CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras yelled as he rounded first base and the ball landed in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs are having fun again, led by their exuberant catcher.

Contreras hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, handing another victory to Jose Quintana, and the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Sunday night to move into a virtual tie for first in the NL Central.

Kyle Schwarber also connected as the Cubs won for the eighth time in nine games since the All-Star break. The World Series champions improved to 51-46, just a few percentage points ahead of Milwaukee after the Brewers (53-48) lost 6-3 at Philadelphia.

“Starting the second half with this kind of energy feels good,” Contreras said.

With one out and Kris Bryant aboard after a leadoff double in the sixth, Contreras drove a 3-1 pitch from Michael Wacha into the bleachers in left-center for his third homer in his last four games and No. 15 on the year.

The 25-year-old Contreras also threw out Yadier Molina trying to steal second ahead of Paul DeJong’s solo homer in the fourth. He is batting .339 (21 for 62) in July.

“He’s doing everything,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s hitting fourth, he’s catching, he’s handling a really good pitching staff, he’s throwing people out, he’s blocking the ball really well and he’s hitting homers.”

Randal Grichuk hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who closed out a 4-6 road trip with their fourth loss in five games. Paul DeJong also went deep.

Coming off his first career shutout, Wacha (7-4) was charged with five runs and six hits in six innings in his first loss since May 30. The right-hander was 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA in his previous four starts, including a three-hitter in a 5-0 victory against the Mets on Tuesday.

“I fell behind a couple of guys and didn’t make a pitch on a few guys when I needed to,” Wacha said. “That pretty much cost us.”

Quintana (6-8) struck out seven in six innings in his first home start since he was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox on July 13. He pitched seven sparkling innings in an 8-0 victory at Baltimore in his Cubs debut last Sunday.

The veteran left-hander wasn’t nearly as sharp this time around, but he was good enough. He shook off some early excitement and allowed three runs and five hits while improving to 3-0 in three career starts against St. Louis.

“Try to be focused inning by inning and, like I said, get my team in good position for a W,” he said.

After Contreras went deep, the Cubs’ bullpen took over. Hector Rondon and Carl Edwards Jr. each got three outs before Wade Davis finished for his 20th save in 20 opportunities, breaking the club’s single-season record for most consecutive saves.

The Cardinals pulled Matt Carpenter in the second inning with right quad tightness, but the first baseman said he doesn’t think it’s serious. Carpenter reached on an error in the first and was thrown out at home when he tried to score on Jedd Gyorko’s two-out double to left-center.

“I hope to be in there tomorrow,” Carpenter said.

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks makes his first start since June 4 when the Cubs host the crosstown White Sox on Monday afternoon. Hendricks, who won 16 games last season and led the majors with a 2.13 ERA, was sidelined by pain in the middle finger of his right hand — quite possibly from overuse.

“That’s probably the problem. Yeah, stop flipping the bird to people,” the mild-mannered Hendricks said with a laugh. “Maybe it was too much, too much of that. You know, driving in Chicago, I don’t know.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake pitches Monday for the first time since he acknowledged after his last outing that he is struggling to maintain optimal body strength between starts. The issue traces back to last year, when Leake was sidelined by shingles and lost some weight and strength. Manager Mike Matheny said Leake’s comment after his shaky performance against the Mets on Wednesday was the first time he had heard of the issue. “It’s something that wasn’t on my radar,” Matheny said. “It’s just something that hadn’t been talked about for quite a while.” Leake is 1-6 with a 5.04 ERA in last 10 starts.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Leake (6-8, 3.39 ERA) gets the ball against Colorado in St. Louis’ first home game since July 9. RHP Antonio Senzatela (10-3, 4.67 ERA) pitches for the Rockies.

Cubs: After Hendricks (4-3, 4.09 ERA) faces RHP Miguel Gonzalez (4-9, 4.89 ERA) in the series opener, RHP John Lackey, RHP Jake Arrieta and LHP Jon Lester start the next three games against the last-place White Sox.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant wasn’t going to let a sprained pinkie and a broken bat hold him back.

They certainly didn’t slow him down.

Bryant raced home from first base on Anthony Rizzo’s bloop double, capping a three-run rally in the eighth inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Saturday in the ever-tightening NL Central race.

Bryant also had a tying, broken-bat single during the comeback. The reigning NL MVP hurt his left pinkie on Wednesday and Cubs manager Joe Maddon considered him unlikely to play this game after the injury kept him out of Friday’s 11-4 loss to the Cardinals.

“KB being able to play was the difference in today’s game,” Maddon said. “The combination of the hit and his speed, I don’t think anybody else scores on that. Maybe Jason (Heyward), possibly. Happer (Ian Happ), possibly. But KB is such a good baserunner. He had it in his head the moment the ball was hit.”

The Cubs began the day one game behind shaky Milwaukee for the division lead, with the Cardinals 3 1/2 back of the Brewers.

A classic pitchers’ duel between Jon Lester and Adam Wainwright kept it scoreless into the eighth.

After Paul DeJong and Randal Grichuk hit two-out homers off Lester for a 2-0 lead, the Cubs came back.

Ben Zobrist’s RBI double with two outs made it 2-1 and chased Wainwright. Bryant greeted reliever Matt Bowman (2-4) with a single that tied it.

Brett Cecil then relieved and on a 3-2 pitch, Rizzo hit a looper to shallow left-center. Bryant ran hard the whole way and slid home feet first as catcher Yadier Molina couldn’t control center fielder Dexter Fowler’s one-hop throw.

Statcast showed Rizzo’s hit landed 252 feet from the plate — it was 270 feet from first to home for Bryant.

“Full count, I got a head start, so that was huge,” Bryant said. “You’ve got to give him (Rizzo) a ton of credit. He worked a great at-bat. Something I take pride in is my baserunning and surprising people.”

Lester (7-6) had a perfect game until Wainwright singled with two outs in the sixth. Lester gave up three hits and struck out 10 in eight innings.

Wade Davis issued a pair of two-out walks in the ninth before fanning Molina for his 19th saves in 19 chances.

Wainwright allowed two runs on four hits in 7 2/3 innings, retiring 14 straight at one point.

“Some of my best execution,” Wainwright said. “My stuff was good, my execution was good and the defense played great behind me, so it was a good recipe. It just didn’t work out.”

EMOTIONAL WIN

Lester wrote the letters “PLACT” written on his cap Saturday and choked up when asked about it following the game.

“My family — I lost my uncle yesterday,” Lester said. “For the Notre Dame fans, he went to Notre Dame, so it’s `Play Like a Champion Today.’ Just to let him know that I was thinking of him.”

“Play Like a Champion Today” is a hallowed sign outside the Notre Dame football team’s locker room.

HENDRICKS READY, MONTGOMERY TO PEN

Kyle Hendricks, who has not pitched since June 4 due to tendinitis in his pitching hand, will return to the Cubs rotation on Monday against the White Sox. The 27-year-old righty is 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts this season after going 16-8 with a major league-best 2.13 ERA last season.

Mike Montgomery will go back to the bullpen to make room for Hendricks, Maddon said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Jose Martinez passed initial concussion-protocol tests after being struck on the side of the head by a foul ball in the dugout on Friday. … Molina (sore right ankle) returned to the lineup. He was a late scratch on Friday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (7-3, 3.71 ERA) and Cubs LHP Jose Quintana (5-8, 4.20) are set to start the series finale Sunday night. Wacha pitched the first complete game of his career in the Cardinals’ 5-0 victory over the Mets on Tuesday and is 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA in July. Quintana, acquired in a trade with the White Sox on July 13, struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings to win his Cubs debut last Sunday.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — For 11 straight batters in the eighth inning, the St. Louis Cardinals were unstoppable.

It was an emphatic response to a heartbreaking loss.

Paul DeJong hit a tiebreaking two-run double in St. Louis’ highest-scoring inning of the season, and the Cardinals cooled off the Chicago Cubs with an 11-4 victory on Friday.

“I’ve never been a part of something like that, scoring nine runs with no outs,” DeJong said. “But I think that really made a statement for us.”

Chicago carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth, looking for its seventh consecutive win. But St. Louis’ first 11 batters reached in its biggest inning since it scored nine in the eighth against the Cubs on Aug. 30, 2014, at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals made the most of a combined six walks by three relievers while improving to 4-4 since the All-Star break.

“We just pitched badly for one inning, and some really good pitchers had a tough time,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.

St. Louis blew a late one-run lead in a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday. The game ended when reliever Trevor Rosenthal was late covering first on Jose Reyes’ winning single with two outs in the ninth.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was interested in his team’s response, and his players provided an answer.

“I saw a little bit of everything,” Matheny said. “I saw some angry. I saw some, you know, kind of like you got the wind kicked out of you a little bit, and I think everybody needed a little bit of something and that eighth inning provided a whole lot of wind in everybody’s sail.”

Carl Edwards Jr. (3-2) was pulled after the first three batters reached. Hector Rondon then walked Jedd Gyorko, tying it at 3, and DeJong followed with a drive into the ivy in right-center for a ground-rule double.

The Cardinals were off and running from there. Carson Kelly hit a two-run double in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Tommy Pham’s two-run single made it 11-3 before Dexter Fowler bounced into a double play.

When DeJong, the 14th batter of the inning, struck out swinging with runners on second and third for the final out, the crowd of 42,186 cheered sarcastically.

“That was a weird, weird inning,” Rondon said. “First time I’ve seen something like that — nine runs with no outs. It’s weird, but it is what it is.”

Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer for Chicago, and Ben Zobrist had three hits. Jake Arrieta pitched six effective innings, allowing two runs and five hits.

The Cubs played without third baseman Kris Bryant, who sprained his left little finger on a headfirst slide in the first inning of Chicago’s 8-2 victory at Atlanta on Wednesday. X-rays were negative, but Bryant is experiencing soreness and there is some concern about gripping a bat.

Fowler had three hits for St. Louis, and Randal Grichuk homered in his return from a lower back injury. Matt Bowman (2-3) got the final out of the seventh for the win.

LOOK OUT

Cardinals outfielder Jose Martinez was struck on the left side of his head by teammate Matt Carpenter’s eighth-inning foul ball while he was sitting in the dugout. He was taken back to the clubhouse for concussion testing.

“The thing was really quick, quick and painful,” Martinez said. “But everything feels better right now and trying to stay like this `til tomorrow. Doctor’s going to keeping having to keep an eye on me and see what’s going to be the symptoms tomorrow.”

Martinez said he didn’t see the liner. Asked about missing the Cardinals’ nine-run inning, a chuckling Martinez said, “I think it’s better when I’m cheering from the training room.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Grichuk and LHP Zach Duke were activated from the disabled list for the series opener. The 34-year-old Duke, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery last October, retired the only two batters he faced in the seventh. … All-Star C Yadier Molina was scratched with right ankle discomfort. He was available off the bench, but didn’t play. Kelly replaced him in the lineup.

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (right hand tendinitis) is on track to return to the rotation early next week, but Maddon wasn’t ready to provide an exact day just yet.

UP NEXT

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright (11-5, 5.08 ERA) and Cubs left-hander Jon Lester (6-6, 4.07 ERA) start the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon. Wainwright is 4-0 with a 4.18 ERA in his last four starts. Lester pitched seven crisp innings in a 4-3 victory at Atlanta on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Reyes once was one of the fastest players in baseball. Now in his 15th season, he may have lost a step or two.

He was still speedy enough Thursday.

Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was late covering first base on a grounder by Reyes that turned into a game-winning single with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the New York Mets over St. Louis 3-2.

A leadoff walk and T.J. Rivera’s single put runners on the corners with two outs. Reyes then hit a grounder up the first base line, and Matt Carpenter fielded it cleanly well behind the bag.

Rosenthal (2-4) was slow to leave the mound, and Reyes easily beat him to the base with a headfirst dive.

“I saw the first baseman playing way back and I said in my mind if you hit something there, you know, hustle to first base,” Reyes said. “When I saw the pitcher, he was standing on the mound for like two seconds and I said, man, it’s going to be tough for him to beat me to first base.”

Carpenter never even made a throw. Rosenthal hurdled Reyes as they crossed paths.

“I knew he was playing behind the bag. I got caught looking,” Rosenthal said. “It’s a fundamental play, a PFP. If we expect guys to play defense behind us, we’ve got to do our part, too.”

Apparently, all the pitchers’ fielding practice in spring training didn’t pay off.

“You got to get over. I turned and looked to throw and he’s nowhere close,” Carpenter said.

Reyes’ fourth career walkoff RBI gave the Mets a split of the four-game series.

“If the pitcher gets off the mound right away I don’t think he makes it,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “But when you delay like that and you’ve got a guy that runs like Jose runs, who runs hard all the time, that’s going to be a tough play.”

Addison Reed (1-2) pitched a perfect ninth.

Tommy Pham drove reliever Erik Goeddel’s 3-1 changeup into the lower deck in left field to give the Cardinals a 2-1 advantage in the eighth. It was Pham’s 13th home run of the season and third against the Mets.

Pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores homered in the bottom half off Brett Cecil to tie it.

On an oppressively hot afternoon, both starting pitchers did their part to keep the bats cool.

A couple of hours before first pitch, Seth Lugo sat in front of his locker strumming a guitar adorned with the Mets logo, a relaxed look on his face.

The right-hander took that vibe to the mound, keeping the Cardinals off balance with a dizzying curveball and hurling 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball behind a career-high 103 pitches.

Lugo did not allow a hit until two outs in the fifth, when Greg Garcia lined a double into the right field corner.

Lance Lynn allowed one run on three hits in six innings.

Lucas Duda homered into the Cardinals’ bullpen to lead off the second, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead and snapping Lynn’s scoreless streak at a career-high 14 1/3 innings.

It was Duda’s 17th of the season and the 125th of his career, moving him ahead of Todd Hundley for sole possession of seventh place on the franchise’s all-time home run list.

After Carpenter worked a one-out walk in the sixth, Pham hit an RBI double.

BULLPEN SHUFFLE

The Mets activated reliever Josh Smoker from the disabled list. The hard-throwing lefty had been out more than a month with a strained shoulder. He is 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA in 22 games. RHP Neil Ramirez was designated for assignment. He was 0-1 with a 7.18 ERA in 29 games combined with San Francisco and New York.

PUTTING ON THE SHIFT

Asdrubal Cabrera, who began the season as the Mets’ shortstop but moved over to 2B about a month ago to fill in for the injured Neil Walker, will begin taking grounders at 3B. Cabrera is expected to see action there when Walker returns, Collins said.

Walker (partial tear of left hamstring) is set to begin a rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas and could be activated on Monday in San Diego. He will also take ground balls at third as well as at first base.

“We’ve got to start to use a little bit of the versatility that those guys bring to give us a chance each and every day, perhaps adjust the lineup by moving those guys around a little bit,” Collins said.

Cabrera, a two-time All-Star, has played third only once in the majors. Collins believes the shift will also help his marketability.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Randal Grichuk (lower back strain) was 1 for 4 with a three-run homer for Double-A Springfield on Wednesday night. Manager Mike Matheny said the Cards would make sure Grichuk was feeling good after the rehab game and decide where he goes from there.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis will open a three-game set at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs. RHP Carlos Martinez (6-8, 3.36 ERA) faces RHP Jake Arrieta (9-7, 4.17 ERA) in the series opener. The Cardinals have lost Martinez’s last five outings, despite three of them being quality starts.

Mets: Oakland visits Citi Field this weekend for the first time since June 2014. LHP Steven Matz (2-3, 4.58 ERA) starts for the Mets, looking to avoid losing his third straight after being charged with seven runs while only retiring three Rockies batters on Sunday. The Athletics counter with rookie RHP Paul Blackburn (1-0, 1.83 ERA), who has lasted at least six innings in all three starts since making his debut earlier this month.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Staked to an early lead, Jacob deGrom pitched into the seventh inning and won his career-best seventh straight start as the Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 on Wednesday.

New York jumped on Mike Leake (6-8) for seven runs in the first two innings and cruised from there behind deGrom to snap a three-game losing streak.

DeGrom (11-3) settled down after a 25-pitch first inning, allowing seven hits and striking out three. He was pulled with two outs in the seventh after Luke Voit’s double scored Greg Garcia for the Cardinals’ first run.

The Mets sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and strung together three straight run-scoring hits with two outs, capped by Wilmer Flores’ RBI single.

New York added four more runs off Leake in the second, only one of them earned. Third baseman Jedd Gyorko’s throw sailed into right field on what could have been a double-play grounder by Asdrubal Cabrera. Jay Bruce followed with an RBI single and Yoenis Cespedes doubled to right to make it 5-0.

Jose Reyes drove in two more runs with a single to center, and Leake, who came in with the sixth-best ERA in the National League, was pulled after two innings.

In the eighth, St. Louis loaded the bases with two outs and Magneuris Sierra drove in two runs with a single off Jerry Blevins. Out of pinch hitters, Cardinals manager Mike Matheney sent pitcher Adam Wainwright to plate, and he drew a walk to chase Blevins.

Addison Reed struck out Voit to end the threat and retired the Cardinals in the ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.

JUST BEING CAUTIOUS

Cespedes, who missed Sunday’s game with a sore hip, drew the attention of manager Terry Collins after doubling in the second inning. He was slow out of the batter’s box and gingerly went in standing at second base. After a brief timeout, he stayed in the game. In the third, Cespedes didn’t run at full speed on a fly ball to left that dropped in front of him for a hit.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets 2B Neil Walker is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas. Walker, who has been on the disabled list since June 15 with a partial tear in his right hamstring, expects to join the Mets on Monday in San Diego. Veteran Astrubal Cabrera has been playing second base in Walker’s absence and said he’s been taking grounders at third and first in anticipation of his teammate’s return.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (8-6, 3.40) starts Thursday afternoon in the season series finale against Mets RHP Seth Lugo (4-2, 4.50). Lynn, who has won his last two starts, is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA in six career starts (eight appearances) against New York, but holds a 0-3 record with a 3.55 ERA in two starts (three appearances) at Citi Field.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Wacha busted it out of the batter’s box on a hot night and was thinking about an RBI as he raced down toward first base trying to beat out a double play during a big second inning.

Not only did he do that, he also threw a three-hitter for his first career shutout, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 5-0 on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, I am not fast by any means, but I was just trying to get down there and beat it out,” said Wacha (7-3), who previously pitched 11 days ago.

Despite a slow start that has them one game under .500, the Cardinals were able to move within 3 1/2 games behind the National League Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers thanks to Wacha, who won his fourth consecutive start, and Matt Carpenter, who had four hits.

“Oh, it was awesome. He came out from the first pitch and you could tell he had good stuff,” said Carpenter, who picked up his 10th-career four-hit game and first since May 31, 2016, at Milwaukee.

Wacha struck out eight and walked one in his 99th start, allowing only three runners to reach second base.

The 26-year-old right-hander, who was ineffective last season, had not won four straight starts since the 2013 playoffs when he helped lead St. Louis to the World Series.

There were rumors off a possible move to the bullpen for Wacha prior to this season, but St. Louis manager Mike Matheny always thought otherwise.

“You can’t forget, it was ’13 and this kid came on the scene and then pitched on the big stage and threw some of the better games that we had seen,” Matheny said. “And that stuff, when he’s healthy, that stuff is right. You know days like this I know reaffirm for him the kind of pitcher that he should be. We see it. Just want to continue to watch it.”

Wacha and the Cardinals capitalized on a shoddy Mets defense that let down starter Rafael Montero (1-6) with three errors. Montero allowed four runs, two earned, in six innings. New York has lost three straight and eight of 11.

“We’ve talked about it. In this league you can’t give away outs,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Big league teams, you can’t give them extra outs. They capitalized on them, and with Wacha pitching like he did tonight, a pretty dominant performance, you let him have some extra runs, they’re going to beat you.”

The first of Carpenter’s four hits was a first-inning double into the right field corner. He advanced to third on third baseman T.J. Rivera’s throwing error and scored on Jedd Gyorko’s sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals took advantage of two more miscues during a three-run second inning. Wacha grounded into what could have been a double play, but shortstop Jose Reyes had trouble getting the ball to first. Carpenter doubled over left fielder Yoenis Cespedes’ head to make it 2-0. St. Louis added another run when Rivera couldn’t field Tommy Pham’s grounder, allowing Wacha to score

“He was locating the fastball well, throwing 93 to 97, 98 and his breaking ball was good,” said Mets catcher Rene Rivera. “He got one of the best catchers in baseball behind the plate with Yadi (Molina) mixing up pitches.”

COMEDY OF ERRORS

The Mets’ three errors tied a season high. Rivera’s first of two errors came in the first inning when his throw pulled Lucas Duda off the bag at first, allowing Carpenter to advance to third and later score on a sacrifice fly. With runners on the corners and one out in the seventh, Duda was charged with an error after he failed to catch Molina’s pop up in foul territory. Molina then singled to center to drive in a run.

POLITICALLY CORRECT

Sitting in the third row near the Mets dugout, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie caught a foul ball in the top of the third inning. The embattled politician, who posed for pictures with fans throughout the game, was booed after fans realized he was the one who’d snared the ball with his bare left hand. He gave the souvenir to a kid seated a few rows behind him.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Each of Carpenter’s first three hits came on the first pitch. He didn’t have too much luck when he singled to right field on the second pitch in his fifth and final at-bat in the eighth inning. “The third at-bat it was mainly the guys in the dugout (saying), `You won’t do that again’,” Carpenter recalled. “So I did it and then had to go back to being myself after that. Had to wait. Out of my comfort zone.”

UP NEXT

Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (10-3, 3.48) starts Wednesday night against Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (7-6, 3.14 ERA). DeGrom has won a career-best six straight starts with a 1.53 ERA dating to June 12. He’s struck out 47 and walked nine during that stretch.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul DeJong homered against the New York Mets for the fourth straight game and Adam Wainwright hit an RBI double while winning his fourth consecutive start, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-3 victory Monday night.

With runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth inning, slugger Yoenis Cespedes grounded into a game-ending double play on a 3-0 pitch from Brett Cecil.

Tommy Pham capped a six-run sixth with a three-run homer on Hansel Robles’ second pitch since returning from the minors. Four relievers combined on 3 1/3 spotless innings for St. Louis, which took the opener of a four-game series between losing teams that expected much better this season.

Michael Conforto and Lucas Duda homered off Wainwright (11-5), who beat scuffling starter Zack Wheeler (3-7) for the second time in 10 days.

Wainwright allowed two earned runs and was removed in the sixth. Moments earlier, Jose Reyes dashed all the way around to score on his own double when rookie right fielder Magneuris Sierra made two errors on the play — booting the ball in the alley before overthrowing third base.

Reyes slid headfirst across the plate and remained on his belly for a few seconds, catching his breath. But the Mets managed only two more hits, and Cecil got three outs for his first save since June 19, 2015, with Toronto.

The left-hander had just squandered a one-run lead in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh.

Conforto snapped a scoreless tie with a leadoff homer in the fifth, but Wheeler quickly ran out of gas in losing his fifth straight decision. The right-hander escaped the fifth unscathed after issuing three two-out walks in a row, but couldn’t do the same in the sixth.

Slow-footed Yadier Molina reached on a rare infield single with a slow roller toward shortstop. DeJong then connected on a full-count fastball from Wheeler to put the Cardinals ahead.

The rookie shortstop was 9 for 12 with seven extra-base hits and a homer in each game as the Cardinals took two of three from the Mets in St. Louis from July 7-9. He went 2 for 2 with a homer and a double off Wheeler in the middle game of the series.

Kolten Wong singled and, one out later, Wainwright doubled to right-center to make it 3-1, giving him 10 RBI for the second straight season. Matt Carpenter walked against Josh Edgin before Pham homered into the second deck in left-center off Robles, demoted to Triple-A on May 23 after serving up a string of home runs.

New York (41-49) has dropped seven of 10.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Randal Grichuk (lower back strain) could return Thursday, the first day he’s eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list. … LHP Zach Duke is making a speedy recovery from Tommy John surgery last October and could be ready to rejoin the Cardinals’ bullpen fairly soon, manager Mike Matheny indicated. Duke is rehabbing at Triple-A Memphis.

Mets: Cespedes returned to the lineup after sitting out Sunday with a sore left hip. … 2B Neil Walker (left hamstring) did some running and was set to take grounders on the field. Mets manager Terry Collins said he hopes Walker can begin playing rehab games by this weekend. The switch-hitter has been on the DL since June 15. … LHP Josh Smoker (strained shoulder) was scheduled to make another rehab appearance for Double-A Binghamton. … RHP Noah Syndergaard (torn lat muscle) and RHP Matt Harvey (shoulder) began their throwing programs by playing catch together at Citi Field, their first steps toward returning to the mound.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (6-3, 4.10 ERA) starts the second game of the series Tuesday night against RHP Rafael Montero (1-5, 5.77). Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in his last three outings and hasn’t lost since May 30 against the Dodgers. It will be his first start since July 6.

— Associated Press —-

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates closed their series against the St. Louis Cardinals the same way they began it: with a walkoff win.

Adam Frazier’s game-ending single capped a two-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted Pittsburgh to a 4-3 victory Sunday.

Francisco Cervelli reached on an infield single leading off the ninth against Brett Cecil (1-3), and Jordy Mercer’s one-out double scored pinch-runner Josh Harrison with the tying run. Jose Osuna grounded out, David Freese was intentionally walked and Frazier lined a single to center.

Frazier’s hit was the first walkoff hit of his career and it came just two days after Josh Bell got his first with a three-run homer in the ninth off Seung Hwan Oh.

“We hung around,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We gave up two leads, battled back and had a nice, strong ninth inning with some good at-bats. I’m proud of the men and I’m proud of the fight.”

Wade LeBlanc (4-2) pitched a hitless ninth. Pirates starter Trevor Williams gave up two runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Yadier Molina had put St. Louis ahead 3-2 with an eighth inning home run, the first allowed by Juan Nicasio this year.

“I think it’s been like that all year,” Frazier said. “We went through some adversity. It’s just fighting until the last out.”

Pirates starter Trevor Williams gave up two runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He singled in the third for his first major league hit after an 0-for-21 start at the plate.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (7-8) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, and had an RBI single in the sixth.

Andrew McCutchen’s run-scoring single put Pittsburgh ahead in the fifth, and Matt Carpenter’s RBI double tied the score in the fifth.

Max Moroff hit his first big league home run for the Pirates, a line drive off the right-field foul pole in the fifth. Moroff had 18 homer runs this season with Triple-A Indianapolis but was 4 for 48 in the majors.

“I hit the ball on the barrel for the first time in a while,” he said.

Williams had started his MLB career 0 for 21 before his single to right in the third.

HOT START

Cardinals rookie Magneuris Sierra, brought back from Triple-A on Saturday, had four hits, stole a base and scored a run. Cardinals rookie Magneuris Sierra, brought back from Triple-A on Saturday, had four hits and scored a run. He has reached safely in nine straight games to start his big league career, the first Cardinals player to accomplish the feat.

Three of the hits never left the infield.

“I’m definitely aware that my speed can cause the other team some damage and help my team,” he said through a translator. “As soon as I make contact, I really take advantage of the opportunity to get on base.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (10-5, 5.20 ERA) is to start Monday at the New York Mets. He is 8-2 in his last 11 starts, winning his last three.

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.96 ERA) is slated to open at series at home against Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in five starts since a June 14 loss to Colorado.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lance Lynn grew up hitting from both sides of the plate, a notion the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher abandoned when he reached college at Ole Miss. Better to just hit right-handed and protect his right (throwing) elbow than expose it by trying to step in as a lefty.

Until now anyway.

Frustrated by a swing by his own admission he called “awful,” Lynn flipped to the left side in secret a few weeks ago, hiding his progress from manager Mike Matheny until he felt comfortable enough to broach the subject earlier this month. Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the fruits of his work were on full display. Lynn raked a run-scoring double to spark a two-out rally in the fifth as the Cardinals pulled away for a 4-0 victory.

Sure, Lynn (8-6) kept the Pirates off balance for 6 1/3 innings to win his second straight start. What he’ll remember is his first extra-base hit as a left-handed batter since high school. He stepped into the box in the fifth against Jameson Taillon with Luke Voit on first and two outs in a one-run game before sending a ball to the gap in left-center, with Voit coming around to score when Pittsburgh centerfielder Andrew McCutchen overran the ball.

“My best swing yet,” Lynn said with more than hint of a smile after boosting his batting average to .091.

Matt Carpenter sent Lynn chugging home with an RBI single and Tommy Pham drove in Carpenter with a double to left field as St. Louis ended Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak.

“I know when pitchers get hits off me, it (ticks) me off,” Lynn said. “Today it kind of worked in our favor.”

Pham finished with three hits for his third straight multi-hit game. Carpenter went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Lynn did the rest. While he allowed eight hits, only one went for extra bases and he used his sinker to get the Pirates to hit into double plays in both the second and the fourth.

“He’s in a good place, he’s throwing the ball well,” Matheny said. “He’s got the movement he’s looking for.”

Taillon (5-3) lost for the first time in nearly a month. The Cardinals pecked away at Taillon for four runs in five innings. Taillon struck out five but tied a season high by allowing eight hits.

“The pitcher, if he just pops that one up or I make a better pitch . I’m moving on and I might go seven, give up one run and it might be a completely different game,” Taillon said.

Francisco Cervelli went 2 for 4 with a double for Pirates. Pittsburgh left nine runners on base and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

“We’ve seen (Lynn), he’s seen us,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said “There’s no secrets. He got us tonight. We got him the last time. We’ll see what happens the next time.”

The Cardinals and Pirates are both trying to find something resembling traction in hopes of remaining within striking distance of Milwaukee in the middling NL Central. Pittsburgh began the second-half with a boost when rookie Josh Bell hit a walkoff three-run homer on Friday night.

The momentum came to a halt against Lynn. Though he retired the Pirates in order just once he kept Pittsburgh in check until the seventh, when he was pulled with one out after giving up consecutive hits to Cervelli and Jordy Mercer.

Reliever Matt Bowman walked Adam Frazier with two outs to load the bases but Pirates All-Star second baseman Josh Harrison — mired in a slump — flied out to left to end the threat. Harrison is hitting just .119 this month after going 0 for 4.

MONITORING MARTE

The Pirates plan to throw OF Starling Marte right back into the fire when he returns from his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Marte is eligible to return on Tuesday against Milwaukee. He is currently in Triple-A Indianapolis and entered Saturday hitting .270 with one home run and three RBI in 10 starts for Indianapolis and Class-A Bradenton.

“If he has a spark right away, maybe we can ride it,” Hurdle said. “If he’s challenged for a few games, we might need to back away. We’re going to assess as we go, day by day.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Placed OF Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day DL with a strained right groin and called up OF Magneuris Sierra from Double-A Springfield. The 21-year-old Sierra hit .375 in eight games with the Cardinals earlier this season.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (6-8, 3.40 ERA), coming off two scoreless innings for the National League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, makes his 19th start of the season in the series finale on Sunday.

Pirates: Trevor Williams (3-4, 4.80 ERA) will make his first career start against the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — With the winning run on second base as he stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the ninth, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell could feel his heart racing.

The rookie tried to get his breathing under control but couldn’t. Adrenaline won out. The Pirates, too.

Bell sent a 1-2 pitch from St. Louis Cardinals closer Seung Hwan into the seats in left field to give Pittsburgh a dramatic 5-2 victory Friday night. Bell’s 17th home run of the season was also his first walk-off hit in the majors, a show of power that gave the Pirates their sixth win in seven games as they try to climb into the thick of the underwhelming race in the NL Central.

“It was cool,” Bell said. “The lights go off and come back on, you’re rounding third and you see all your teammates at home. I haven’t had that feeling since Double-A, and the stadium here is a little louder than that.”

Adam Frazier led off the inning with a double and Oh intentionally walked Andrew McCutchen with one out. Bell missed badly at the first offering from Oh (1-5) and then took a ball and a called strike before putting the ball into the seats over the outstretched arm of Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham.

“It was too high. It was a missed pitch,” Oh said.

Bell finished 2 for 3 with four RBI. Frazier added three hits for Pittsburgh, and Gregory Polanco had two hits and an RBI.

Felipe Rivero (4-2) retired the Cardinals on seven pitches in the top of the ninth.

“That game was a bit of a roller coaster,” Bell said. “Setting the standard the first game of this series and the first game of this homestand was big.”

Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Cardinals, but St. Louis was limited to just four hits the rest of the way against Gerrit Cole and three relievers.

“I thought we did a good job of staying in the ballgame, playing tough and Josh coming up big after putting Andrew on,” Cole said.

Both teams sent their de facto aces out to start the second half of the season in search of some early traction as they try to chase down first-place Milwaukee the wide-open NL Central.

Cole put together a wildly inconsistent first half that mirrored the fortunes of his scuffling team. He came in allowing one run three times in his last seven starts, the same number of times he’s allowed seven runs over the same span.

It looked as though it could be another bumpy outing in the first when Gyorko sent a 3-2 slider into the seats in right-center field to give the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead. Cole settled down immediately, allowing just two more baserunners over six innings of work, striking out four without issuing a walk.

Mike Leake wasn’t quite as crisp. He retired the Pirates in order just once in five innings, allowing an RBI single to Bell in the fourth and another to Polanco in the fifth that tied the game, capping a two-out rally created by a rare bout of wildness from Leake, who walked the bases full. He struck out Francisco Cervelli to keep the game even.

Leake left after five, giving up two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and five walks, his highest total since May 22, 2015, while pitching for Cincinnati. Leake hinted plate umpire Jerry Layne’s strike zone was part of the problem.

“It wasn’t consistent,” Leake said. “If you have a consistent zone, it’s all right.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Placed OF Randal Grichuk (lower back strain) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled OF Jose Martinez from Triple-A Memphis. Martinez hit .280 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 50 games with St. Louis this season. … St. Louis also activated reliever Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) off the disabled list. … RF Stephen Piscotty left in the bottom of the ninth after straining his right groin while making a throw from the outfield. He was replaced by Martinez.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (7-6, 3.61 ERA) is coming off seven shutout innings in a victory over the New York Mets last weekend. Lynn is 6-6 with a 4.76 ERA against the Pirates.

Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (5-2, 2.73) will make his third career start against the Cardinals on Saturday. Taillon is 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA since returning from treatment for testicular cancer. He was scratched from his scheduled start last Sunday against the Cubs after getting food poisoning.

— Associated Press —