games, but improved to 12-5 inside the NL Central and 4-0 against St. Louis.

Tommy Pham accounted for the Cardinals’ run with an eighth-inning homer, his ninth, off Michael Feliz that snapped an 0-for-16 skid. St. Louis lost its third straight game.

Austin Meadows and Jordy Mercer hit back-to-back triples for the Pirates in the bottom of the eighth and Harrison singled in a run. Meadows is 13 for 29 (.448) with three home runs, five runs scored and five RBs in his first six career games.

“It’s been a lot of fun, playing with a great group of guys and having some things go my way so far,” Meadows said. “I really couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Harrison, Bell, Dickerson, Meadows and Mercer each had two of Pittsburgh’s 12 hits.

St. Louis’ Marcell Ozuna and Jedd Gyorko had two hits apiece. Ozuna returned to the lineup after being scratched from Wednesday’s loss to Kansas City when he overslept and arrived late to the ballpark.

KONTOS GETS DFA’D

Pirates right-handed reliever George Kontos was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Musgrove. Kontos was removed from his role as the primary setup man for closer Felipe Vazquez last week. In 21 games, he was 2/3 with one save and a 5.03 ERA.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LHP Tyler Lyons (mid-back strain) is expected to be activated from the DL on Saturday. … RHP Alex Reyes (Tommy John surgery) is scheduled to be activated next week after pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out 13 for Triple-A Memphis on Thursday in a rehab start.

Pirates: CF Starling Marte (strained right oblique) went through a full workout before the game and could be activated Saturday. … Cervelli (bruised right hand) returned after missing Thursday’s loss at Cincinnati.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Rookie RHP Jack Flaherty (1-1, 2.31 ERA) earned his first major league win Sunday when he had 13 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings against visiting Philadelphia.

Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (5-2, 3.05) has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his last 15 home starts, dating to June 27.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Even after such an impressive outing, Jack Flaherty just wanted to talk about his hitting.

Flaherty struck out a career-high 13 to earn his first major league win and Tyler O’Neill homered as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 on Sunday.

Making his ninth big league start, Flaherty (1-1) gave up only two hits and walked one in 7 2/3 dominant innings. But after throwing 120 pitches, all the rookie right-hander had on his mind was his first hit in 10 at-bats — a relatively meaningless single in the third.

“I got tired of looking up at the scoreboard and seeing all those zeros by my batting average,” Flaherty said. “So I needed to do something about it.”

Jordan Hicks got four outs to finish the two-hitter and threw the fastest pitch in the majors this season, according to Statcast — a 105 mph fastball to Odubel Herrera in the ninth. Hicks hit 105 mph twice and 104 three times against Herrera, the five fastest pitches in the big leagues this year.

The rookie reliever threw 11 pitches 100 mph or harder Sunday.

Herrera went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, ending his on-base streak at 45 games dating to last season.

“At some point, the streak had to end,” he said. “It’s part of the game. It’s part of baseball. Now, I’m looking forward to starting a new streak.”

O’Neill, who had three hits in the cleanup spot, homered for the second time in two games. His solo shot off Aaron Nola (6-2) in the sixth made it 3-1.

“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable,” O’Neill said. “The best part is that I was able to contribute and we got the win.”

Matt Carpenter added three hits and Greg Garcia drove in two runs to help St. Louis split the four-game series.

Rhys Hoskins homered in the fourth off Flaherty, who retired 10 in a row during one stretch.

“What Jack pulled off is one of the best starts we’ve seen in a long time,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “We pushed him and he responded. There were really no stress innings. He was extraordinary.”

Flaherty was called up Tuesday from Triple-A Memphis when Cardinals starters Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez went on the disabled list. He became the 13th pitcher to strike out at least 13 in a game this season. Flaherty’s total marked the most by a Cardinals pitcher since Martinez fanned 13 on Aug. 29, 2016, against the Braves.

Matheny was considering removing Flaherty after seven, especially with his spot in the batting order coming up to start the bottom of the inning.

“I looked at him and he gave me a dirty look and I thought that was perfect,” Matheny said.

Nola gave up a season-high four runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out six, walked one and had a five-game winning streak snapped.

“They hit me pretty well today,” Nola said. “I left some balls over the plate, right in their paths.”

Garcia broke a 1-all tie with a run-scoring single in the fourth. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

St. Louis improved to 17-7 against Philadelphia since the start of the 2015 season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out 13 in a minor league rehab stint at Double-A Springfield on Saturday. Reyes is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Nick Pivetta (3-2, 3.72 ERA) will face Atlanta RHP Mike Foltynewicz (3-2, 2.87) in the first of a three-game series Monday in Philadelphia. Pivetta tied a career high with 11 strikeouts in a 4-1 win over Baltimore on Wednesday.

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (5-0, 2.63) opposes Kansas City RHP Ian Kennedy (1-4, 4.98) in the opener of a three-game set in St. Louis on Monday. Mikolas has held opponents to two runs or less in his last six starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Vince Velasquez pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, and Carlos Santana and Pedro Florimon each hit home runs in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

Velasquez (4-4) gave up five hits in 6 1/3 innings, struck out five and walked two in recording his third straight win. The Phillies won for the seventh time in eight games and improved to 17-2 against opponents outside of the NL East.

At 25-16, the Phillies are nine games over .500 for the first time since they were 102-60 at the close of the 2011 season. Philadelphia is 24-12 since starting the season 1-4.

Odubel Herrera reached base three times to extend his on-base streak to 43 games, fifth-longest in franchise history. It is also the longest streak in the majors since Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman reached in 46 successive games in 2016.

Santana broke a scoreless tie by slugging a 437-foot drive to center — his team-leading eighth — in the fifth off Luke Weaver (3-3), who gave up one run and four hits over seven innings. Weaver struck out six and walked one for St. Louis, which has lost four of five.

Aaron Altherr drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth that pushed the Phillies’ lead to 3-0. Herrera’s RBI double made it 4-0.

St. Louis cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the eighth on Marcell Ozuna’s run-scoring fielder’s choice and Jedd Gyorko’s RBI single.

Florimon hit a two-run homer in the ninth off reliever John Brebbia.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: LHP Adam Morgan was activated from the 10-day disabled list before the game. He had been sidelined with a back strain. His last appearance was on May 6.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright was shifted to the 60-day DL from the 10-day list due to persistent elbow pain. He was placed on the 10-day list on Monday after a rough start Sunday in San Diego. He walked six batters in 2 1/3 innings. The three-time All-Star is 1/3 with a 4.00 ERA in four starts this season. He has walked 14 batters in 18 innings.

“We just need time,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

C Carlson Kelly was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. C Steven Baron was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Baron was hitting .153.

UP NEXT

Philadelphia RHP Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.59) will face RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.09) in the second game of the four game series on Friday. Arrieta is 8-4 with a 2.27 ERA in 17 lifetime starts against St. Louis. Wacha is searching for his 50th career win.

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dexter Fowler reached base four times and drove in two runs in his return to the lineup and the St. Louis Cardinals beat former starter Lance Lynn and the Minnesota Twins 7-5 on Wednesday.

Matt Carpenter had three hits after being demoted to seventh in the batting order, and Tommy Pham added two hits, including his eighth homer of the year. St. Louis had lost five of seven games, scoring more than three runs just once.

Lynn (1-4) had control issues again, a surprising constant in his first season with Minnesota after six years with the Cardinals. He gave up three runs on four hits and four walks and threw 82 pitches in three innings.

Jordan Hicks (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning in relief for St. Louis. Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas left after 4 2/3 innings after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks.

Bud Norris allowed an inherited run to score on a wild pitch but secured five outs for his ninth save in as many chances.

After declining the Cardinals’ qualifying offer in the offseason, Lynn was left as one of the few big-name free agents lingering as spring training began and he eventually accepted a one-year, $12 million contract with the Twins. Lynn averaged 3.4 walks per nine innings in his time with the Cardinals, a number that has crept to 6.6 per nine innings entering first career start against St. Louis.

Fowler had a two-run single off Lynn in the first and Jose Martinez added an RBI single in the second.

Fowler, who entered hitting .146 this season, made just his second start in the past five games and had two hits and two walks.

Carpenter made a start hitting lower than fourth in the lineup for the first time since 2015 after entering with a .140 average. He had an RBI double in the seventh and his first three-hit game of the season.

Logan Morrison had an opposite-field solo homer for Minnesota in the sixth, his fifth of the season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Luke Gregerson was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement, but manager Mike Matheny said Gregerson has some “bark” in his throwing elbow too. … RHP Carlos Martinez, on the disabled list with a right lat strain, will have another MRI this week to see how the injury is healing.

Twins: C Jason Castro is out for the rest of the season after surgery on Tuesday revealed more extensive meniscus damage in his right knee. Castro underwent surgery to trim a meniscus injury and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks, but Dr. Richard Steadman went through with a full repair after seeing the damage.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (3-2, 4.91 ERA) starts Thursday as St. Louis opens a home series against Philadelphia. RHP Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.59) takes the mound for the Phillies.

Twins: Following an off day, RHP Kyle Gibson (1-1, 3.43) will start Friday at home against Milwaukee. The Brewers will counter with LHP Brent Suter (2-3, 5.14).

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Bobby Wilson hit his first home run in more than a year, Jose Berrios bounced back with strong effort on the mound, and the Minnesota Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Wilson, a journeyman catcher for six different teams in nine major league seasons, hit a slider from St. Louis reliever Luke Gregerson into the left field stands for a two-run homer to cap a three-run seventh inning. It was Wilson’s first major league home run since Sept. 21, 2016 for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Berrios (4-4) surrendered one run on two hits and left after hitting Kolten Wong with a pitch with one out in the eighth. Berrios struck out 10 batters. He had lost three of his past four starts, allowing 18 runs in 18 1/3 innings.

Addison Reed struck out both batters he faced and Fernando Rodney finished his eighth save in 11 chances with a perfect ninth.

Cardinals reliever Brett Cecil (0-1) allowed a double to Logan Morrison to start the seventh. Morrison scored on Byron Buxton’s bunt attempt when Gregerson threw the ball wide of first and into foul territory.

The bullpen wasted another quality outing from rookie right-hander Jack Flaherty, who was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day with Adam Wainwright going on the disabled list. Flaherty had the longest outing of his eight career major league starts with one run allowed in 5 2/3 innings.

Flaherty’s emergence could be a key factor for the Cardinals with Wainwright and Carlos Martinez on the disabled list. Flaherty was cruising until the sixth when he surrendered three consecutive two-out hits to tie the game.

Wilson was recalled last week when Jason Castro went on the disabled list with a meniscus tear in his right knee. The 35-year-old spent the entire 2017 season in the minors with Oklahoma City in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He hit seven homers in 75 games while playing for three different major league teams in 2016.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Martinez is still rehabbing a strain to his right lat and manager Mike Matheny said it’s unlikely Martinez would be able to return in time to start this weekend at home against Philadelphia.

Twins: 3B Miguel Sano (left hamstring strain) worked out again prior to the game but doesn’t appear close to a return. Manager Paul Molitor said Sano is unable to run at maximum effort.

UP NEXT

Twins right-hander Lance Lynn (1-3, 7.34 ERA) will make his first start against his former team on Wednesday afternoon as the two teams wrap up a two-game series. Lynn allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings in his last start. St. Louis counters with right-hander Miles Mikolas (5-0, 2.51), who has given up one run or less in four of his last five starts.

— Associated Press —