ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lance Lynn said he felt terrible before his start on Sunday.

He made the New York Mets feel even worse.

Lynn pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, and Tommy Pham, Paul DeJong and Luke Voit homered as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 6-0.

“The sinker was good, mixed the ball in and out,” Lynn said. “I was able to keep them off-balance with the fastball and change speeds with it so it worked out well.”

It was Lynn’s longest outing since May 23, when he threw 123 pitches in eight scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.

Lynn (7-6) had a season-low two strikeouts, but he needed just 93 pitches while facing two batters over the minimum. He did not allow a runner past first and lowered his ERA to 3.61.

“He just came after hitters,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of guessing about what he was going to do today. You could tell from the pop-ups he was using the top of the zone well, but when he needed to make a pitch on the inside corner, he had it.”

Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the eighth and John Brebbia pitched a scoreless ninth as the Cardinals finished a 6-4 homestand and moved into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for second place in the National League Central.

Steven Matz (2-2) gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, his shortest outing since June 3. He struck out a season-low one.

“We’re not hitting, we’re not pitching,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “When you don’t pitch the game looks rugged. When you don’t hit, they look even worse.”

DeJong finished 2 for 4 and is 10 for his last 13 and is the first rookie and first Cardinals player in the modern era to have seven extra base hits in a three-game series.

“It was one of those days where I was seeing the ball well again,” DeJong said. “I wasn’t doing too much thinking. Overall, it’s a pretty good series.”

Matt Carpenter reached and scored twice. Yadier Molina had his second RBI in two games.

Pham drove a 3-1 pitch from Matz the other way over the right-field wall to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead in the third. It was Pham’s 11th homer of the season and first in six games.

DeJong’s homer, his third in three games, made it 4-0 in the fourth. Voit greeted Seth Lugo with an opposite field homer, his third in his last seven games, to right to make it 5-0.

Carpenter led off the first with a double and scored to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It was the first time in six games that the Cardinals scored in the opening inning and it broke Matz’s 17-inning scoreless streak, the second-longest of his career.

EARLY EXIT

Pham left the game with right hip tightness after the sixth inning. He was 3 for 3 with two runs scored.

“I didn’t feel like I needed to push through something,” Pham said. “I thought it would be best to just leave the game and get some treatment because my hip was tight. It’s been tight for like two weeks.”

CONFORTO ZONE

Playing for the first time since missing the last 10 games due to a bruise left hand, Mets outfielder Michael Conforto went 1 for 4 with a single in the fourth inning.

“He was locating his pitches, throwing strikes,” Conforto said of Lynn. “He was mixing up sinkers and straight ones. He could elevate, he could hit the corners. It makes it tough when a guy can command his stuff like that.”

TRAINING ROOM

Mets: INF Neil Walker (partial tear, left hamstring) is continuing his rehab at the team’s spring training facility in Florida. … RHP Jeurys Familia (blood clot, right arm) is expected to start throwing this week.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (right tricep strain) went 1 for 4 in a rehab game with Double-A Springfield on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (9-3, 3.65) will kick off a 10-game home stand against Colorado after the All-Star break. He is 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies.

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (6-7, 3.12) will start at Pittsburgh as the team begins a 10-game road trip after the All-Star break. He is 10-5 with a 3.33 ERA in 30 career starts against the Pirates.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul DeJong had no guaranties when he was recalled by the St. Louis Cardinals on June 15.

He’s certainly making a strong case for an extended stay in the big leagues.

DeJong homered as part of a four-hit game and Adam Wainwright won his third consecutive start as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 4-1 on Saturday.

DeJong notched his first career four-hit game with three doubles to go along with the homer. He became the first Cardinals shortstop and No. 8 hitter in the modern era to have four extra-base hits in one game.

“It was just one of those days when you’re in the zone and seeing it really well and not thinking too much,” DeJong said. “Just going up there trying to see the ball down the middle and hit it really. That’s as simple as it can be.”

DeJong drove in two and scored twice. He is hitting .625 (10 for 16) during a five-game hitting streak.

“I’m just controlling my emotions in the (batter’s) box, not trying to create anything,” DeJong said. “At times I can get out of my zone and swing at pitches that I shouldn’t be, swinging when I’m trying to do too much.”

Wainwright (10-5) pitched 6 2/3 innings, lasting into the seventh for the third time in his last four starts. Three of the five hits he allowed came in the seventh and he struck out seven, including the side in the sixth inning.

“I thought his cutter slider was his best all season and then he didn’t try to overthrow his fastball,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “I thought he just did a real nice job of executing pitches all day.”

Seung Hwan Oh earned his 18th save in 21 chances. Matt Bowman got Wainwright out of his seventh-inning jam and Brett Cecil pitched a scoreless eighth.

DeJong’s leadoff homer in the third, his second in as many games, gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It is the third time in DeJong’s 34-game career that he has hit home runs in back-to-back days.

“Not surprising to me at all that Paul’s having such a great start,” Wainwright said. “He’s hit in every league he’s been in.”

Yadier Molina’s double in the sixth made it 2-0 Cardinals. It was Molina’s first RBI in five games.

Jay Bruce’s 23rd home run of the season cut the Cardinals’ lead to 2-1 in the seventh. It is a career high for Bruce in the first half of the season and it is the most homers by a Mets before the All-Star break since Carlos Beltran hit 25 in 2006.

Zack Wheeler (3-6) struck out five in six innings in his second start since returning from the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. It was his longest outing since going seven innings on June 7.

“I think the fastball command was there, better than it has been so I’m happy with that,” Wheeler said. “But I made a couple of mistakes to DeJong and Molina and it cost me a couple of runs.”

BASERUNNING BLUNDERS

The Cardinals ran themselves out of scoring chances in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Tommy Pham was caught stealing for the third out with a runner on third and clean-up hitter Jedd Gyorko batting. In the fourth, Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud ended the inning with a strikeout out-throw out double play, catching Molina trying to steal third.

D’ARNAUD’S DAY

Aside from throwing out the two would-be base stealers, d’Arnaud thwarted another potential Cardinals rally by pouncing on a bunt by Wainwright and throwing DeJong out at third for the first out of the fifth inning.

“We always knew he had the arm strength,” Mets manager Terry Collins. “Now he’s got his throwing action back and he’s gotten a lot better.”

TRAINING ROOM

Mets: OF Michael Conforto (bruised left hand) was activated and was replaced on the 10-day DL by Brandon Nimmo (partially collapsed lung).

Cardinals: LHP Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) and LHP Zach Duke (left elbow surgery) each pitched a scoreless inning Friday in their rehab assignments at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, respectively.

UP NEXT

Mets: LHP Steven Matz (2-1, 2.12 ERA) will make his first career start against St. Louis. He has pitched 17 scoreless innings and is just two innings from his career-best 19 scoreless innings in 2016.

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (6-6, 3.87 ERA) needs one strikeout for 858 to pass Harry Brecheen for 11th place on the team’s all-time list. He is 2/3 with a 2.97 ERA in seven career appearances against New York.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Even when he couldn’t keep the ball in the park, Jacob deGrom kept the Mets in the game.

And they hit enough homers of their own to win it.

Jose Reyes and Jay Bruce hit solo home runs to help deGrom win his fifth straight decision, and New York beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Friday night.

Bruce’s homer in the fifth gave broke a 4-all tie. It was his 11th home run in 61 career games at Busch Stadium.

deGrom (9-3) gave up four runs, all on solo homers, in seven innings. It was the first time in his career that deGrom gave up four home runs in a game, but it was good enough to tie his career-best winning streak set in 2014.

“Our guys kept putting up runs for me,” deGrom said. “They’d get a lead, then I’d give it up and they’d get another lead. I figured it was time to figure something out. A couple of those balls, I don’t know if they should have got out but whatever.”

deGrom gave up all four runs before throwing his first pitch from the stretch.

“He had great velocity tonight but location was off,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Everything was up in the zone. He just didn’t have his command, but you look up and he was still out there in the seventh inning.”

Addison Reed earned his 15th save in 17 chances.

Reyes and Bruce each reached base three times and Reyes scored twice. T.J. Rivera also reached three times and drove in two runs.

“I feel like a pitcher’s true job is to keep you in the ballgame and give you a chance to win,” Bruce said. “Jake did that tonight. Gave up four solo home runs, but otherwise kept us in it and gave us a chance. The ace isn’t going to pitch like an ace every single time, but if he can keep you in it that’s huge.”

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (6-8) struggled again, giving up five runs in five innings for a second straight start while failing to record a perfect inning.

“My sinker wasn’t working. It just wasn’t going as planned as I usually have it and all my pitches were landing right in the middle,” Martinez said through an interpreter.

Reyes’ second home run in two games gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. Randal Grichuk and Paul DeJong led off the Cardinals’ third with back-to-back homers to tie it. It was the third time this season that St. Louis has had back-to-back home runs.

Travis d’Arnaud had an RBI single and Curtis Granderson followed with an RBI double to regain a 4-2 lead for the Mets in the fourth.

Dexter Fowler and Jedd Gyorko repeated the back-to-back homer act to lead off the fourth, tying it at 4. It is the first time the Cardinals have had two back-to-back homers in the same game since May 2, 2016.

DeJong went 3 for 3 and was just a triple away from the cycle. Gyorko had a pair of hits and drove in two runs.

NO COLON

The Minnesota Twins signed RHP Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract, ending speculation that the Mets would reunite with the 44-year-old.

“We made a strong effort to re-sign Bartolo,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said in a statement. “But he decided to go elsewhere.”

TOP PICK SIGNED

The Mets have signed their first-round selection, LHP David Peterson, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 first-year player draft. Peterson, 21, who signed for $2,994,500, will be assigned to Class A Brooklyn. He went 11-4 with a 2.51 ERA and a school-record 140 strikeouts this year at the University of Oregon.

WELCOME BACK

Fowler (right heel spur) was activated from the 10-day disabled list before the game and OF Jose Martinez was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. His solo homer moved him into a tie with Matt Carpenter for the Cardinals’ team lead in homers with 14.

TRAINING ROOM

Mets: OF Michael Conforto (bruised left hand) is with the team and is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Saturday.

Cardinals: LHP Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) started a rehab assignment at Double-A Springfield on Friday.

UP NEXT

Mets: RHP Zack Wheeler (3-5, 5.01 ERA) received a no-decision in 3 2/3 innings on July 1 in his first start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. It will be his first career start against St. Louis.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (9-5, 5.48 ERA) has earned the win in his last two starts, even though he gave up six runs in five innings against Miami in his last start on Monday. He is 3-5 with a 5.03 ERA in 11 career appearances against New York.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Luke Voit is living his childhood dream with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals.

And the Cardinals are reaping the benefits.

The rookie first baseman hit his second home run and drove in three runs to help the Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Thursday.

“What a great day for Luke,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ” … This kid continues to take great at-bats in big situations and it’s hard not to have him in the lineup when he’s swinging like he is.”

Voit, who also doubled, started for the fourth consecutive day at first base. He has seven RBI during the month of July, tied for the team lead with outfielder Tommy Pham, and is hitting .333 through his first 11 games in the majors.

“I’m just trying to do my job and try to drive in runs, especially hitting in those key situations,” Voit said. “I’m glad I’m helping the team win.”

“He’s been a game-changer so far,” said Jedd Gyorko, who also had two hits.

The Cardinals, who had lost two straight, earned a four-game series split after winning the previous two series against the Diamondbacks and Nationals.

The Cardinals’ eight hits backed another good outing from Michael Wacha (6-3), who allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.

Marcell Ozuna had three hits and three RBI for the Marlins. Dee Gordon had two hits, scored three runs and stole two bases.

Miami starter Tom Koehler (1-4) allowed three runs and four hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked three. The two hits by Voit were costly.

“An 0-2 curveball that was supposed to get buried and didn’t get there and an 1-0 slider that he did a good job driving the other way,” Koehler said. “That’s a strong boy. He’s got a good swing.”

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Ozuna’s two-out RBI single.

Voit tied it with a solo homer in the second inning. It traveled an estimated 446 feet and landed in the Big Mac Land section of the second deck, the first Cardinal to hit a home run there this season.

“That’s something I grew up wanting to do my whole life,” said Voit, who grew up idolizing former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire. “To do it here is pretty sweet. I’m definitely going to remember that forever.”

Ozuna made it 2-1 with a broken-bat RBI single to right in the third.

Voit had a two-out, two-run double off the right field wall in the third to put the Cardinals ahead 3-2.

Randal Grichuk hit a solo home run, his eighth, in the sixth to make it 4-2.

Ozuna added another RBI single in the seventh.

Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh capped off a strong performance by the St. Louis bullpen. He allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, but locked down his 17th save in 20 chances.

ICHIRO HITS ANOTHER MILESTONE

Ichiro Suzuki’s second-inning single to left field was his 3,053rd hit in the majors, which tied Rod Carew for 24th on the career hits list. His eighth-inning single, hit No. 3,054, passed Carew and made him the major’s all-time hits leader for foreign-born players. Carew is from Panama.

Next up on the career hits list at No. 23 is Rickey Henderson with 3,055.

MAN OF STEAL

Gordon became the third in the majors to record 30 steals this season, following Trea Turner and Billy Hamilton, when he stole second base in the first inning. Gordon added his 31st steal in the seventh. He’s now had 30 or more stolen bases in five of the past six seasons.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Gyorko (left groin tightness) was back in the starting lineup after not starting the previous two games.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Dan Straily (6-4, 3.51 ERA) opens a three-game series against the Giants in San Francisco on Friday night. He is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three career starts against the Giants.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-7, 3.15 ERA) opens a three-game series against the visiting Mets on Friday night. He is 3-1 with a 1.26 ERA in seven career appearances, including four starts, against the Mets.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — It’s official: Giancarlo Stanton’s slump was short-lived.

Stanton homered twice, recording his 22nd career multihomer game, and Marcell Ozuna and Justin Bour also hit home runs as the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 on Wednesday night.

Stanton went 3 for 4 and also walked while driving in four runs as the Marlins won their second straight. He has five hits in his last two games after starting Miami’s road trip in a 1-for-17 funk.

“Most of the time when he gets the barrel on it, it’s gone,” Ozuna said. “Like me, I try to do the same thing but double.”

Dustin McGowan (5-0) gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings of relief, while David Phelps and Kyle Barraclough each pitched a scoreless inning. AJ Ramos earned his 15th save in 16 attempts.

Miami starter Edinson Volquez allowed four runs in four innings, the third time in his last five starts that he failed to complete five innings. Volquez has not lost against St. Louis since April 27, 2014.

Volquez left the game with a sore left knee. He was expected to be re-evaluated Thursday, but is not scheduled to start again before the All-Star break.

“He was having something there that I guess he’s had in the past,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It flared up on him there and he just couldn’t pitch the way he needed to.”

Stanton lined a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Stanton’s second homer, a three-run shot, capped a five-run second. The Marlins, aided by a pair of Cardinals fielding errors by second baseman Matt Carpenter and first baseman Luke Voit, had just two hits during the frame. Four of the five runs given up by St. Louis starter Mike Leake (6-7) in the inning were unearned.

Ozuna drove in runs with a homer in the third and a double in the fourth. It was his third homer in his last four games.

Bour reached four times, with a pair of hits. Derek Dietrich had two hits for the Marlins and Dee Gordon scored twice.

Tommy Pham had an RBI double and scored on Stephen Piscotty’s single as the Cardinals scored three in the third. Pham’s two-run double in the sixth cut Miami’s lead to 8-6.

Leake went 3 2/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season. Just three of the eight runs he allowed were earned.

“Leake didn’t have his best stuff, but he pitched well enough to let us win,” Pham said. “That’s all you can ask from your pitcher. We have to do a better job of going out there and just playing great, mistake-free baseball.”

Four Cardinals pitchers combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief before Seung Hwan Oh gave up Bour’s solo homer in the ninth.

“Any time you’ve got multiple guys hitting home runs, you know that you’ve got people going up there with a good approach and doing the right thing,” Bour said. “It’s a good win.”

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Miami appeared to score again in the third after Ozuna’s home run when JT Riddle was called safe at first base, negating an inning-ending double play and scoring J.T. Realmuto. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny successfully challenged the call at first base, keeping the score 7-0 Marlins.

“It was favored toward our direction, so we took a chance there,” Matheny said. “We’re talking a run, so if its 50-50 even and they (the replay staff) felt pretty good about it from the beginning.”

TRAINING ROOM

Marlins: P Brad Ziegler (right back strain) has started throwing from flat ground.

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler (right heel spur) took drills in cleats for the first time since being injured. … 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Springfield on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Marlins: RHP Tom Koehler (1-3, 8.33 ERA) has given up 15 runs in his last two starts, which lasted a combined 4 2/3 innings. He is 1/3 with a 7.62 ERA in five career starts against St. Louis.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-3, 4.16 ERA) has allowed one run in his last 12 innings, including six shutout innings against Washington on Saturday. He is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in three career starts against Miami.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Christian Yelich’s long drought is over.

Yelich hit a three-run drive for his first homer in 32 days, helping Jose Urena and the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 on Tuesday.

“It’s been a long time,” Yelich said. “I’ve kind of been grinding through some stuff.”

JT Riddle added a two-run single for Miami, which had dropped five of six. Dee Gordon had three hits, and Giancarlo Stanton reached three times.

Yelich erased a 2-0 deficit with the big blow in Miami’s five-run sixth. Gordon doubled with one out and Stanton reached on a throwing error on second baseman Matt Carpenter before Yelich hit a drive to center off Lance Lynn (6-6).

“I would like to have that pitch back,” Lynn said.

Marcell Ozuna followed with a single and Martin Prado doubled with two out to set up Riddle’s big single.

“Hitting is contagious,” Riddle said. “(Yelich) started it and we all just followed.”

It was Yelich’s first homer since he connected for a two-run shot against Arizona on June 2. He has eight homers this season after hitting a career-high 21 last year.

Greg Garcia hit a two-run homer for St. Louis, which lost for just the second time in seven games. Carpenter had two hits.

Urena (7-3) struck out seven in five innings. He was charged with two runs and three hits.

“He’s the type of guy that just grips it and rips it,” Miami catcher A.J. Ellis said. “He’s trusting his stuff more and it shows.”

Drew Steckenrider, Kyle Barraclough and David Phelps each pitched a scoreless inning before AJ Ramos finished for his 14th save in 15 opportunities.

“Nine great innings from all the (pitchers),” Ellis said.

The Cardinals jumped in front on Garcia’s second homer of the season in the fifth. But the Marlins broke loose in the sixth.

Miami broke a four-game losing streak in St. Louis.

GOING IN REVERSE

St. Louis outfielder Tommy Pham went 0 for 4 and struck out four times after reaching base in all five trips to the plate in Monday’s 14-6 win. He went 3 for 3 and walked twice.

IN A PINCH

St. Louis pinch hitters lead the majors with a .348 average (40 for 115). Jose Martinez has a team-high six pinch hits in 14 at-bats. Rookie Luke Voit is 3 for 3.

GONE

Marlins left-hander Jeff Locke was designated for assignment after giving up 11 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of Monday’s loss at St. Louis. Locke was 0-5 with an 8.16 ERA in seven starts. Steckenrider was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: INF Jedd Gyorko was held out of the game after leaving Monday’s contest in the fifth inning with a cramping issue. … INF Kolten Wong will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday. Wong was placed on the 10-day disabled list on June 15 with a triceps injury.

UP NEXT

Cardinals right-hander Mike Leake (6-6, 2.97 ERA) will take on Miami right-hander Edinson Volquez (4-8, 3.97 ERA) in the third game of the four-game series on Wednesday. Leake is 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA in seven career starts against the Marlins. Volquez tossed a no-hitter against Arizona on June 3.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie Luke Voit’s first career homer brought back good memories in St. Louis.

Voit ripped a two-run shot into the batter’s eye in center field on Monday to help the Cardinals to a 14-6 victory over Miami.

The 429-foot blast landed in almost the same spot as the home run hit by Cardinals infielder David Freese in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series.

Voit and Freese both attended Lafayette High in suburban St. Louis.

“I remember watching that,” Voit said. “It’s kind of cool that I did the same thing. Lafayette boys doing it.”

Voit had two hits and drove in four runs in his third start.

St. Louis scored four times in the first inning and seven in the third on the way to an 11-0 lead. Voit homered in the eighth as the Cardinals won for the fifth time in six games.

Tommy Pham reached base five times and drove in a pair of runs.

Adam Wainwright (9-5) added a two-run double and picked up his second successive win.

The Marlins have lost five of six.

Miami starter Jeff Locke (0-5) gave up 11 hits and 11 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Pham had three hits and two walks. But the night belonged to Voit, a local standout who was forced into a curtain call by the roaring crowd after the home run.

“When it left the bat, I knew I got it,” Voit said. “I kind of put my head down and just started smiling.”

Wainwright was glad Voit’s first came at home.

“He did a little Sammy Sosa when he hit that ball,” Wainwright said of Voit’s Sosa-style hop.

Stadium ushers retrieved the ball, which was present to Voit after the game.

“Something I’ve dreamed of doing my whole life,” Voit said. “It was awesome. Running around the bases felt like 10 minutes. I’ll never forget this.”

Wainwright sailed through the first four innings but gave up six runs in the fifth. He struck out Giancarlo Stanton three times. Stanton is 0 for 12 lifetime against Wainwright, who has six hits in 13 at-bats with seven RBI against Locke.

“I think I just take good at-bats against him,” Wainwright said. “It’s just one of the guys you see the ball well against.”

St. Louis jumped on Locke early with four successive hits. Yadier Molina, who went 3 for 3, highlighted the seven-run third with a bases-clearing double that came within a few feet of leaving the park.

Marcell Ozuna keyed the Miami comeback with a three-run double.

J.T. Realmuto had three hits for the Marlins.

Locke struggled from the outset and never got into any rhythm.

“It’s frustrating,” Locke said. “They did all the damage they needed to do in the first inning. It got out of hand real fast.”

Miami manager Don Mattingly felt it was just “one of those nights” for his left-hander.

“Absolutely, nothing went his way,” Mattingly said. “He got hit around from the beginning. It’s hard to say much positive about that outing.”

St. Louis third baseman Jedd Gyorko left the game in the fifth inning with cramps in his left leg and is considered day-to-day.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

The Cardinals’ four runs in the first inning were a season high for the opening frame. The seven runs in the third inning tied a season high. St. Louis scored seven times in the 11th inning of an 8-1 win over Philadelphia on June 20.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Recalled RHP Tom Koehler from Triple-A New Orleans. Optioned LHP Justin Nicolino to New Orleans to make room for Koehler on the roster. Koehler (1-3, 7.43) will start in the series finale on Thursday in St. Louis.

Cardinals: Called up RHP Luke Weaver from Triple-A Memphis. Sent RHP Mike Mayers to Memphis. Weaver, the Cardinals’ top draft pick in 2014, was 7-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 starts in Memphis. He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday.

UP NEXT

RHP Lance Lynn (6-5, 3.90 ERA) will start against Miami RHP Jose Urena (6-3, 3.42) in the second game of a four-game series on Tuesday afternoon. St. Louis has won all seven games in which Lynn has appeared against the Marlins. Urena has given up 11 earned runs in two starts against the Cardinals, covering nine innings.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bryce Harper homered twice against Carlos Martinez, Max Scherzer struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday night.

Harper also doubled and had four RBI to pace Washington, which snapped a three-game skid and had lost five of seven.

The Cardinals had won four straight and six of seven overall, including series victories over the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals.

Scherzer (10-5) allowed two hits and two walks while lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.94. Scherzer’s double-digit strikeout performance was his 10th this season and 59th of his career.

Martinez (6-7) entered the game ranked fourth in the NL in ERA but allowed five runs in five innings. The right-hander had allowed five earned runs over his previous four starts combined.

The Nationals, who scored two runs over the first two games of the series, scored twice in the first inning, with Brian Goodwin leading off with a ground-rule double and scoring on Harper’s 19th home run of the season.

Harper made it 4-0 in the third, driving an 0-2 changeup below the strike zone into the Cardinals’ bullpen. Daniel Murphy followed with a walk, and Anthony Rendon smacked an RBI double to the left-center wall to make it 5-0.

Wilmer Difo and Goodwin added sacrifice flies in the eighth to push Washington’s lead to 7-0.

Tommy Pham’s two-run homer in the eighth, his 10th of the season, off reliever Enny Romero got the Cardinals on the scoreboard.

STREAK OVER

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina’s 16-game hit streak, which tied his career long, came to an end with an 0-for-4 performance.

TRANSACTIONS

The Cardinals announced two trades Sunday, sending international cap space to the Red Sox for minor league infielders Stanley Espinal and Imeldo Diaz and to the Blue Jays for minor league outfielder Lane Thomas.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LHP Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) threw off flat ground on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (9-2, 3.51 ERA) opens a three-game home series against the Mets on Monday night. He is 8-4 with a 2.69 ERA in 14 career starts against the Mets.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (8-5, 5.17 ERA) opens a four-game series against the visiting Marlins on Monday night. He is 5-1 with a 2.64 ERA in eight home starts this season.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Saturday night was one of firsts for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rookie second baseman Alex Mejia’s first two major league hits — including an eighth-inning home run — and Matt Bowman’s first career save were the difference as the Cardinals defeated the Washington Nationals 2-1.

“He’s a stud,” Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha said of Mejia. “He made great plays on defense and then drove in our two RBI. For a rookie that’s pretty amazing stuff.”

The Cardinals have won four straight, taking series victories against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals, and six of their last seven.

Washington, which is the only team in the National League yet to be shut out this season, has lost three straight and five of their last seven.

“Wacha was good and he was very good,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “It was a well-pitched ballgame. … They kept us in the ballpark the last couple days which is hard to do and we’re due to erupt before we leave from here.”

Wacha (5-3), celebrating his 26th birthday, was coming off his best start in more than a month and was even better against Washington with six scoreless innings. He surrendered four hits, struck out a season-high nine and walked one.

“I felt like I was able to command the baseball the way I wanted to tonight,” Wacha said.

Washington left-hander Gio Gonzalez (7-3) was nearly as good against an all right-handed hitting Cardinals lineup that included four rookies. He allowed one run and two hits over seven innings, striking out nine and walking two.

Mejia, appearing in his third game since being called up, provided the offense.

His first hit, an RBI single to center, gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second inning. In the eighth, he deposited the first pitch from reliever Sammy Solis into the left field seats for his first home run and a 2-0 lead.

Mejia then received his first curtain call from the announced crowd of 43,614.

“That was pretty cool,” he said. “That was a really neat feeling, actually, having that many fans support you. It’s just an awesome feeling.”

The Nationals rallied in the ninth, getting an RBI single from Stephen Drew and loading the bases with two outs against Trevor Rosenthal. But then Matheny turned to Bowman and he was able to strike out pinch-hitter Adrian Sanchez looking on the ninth pitch of the at-bat for his first career save.

The final strike was a questionable call that went the Cardinals’ way.

“I saw it a little outside but that’s the way I saw it and I thought I had walked but he called it a strike,” Sanchez said.

500 WINS

Matheny earned win No. 500 on Saturday, becoming the second-fastest Cardinals manager to reach that number behind Billy Southworth. Matheny is also the second-fastest active manager to reach that mark behind Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees.

“The odds of me being around long enough to win 500 were probably pretty low when we started this gig,” Matheny said. “So humbled and grateful and been blessed with some amazing talent in the clubhouse, both on the field and with the staff and the support.”

STREAKING

Yadier Molina’s fourth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 16 games, which tied his career-long. He also had a 16-game hit streak earlier this season.

500 K

Wacha’s fourth-inning strikeout of Ryan Zimmerman was the 500th of his career and came in his 106th game, making him the second-fastest St. Louis Cardinal (after Steve Carlton) to reach that milestone.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: Solis (left elbow inflammation) was activated from the DL. … RHP Jacob Turner was designated for assignment.

Cardinals: LHP Zach Duke (left elbow surgery) appeared in his second consecutive game for Single-A Gulf Coast on Saturday, striking out two in a scoreless inning.

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Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.06 ERA), a St. Louis area native, is 1-4 with a 3.14 ERA in seven career starts against the Cardinals. He is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts at Busch Stadium.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-6, 2.88 ERA) is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA in five career appearances, including one start, against Washington.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mike Leake pitched eight strong innings and Yadier Molina drove in four runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 8-1 on Friday night.

The Cardinals have won five of their past six, while the Nationals have dropped four of six.

Leake (6-6) got his first win since he last went eight innings in a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 24. He was 0-4 with two no-decisions before picking up the victory Friday. He pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits, striking out four and walking three.

A wild Tanner Roark (6-6) took the loss, lasting just three innings. He gave up four hits but walked a season-high five, the final two of which resulted in the Cardinals’ first two runs. Of his 85 pitches in the game, only 46 were strikes.

Molina extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a two-run single in the third and added another two-run hit as the Cardinals scored five times in the fourth off reliever Jacob Turner. Molina scored on Paul DeJong’s sixth homer of the season.

During his streak, Molina is hitting .328 with three home runs and 13 RBI.

SCARY MOMENT

For a few moments in the first inning, it looked as if the Nationals might have sustained another blow due to an injury. OF Bryce Harper was running out a ground ball and, after crossing first and taking two more steps, fell to the ground. Washington manager Dusty Baker and the Nationals’ trainer came out to check on Harper who stayed on the ground for about three minutes before taking his place on first. He stayed in the game and had two walks and was hitless in two at-bats.

DEBUT

Freshly called up INF Adrian Sanchez made his Major League debut as a pinch runner in the eighth inning. He was erased on an inning-ending double play.

A NEW-OLD LOOK

Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter took grounders at second base prior to the start of the game. He played 38 games at the position last year and was the regular starter in 2013. Matheny said he wanted to get him work at second to provide more flexibility on the roster, including possibly playing Luke Voit and Jose Martinez at first.

TRAINING ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong was targeted to return to the team this weekend but will remain on the disabled list through next week’s All-Star Break. Wong was put on the 10-day list June 15 with a tricep injury.

Washington: The Nationals officially placed shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day disabled list with a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist. Turner was hit by a pitch Thursday against the Cubs. The Nationals selected the contract of Sanchez from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday to take Turner’s spot on the roster.

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Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (4-3, 4.50) gets the start on his 26th birthday and is coming off his second consecutive winning decision. He needs six strikeouts for 500 in his career and to tie Hall of Famer Steve Carlton as the second fastest (106 games) to that mark in team history. Current starter Lance Lynn (101 games) holds the record.

Nationals: LHP (7-2, 2.87) looks to bounce back from a loss in his last outing, his first loss since early May.

— Associated Press —