PHOENIX (AP) — Three weeks in the minor leagues improved Randal Grichuk’s swing.

Grichuk hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and drove in five runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-4 Thursday.

In his fourth big league season, Grichuk was sent down May 29 and recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday after 15 games in the minors.

“I definitely took it as a wake-up call,” he explained. “I said, let’s go and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

He homered in each of his first two games back, using a shorter swing, but was 0 for 9 entering Thursday.

Arizona led 3-2 with two outs in the seventh when pinch-hitter Luke Voit doubled off Ruby De La Rosa (0-1) and Matt Carpenter was intentionally walked.

You have an established major-league hitter has a tremendous track record,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

Grichuk sent a 1-2 slider into the left-field seats.

“It definitely shows there’s not respect,” Grichuk said of Arizona’s strategy.

De La Rosa said he tried to throw a breaking ball in the dirt.

“I put too much effort,” he said.

Tommy Pham hit a two-run single off Randall Delgado in the eighth. Grichuk followed with a two-run double, raising his average to .233 with seven homers and 28 RBI. He scored on Stephen Piscotty’s single.

Lance Lynn (6-5) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin gave up two runs and five hits in six innings.

Gregor Blanco hit an RBI double in the third, but Jose Martinez had a two-run single in the fourth. Goldschmidt’s 19th homer tied the score in the bottom half, and Jake Lamb hit an RBI grounder in the sixth after Blanco’s triple.

Lamb homered in the ninth against Mike Mayers.

NO HUMIDOR FOR D-BACKS

Major League Baseball and the Diamondbacks have postponed until next season sorting baseballs in a humidor.

Arizona had “calibration issues” in setting up the device, general manager Mike Hazen said. And with the season approaching the halfway point, MLB decided it would be best to wait until next year, according to Hazan.

Colorado uses a humidor at Coors Field.

DEBUT ONE

Ildemaro Vargas made big league debut when he entered at second base in the eighth inning as part of a double switch. Vargas was recalled from Reno, and Arizona optioned RHP Braden Shipley to the Triple-A farm team. In 74 games for the Aces, Vargas hit .303 with six homers and 43 RBI.

DEBUT TWO

Alex Mejia of the Cardinals was 0 for 2 in his major league debut, stranding four runners. He started at second base and can play any infield position, manager Mike Matheny said. Mejia helped lead the University of Arizona to the 2012 College World Series title.

“It’s pretty nice to get it out of the way,” Mejia said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: OF A.J. Pollock, who has not played for the Diamondbacks since May 14 because of groin and quadriceps injuries, is scheduled to play Friday for Reno and then be evaluated. Pollock probably won’t return to Arizona’s roster until next week, Hazen said.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Mike Leake (5-6) is to start Friday’s homestand opener against Washington. Leake is 0-4 in his last six starts, but his 3.12 ERA is ninth in the NL among qualified pitchers.

Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray (8-3, 2.87) starts Friday against visiting Colorado, which has lost a season-high eight games. Ray is 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last seven starts with 60 strikeouts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randal Grichuk looks good since his return from Triple-A. So does the St. Louis lineup.

Grichuk homered for the second straight game and the Cardinals broke out the bats again for an 8-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

“I feel good with where I’m at mentally and I feel good with where I’m at mechanically with my swing,” Grichuk said.

“It’s one of those things, I think I’m more of a guy who kind of thrives off almost playing stupid — just going up there and seeing ball, hit ball and not overthinking my swing and my stance and how I feel and just letting the body take over.”

Grichuk, who was hitting .222 when he was demoted last month, is 4 for 10 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored since his recall on Sunday. His two-run homer in the fourth inning was his sixth of the season.

The Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep with an 8-4 win over the Pirates on Sunday night. On Monday, a makeup from the April 29 contest that was postponed because of severe weather, they scored eight more runs on 13 hits.

Grichuk and Jedd Gyorko each had two hits, including a homer, and three RBI. Tommy Pham had two hits, walked twice, stole a base and scored three runs. Paul DeJong added three hits.

“They hit a lot of bad pitches and that’s what good teams do,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I just said the same thing about the Nationals. It’s not a matter of having to consistently hit good pitches, it’s taking the mistakes that you get and not missing them and not taking and not fouling them back, not hooking them down the line just foul there and putting it on the barrel.”

St. Louis gave starter Michael Wacha (4-3) more than enough support.

Wacha, who began the day with an 8.17 ERA over his last seven starts, limited the Reds to one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

“I thought he was great,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He did a nice job establishing the bottom of the zone. I think we saw the kind of swing and misses that we were hoping for with the changeup. I do believe that curveball has become a much better pitch. He’s using it to steal strikes. He’s also using it to put guys away.”

Brandon Finnegan (1-1) was activated off the disabled list after missing more than two months because of a shoulder problem. The lefty exited in the fourth with a strained left triceps, an injury he said was different than his previous issue.

Finnegan gave up three runs in the first inning. He allowed three hits and four walks overall.

Pham, starting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, manufactured the first run. He drew a walk, tagged up and took second base on a routine flyout to left-center field, stole third and scored on a passed ball when Stephen Piscotty walked.

“That was great,” Gyorko said. “I haven’t seen something quite like that in a while and it wasn’t on normal plays that you would see. Just great hustle plays and got us a run, got us on the board early and Michael took care of the rest.”

Adam Duvall had a pair of sacrifice flies for the Reds.

STREAKING

Gyorko’s shot extended the Cardinals’ streak to 15 consecutive games with a home run. . The Reds have allowed a home run in 19 straight games, a franchise record. . Yadier Molina’s third-inning single extended his hitting string to 12 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: The Reds activated Finnegan off the DL and optioned RHP Lisalverto Bonilla to Triple-A Louisville. . RHP Bronson Arroyo (right shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) could begin a rehab assignment this week.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Tim Adleman (4-4, 4.30) will open a three-game home series against Milwaukee on Tuesday night. He is 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA in his last six starts.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-6, 2.87) will open a three-game series at Arizona on Tuesday night. He is 2-5 with a 4.29 ERA in seven road starts this season.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randal Grichuk homered in his return to the majors, Yadier Molina had three hits and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Sunday night.

Grichuk, who was sent to the minors on May 29 after struggling with consistency, had two hits — including his solo homer in the sixth inning — and scored twice. Molina, who had missed the previous two games after being hit by a foul tip on the knee, had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a run.

The Cardinals, who had lost three straight, scored four runs in the seventh to break open a tie game. Molina’s RBI single off Juan Nicasio (1-4) made it 5-4 and rookie Paul DeJong’s two-run single gave St. Louis an 8-4 lead.

Trevor Rosenthal (2-3) struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh to earn the win in relief for the Cardinals. Starter Mike Leake went six innings and allowed four runs — three earned — and six hits in six innings.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the second on Greg Garcia’s two-run single, but the Pirates went up 3-2 in the third on Adam Frazier’s two-run triple and Josh Harrison’s sacrifice fly.

Pittsburgh added another run in the fourth on Elias Diaz’s sacrifice fly that scored Andrew McCutchen.

The Cardinals tied the game in the sixth on Grichuk’s homer off Pirates starter Chad Kuhl and Jedd Gyorko’s pinch-hit ground-rule RBI double. Grichuk’s 478-foot homer was the longest by a Cardinals player in the new Busch Stadium and the second-longest in stadium history. Milwaukee’s Keon Broxton crushed a 489-foot shot on June 15.

Kuhl gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

The Cardinals placed OF Dexter Fowler (right heel spur) and LHP Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) on the disabled list and optioned OF Chad Huffman to Triple-A Memphis before the game. St. Louis recalled Grichuk and RHP Mike Mayers and purchased the contract of 1B Luke Voit from Triple-A.

MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT

Voit, who grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Wildwood, Missouri, pinch hit for the Cardinals in the seventh inning for his first major league plate appearance. He was hit in the back by a 96 mph fastball from Jhan Marinez.

Voit is from the same high school — Lafayette — as former National League MVP Ryan Howard and former World Series MVP David Freese. Freese, who was playing third base for the Pirates on Sunday night, sent Voit a congratulatory note before the game.

UP NEXT

Pirates: After an off day Monday, RHP Trevor Williams (3-3, 5.09) will make his 10th start of the season on Tuesday night against visiting Tampa Bay.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.76) will face the Reds in a makeup game against visiting Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. He is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 career starts (15 appearances) against Cincinnati.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When it comes to taking one for the team, the Pirates can count on Josh Harrison.

Harrison was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. He also homered and scored a run after hitting a double in a 7-3 Pittsburgh victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

Jordy Mercer also homered and starter Gerrit Cole pitched six innings for Pittsburgh.

After getting hit by a pitch in the sixth, Harrison has been hit by a pitch five times in his last six games. He leads all major league players with 16 hit by pitches this season.

Getting hit by a pitch is part of the job, Harrison said.

“There’s only been a few this year that haven’t hurt,” said Harrison, who has reached base safely in his last 20 road games. “What I like to say `It would probably kill common man.”

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle likes what Harrison does for the Pirates.

“He creates a wake, a positive wake out there,” Hurdle said. “He’s swinging the bat well. He’s playing good defense. All the things combined, he’s playing really good baseball. He’s a fun player to watch.”

Cole (6-6) extended his winning streak to three games, allowing five hits and one run with five strikeouts and two walks.

In Cole’s four losing starts from May 22 through June 8, he surrendered 23 runs in 19 1/3 innings. Since then, he has reeled off three solid starts. Before Saturday, he allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings in each of his previous two starts.

“I just keep doing my job,” Cole said. “You’re going to make good pitches. You’re going to make bad pitches. You’re going to get hit and you’re going to get away with some. There’s always another pitch and another day.”

Pittsburgh has won four of its last six games.

Slumping St. Louis has dropped eight of its last 11. The 33-40 start for the Cardinals is their worst since 2007.

Lance Lynn (5-5) struggled for the second consecutive start. He gave up seven runs and six hits, including three homers in 5 2/3 innings. In his previous start at Baltimore, Lynn gave up nine hits, seven runs and a season-high four home runs in 4 2/3 innings.

In his first season back after Tommy John surgery, Lynn has given up 20 home runs.

“I know if you look at it from the last two starts, that’s two in a row that you’d like back,” Lynn said. “But I got to make sure I end it at that. You’re going to go through a rut or something like that and you don’t want to do that in the season and right now I’m in that.”

Before Saturday, Lynn had not allowed a run in his past 12 innings against the Pirates. He fired seven scoreless innings in a 2-1 win against Pittsburgh on April 17 at Busch Stadium.

“He made some mistakes and we got him,” Hurdle said about Lynn. “Good for us. He’s been tough on us here.”

Pittsburgh scored in the first on a two-out RBI single by Josh Bell that scored Harrison.

St. Louis quickly tied it at 1-all on Matt Carpenter’s first leadoff homer of the season. It was Carpenter’s 13th leadoff home run of his career.

The homer marked a season-high 13 straight games in which the Cardinals have hit a home run.

The Pirates regained the lead at 3-1 on a two-run, two-out homer by Mercer. Andrew McCutchen singled before Mercer lined a fastball over the wall just inside the left field foul pole.

“He’s steady Eddie,” Hurdle said about Mercer. “He’s raised his average 80 points and now he has seven homers and 28 RBI, which is impressive from where he was from a month ago.”

A two-out solo homer by Harrison in the fifth put Pittsburgh up 4-1.

“I think today was the case of a couple of sliders that got up on him,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I actually thought he was throwing the ball well. Just a couple of mistakes that really cost him.”

The Pirates sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth and scored three runs on just one hit to chase Lynn. David Freese led off with a walk and went to third on a single by McCutchen before scoring on Mercer’s groundout. After intentionally walking Chris Stewart, Lynn walked Cole.

Rookie John Brebbia relieved and promptly hit Adam Frazier and Harrison to give Pittsburgh a 7-1 lead.

The Cardinals added two runs in the ninth off reliever Wade LeBlanc.

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

With the victory, Pittsburgh improved to 10-2 in games played on Saturday this season.

BLACK AND BLUE

Since the start of the 2013 season, Pittsburgh batters have been hit a major league-leading 374 times.

“I don’t try to make anything more of than people maybe just trying to pitch inside,” Hurdle said.

TRAINING ROOM

Pirates: RHP Josh Lindblom (left side discomfort) was activated Saturday from the DL. He remains at Triple-A Indianapolis where he had been rehabbing.

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina missed his second consecutive game. He took a foul tip off his knee on Thursday in Philadelphia.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-6, 5.46 ERA) has not pitched more than five innings since tossing six April 8 against St. Louis, losing a 2-1 decision. Kuhl won his last outing Tuesday, a 7-3 win over Milwaukee to snap a six-game losing streak.

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (5-6, 3.03 ERA) has 10 wins against the Pirates, the most he has against any opponent. Leake has not won since May 24 when he pitched eight innings against Los Angeles in a 6-1 win.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates super-utilityman John Jaso usually has one chance to make an impression in a game. On Friday night, he made the most of a rare second chance.

Josh Bell and Jaso homered as the Pittsburgh Pirates broke their Busch Stadium hex with a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jaso, who entered as part of a double switch in the eighth inning, drove a 3-2 pitch from Seung Hwan Oh (1-4) over the wall in right-center to break a 3-3 tie in the ninth as the Pirates broke a seven-game losing streak in St. Louis.

The eventual game-winning homer came one pitch after Jaso checked his swing on a possible strike three, but third base umpire Alan Porter ruled Jaso’s bat did not break the plane of the plate.

“I definitely held up on that swing,” Jaso said. “I think it was just an intense situation so everybody was jumping around, including the crowd and everything, but, no, I didn’t go.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny thought the pitch itself was strike three.

“As I saw it with the naked eye it didn’t necessarily look like it, but what I’m hearing that the strikes called showed it for a strike, but it’s a strike when they call it a strike,” Matheny said.

Four of Jaso’s five home runs have come in the seventh inning or later and four broke ties.

“I try and keep everything exactly the same that way there’s no ups and downs,” Jaso said.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said that consistency has made Jaso into one of baseball’s best pinch-hitters.

“A lot of people get caught up in the hair,” Hurdle said referring to Jaso’s hair style. “There’s a baseball player in there. He’s a free spirit but he’s a very controlled free spirit as far as working well with the team.”

Jameson Taillon threw 104 pitches in six innings, both highs since coming back from testicular cancer surgery on June 12. Only one of the four hits the Pirates righty allowed left the infield.

“I can be a little better about pounding the zone early in counts,” Taillon said. “When I’m efficient that’s where I have success just going middle down, power sink.”

Felipe Rivero (3-1) pitched the Pirates out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth. Rivero worked around a ninth-inning walk to secure the win.

Bell’s homer gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Bell’s 14 home runs are the second-most by a Pirates rookie before the All-Star break since Ralph Kiner’s 15 in 1946.

David Freese walked and scored to tie it 2-2 in the fourth. Freese advanced to third on a throwing error by second baseman Paul DeJong, the seventh by the Cardinals in their last three games which have led to seven unearned runs.

Freese’s two-out RBI single off Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth tied the game 3-3. Freese has hit safely in 13 of 14 games against his former team.

Adam Wainwright got through seven innings for the third time this season and the first time since May 27. Only one of the two runs Wainwright allowed was earned after he had allowed 18 runs in his previous 5 1/3 innings.

Jose Martinez’s two-run homer, his second in three games, gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second.

DeJong’s solo home run gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the seventh. It was DeJong’s fourth homer in his last seven games.

WEB GEMS

Matt Carpenter made a diving stop in the first and Tommy Pham made a diving catch in the second for the Cardinals, each saving would-be singles.

Gregory Polanco made a diving catch to start a 9-3 double play for the Pirates in the sixth.

TRAINING ROOM

Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli is on the seven-day concussion DL for the second time this month.

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler (quadriceps) missed his second straight game. … C Yadier Molina was a late scratch after taking a foul tip off his knee on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (5-6, 4.28 ERA) has pitched at least six innings while allowing two earned runs or less in seven straight starts. He is 5-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 11 career starts against St. Louis.

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (5-4, 3.33 ERA) has not allowed a run to Pittsburgh in his last 12 innings, including seven shutout innings on April 17. He is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA in seven starts against NL Central opponents this season.

— Associated Press —

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola felt like himself again.

Nola pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning, Freddy Galvis and Tommy Joseph homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 Thursday to stop a five-game losing streak.

Nola (4-5) allowed one run, four hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings and struck out eight.

“I know what I’m capable of and know what I can do,” Nola said. “Today was me. I felt confident in all of my pitches.”

The 24-year-old right-hander had a promising start to his career, but he did not pitch after July 20 last season because of right elbow trouble. He has been inconsistent this season.

“That looked like the old Nola, and that was great to see,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “That’s the Nola we have come to love. He was outstanding, hitting paint on both sides.”

Joseph drove in three runs as Philadelphia, a major league-worst 23-48, won for just the second time in 15 games.

“Positive vibes, right?” Joseph said. “You have to keep your heads up. It’s a long season. It’s easy to get lost in the record, but we have the opportunity to make a personal difference and team difference every day.”

Paul DeJong homered on a hanging curveball leading off the eighth, pulling the Cardinals to 3-1, and Matt Carpenter walked with one out. Pat Neshek relieved and got Tommy Pham to ground into an inning-ending double play, and Luis Garcia followed with a perfect ninth.

Carlos Martinez (6-6) gave up three runs — two earned — and six hits with four strikeouts in six innings. The Cardinals, who made three errors, had won their previous five games against the Phillies.

“He was making pitches on the corners, getting a little help early and a lot of early outs so that kept hit pitch count down,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Nola. “His breaking ball was good.”

Galvis homered in the first and Joseph leading off the fifth. With two on and two outs, Andres Blanco scored from second on an errant flip to second by shortstop Aledmys Diaz after his fine grab of Galvis’ liner up the middle.

Left fielder Jose Martinez dropped Odubel Herrera’s fly ball in the eighth for a two-base error, and Joseph followed with a two-run, two-out single.

BASERUNNING GAFFE II

Herrera was picked off third base in the fourth inning. In Wednesday’s 7-6 loss, Herrera ran through third-base coach Juan Samuel’s stop sign in the ninth and was out by 10 feet.

“I can’t say I was happy,” Mackanin said. “You have to be aware. He didn’t take that hard step back. I’m not pleased about it.”

GOING DEEP

St. Louis has homered in 11 straight games and has 20 home runs since June 16. The Cardinals had scored four or more runs in their previous 11 games.

STREAKING I

Cardinals’ Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a seventh-inning single. He is batting .293 over the stretch.

STREAKING II

Neshek extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 innings while making it 18 straight innings at home without allowing a run.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dexter Fowler did not play, a day after experiencing left quadriceps tightness.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (7-5, 5.75) is to start for St. Louis as the Cardinals open a three-game home series against the Pirates. Wainwright set career highs for earned runs (nine) and home runs allowed (three) over 1 2/3 innings in a 15-7 loss Saturday at Baltimore, the shortest start of his big league career.

Phillies: Philadelphia opens a nine-game trip at Arizona on Friday night. Mark Leiter (0-0) was in the clubhouse Thursday and is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make his first big league start. The 26-year-old right-hander, who made 12 relief appearances for the Phillies earlier this season, is a son of former big league pitcher Mark Leiter and the nephew of former pitcher Al Leiter.

— Associated Press —

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Cardinals used the long ball to rally and small ball to win.

Tommy Pham’s second solo homer off Hector Neris in the ninth inning tied it and the St. Louis Cardinals came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 in 10 innings Wednesday night.

Jedd Gyorko hit a two-run homer and pinch-hitter Jose Martinez also connected for St. Louis.

“Any time you come back like that, it feels real good, shows we have a lot of character,” Pham said.

The game went to extra innings after Freddy Galvis lined a double down the left-field line with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Odubel Herrera ran through a stop sign, around third-base coach Juan Samuel and was thrown out by 10 feet. He didn’t even attempt to slide and was pulled from the game in a double switch.

“I was playing aggressive, I wanted to win the game, I put my head down and kept running,” Herrera said through a translator. “I saw (the stop sign) late. It’s my mistake.”

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Herrera let his “emotions get the best of him.”

Martinez led off the 10th with a double to right off Edubray Ramos (0-6). He advanced to third on a balk and scored when Ramos made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt at first base after Dexter Fowler was intentionally walked. Yadier Molina added an RBI single.

Phillies starter Nick Pivetta had a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed three runs and four hits in six innings. The rookie right-hander fanned nine in seven scoreless innings in his previous outing against Boston — also a no-decision. The Cardinals won their second straight extra-inning game after losing five of six.

The Phillies have lost 13 of 14 and 39 of 50. They have the worst record in the majors (22-48).

Cardinals starter Michael Wacha gave up five runs — two earned — and nine hits in four innings. Brett Cecil (1-2) got two outs to earn the win. Seung Hwan Oh allowed a run but finished for his 16th save in 18 tries.

The Phillies jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning. The runs were unearned because of a fielding error by second baseman Greg Garcia.

After Garcia booted a double-play grounder, Maikel Franco drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice grounder and Herrera ripped a two-run double to right-center.

Garcia made a throwing error in the fourth that allowed another run as the Phillies took a 5-0 lead.

Pham hit his eighth homer in the fifth. Gyorko went deep in the sixth for his 11th homer. Martinez hit one off Joaquin Benoit in the eighth to cut it to 5-4. Pham drove one out to straightaway center to tie it in the ninth.

“He’s a dangerous hitter to any part of the field,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Pham. “An exciting player.”

GOING DEEP

The Cardinals have hit three or more homers in five consecutive games. They have 19 homers since June 16.

FREE BASEBALL

The Phillies have played three straight extra-inning games and 11 this season, going 4-7.

SIGNED AND READY

Outfielder Adam Haseley, selected eighth overall in last week’s amateur draft, agreed to a minor league contract with the Phillies that includes a $5.1 million signing bonus.

The 21-year-old, a left-handed hitter, batted .390 with 14 homers and 56 RBI in 58 games at Virginia this year. Haseley could begin his pro career at Single-A Clearwater.

“Wherever they want me to go,” Haseley said. “I’m just looking forward to getting going.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Fowler left the game with left quad tightness after scoring from second base on a single for the seventh run.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-5, 2.86 ERA) starts the series finale Thursday afternoon. He’s 3-0 with 20 strikeouts in 23 innings in three starts vs. the Philadelphia.

Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola (3-5, 4.76) goes against the Cardinals. He’s 1-1 against them.

— Associated Press —

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tommy Pham wasn’t going to let another cutter get by him.

Pham hit a two-run homer as part of a seven-run 11th inning to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-1 on Tuesday night.

Stephen Piscotty had a two-run double off Casey Fien after Edubray Ramos (0-5) started the inning with two walks. Yadier Molina and Pham followed with homers as the Cardinals had their biggest output of the season in an inning.

“(Fien) threw me a cutter first pitch and I said if he throws me another one I’m going to crush it,” Pham said. “He threw it again and that normally never works, but it worked there. I wish I could predict stuff like that but I can’t. I’m not that good.”

Fien gave up both homers and then a single to Chad Huffman and double to Carpenter before the pitcher was removed. Philadelphia has now lost 12 of its last 13 games.

“Ramos didn’t record an out and he didn’t throw strikes,” said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. “Then we threw balls that were hit. It’s a tough way to lose a game after we had good pitching for 10 innings.”

Mike Leake started the game for St. Louis and allowed one run and three hits in six innings.

Jeremy Hellickson gave up six hits and a run in seven innings. His only blemish was a solo homer for Jedd Gyorko in the second inning.

Both bullpens pitched well until the Phillies’ imploded in the 11th inning. Kevin Siegrist (1-1) pitched one inning in relief for St. Louis to earn the win. The Cardinals relievers pitched five shutout innings allowing just four singles.

Philadelphia scored its lone run of the game on a Maikel Franco RBI single after Leake walked the first two batters in the fourth inning.

“(Leake) was good,” said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. “He trusted his sinker and kept it down and got the outs when we needed it. It’s really hard to complain about anything when he only gives up three hits.”

The Cardinals improved to 4-0 against the Phillies this month. St. Louis is 3-12 against everyone else in June.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes, the top pitching prospect for the Cardinals, is making good progress in his recovery from a UCL tear in his right elbow and could begin a throwing program in about four weeks. Reyes had Tommy John surgery in February and is hoping to be back competing for a rotation spot at the beginning of the 2018 season.

Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with an upper back strain. Eickhoff has struggled this season and is the only pitcher in the majors with at least 10 starts and no wins. However, he is coming off his best start of the season in which he allowed just one run on six hits against Arizona. 1B Brock Stassi was recalled from Double A Reading to take his spot on the roster.

END OF THE LINE

Phillies 1B Tommy Joseph had his 14-game hitting streak come to an end Tuesday. He was 0-for-5. He entered the game tied with Los Angeles Dodgers 3B Justin Turner for the longest active streak in the majors.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.78) had six quality starts in his first seven outings, but has had only one in his last five starts — it came against the Phillies.

Phillies: RHP Nick Pivetta (1-3, 4.46) is coming off the best start of his young career. He threw seven shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox and struck out nine in what was a no decision.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ubaldo Jimenez walked off the mound to a standing ovation, a rare reception for the beleaguered Baltimore Orioles’ right-hander.

Jimenez was stellar in his first start since May 22, Mark Trumbo homered for the second consecutive day and the Orioles took a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 8-5 victory Sunday.

“He knew what we needed and he delivered it,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said about Jimenez. “We basically had a day game yesterday and we’re in a stretch with 20-21 games in a row. Real proud of everybody today. There was a lot of intensity there.”

Baltimore homered 10 times while winning two of three from the Cardinals to improve to .500 (34-34). It was the first time the Orioles won a three-game series since May 29-31 against the Yankees.

Jimenez (2-2) has struggled most of the season and relinquished his starting role to Alec Asher, who also failed to hold down the job. Jimenez will likely stay in the rotation after allowing just two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.

“I just want to fight,” Jimenez said. “Doesn’t matter where I am, I’m going to try to do the best I can. It felt good to be able to be there for the team today.”

Seth Smith and Trey Mancini homered to start the first and second innings, respectively, for Baltimore. Welington Castillo also had a solo shot in the fifth that gave the Orioles a 7-2 lead.

Brad Brach picked up his 12th save for Baltimore.

Dexter Fowler homered for the fourth consecutive game with a two-run shot in the eighth, and three batters later, Yadier Molina had solo home run that pulled the Cardinals to 8-5.

Stephen Piscotty also hit a pair of solo homers for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six.

“We need to get the ball in the air and they were able to keep us from doing it on a consistent basis,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

St. Louis’ Lance Lynn (5-4) allowed seven runs and nine hits with five strikeouts and a career-high four home runs over 4 2/3 innings.

“It’s baseball,” Lynn said. “You go through times when it’s going well and times when it’s going better than you think.”

Manny Machado’s RBI single in the sixth gave Baltimore an 8-2 lead.

THREE BAGGERS

Adam Jones and Trey Mancini each hit a triple in the fifth inning. It was Jones’ first triple since 2015 and the first of Mancini’s career. The Orioles had not hit two triples in an inning since Aug. 14, 2009.

LONG BALL

The Orioles joined the New York Yankees as the only teams in the majors with six players that have 10 or more home runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) has been “resting and strengthening” after going on the 10-day DL on Thursday, manager Mike Matheny said. Wong is batting .304 in 45 games (125 at-bats).

Orioles: SS J.J. Hardy (right wrist contusion) left the game in the sixth after being hit by a pitch. … Reliever Darren O’Day (right shoulder strain) will throw his first bullpen session Monday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (5-6, 3.14) is looking to snap a four-game losing streak when he starts the series opener Tuesday against Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-5, 4.91).

Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (7-5, 3.29) has been Baltimore’s most effective starter and throws Monday against first-place Cleveland and RHP Corey Kluber (5-2, 4.15).

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — During a miserable stretch that dropped them into a last-place tie in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles endured a familiar scenario: A poor outing by their starting pitcher put them in a quick hole, and an overworked bullpen allowed the deficit to grow.

The Orioles flipped the script on the St. Louis Cardinals in a 15-7 victory Saturday.

Jonathan Schoop homered twice and drove in four runs, Manny Machado went deep in a seven-run second inning against Adam Wainwright and the Orioles cruised after building a 12-3 lead in the fourth inning.

“When your starter goes out and lays an egg you’re going to have a hard time winning the game,” Wainwright said. “I pitched terrible and we were behind the 8-ball right away.”

Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo got Baltimore started with successive first-inning shots, and Schoop finished the Orioles’ long-ball display with drives in the fourth and seventh .

In dropping eight of their previous nine games, Baltimore absorbed lopsided losses of 8-2, 16-3, 14-3 and 11-2. In this one, the Orioles took advantage of a struggling starting pitcher and added to the advantage against a trio of relievers.

Wade Miley (3-4) picked up his second win since April 14 despite allowing six runs, five earned, in 5 2/3 innings.

Afterward, he acknowledged that his job was made easier by the performance of Baltimore’s offense.

“It put us in a situation where I can go out there and kind of relax and try to get outs,” the left-hander said. “Obviously they scored some runs, but at the same time, we scored more than they did.”

Wainwright (7-5) gave up nine runs and seven hits, including three home runs, over 1 2/3 innings — the shortest of his 268 career starts. The nine runs and three homers matched the most he’s allowed in any outing.

“This is the last park you want to pitch in if you’re throwing the ball right down the middle with not much action on it,” Wainwright said. “Today was pathetic.”

It was the 11th loss in 16 games for the Cardinals, who got home runs from Paul DeJong, Yadier Molina and Dexter Fowler.

Baltimore led 2-1 before sending 11 batters to the plate in the second. J.J. Hardy and Trey Mancini each hit a two-run double, Schoop singled in a run and Machado delivered a two-run homer.

After the Orioles built a nine-run cushion, Molina hit a solo homer in the fifth and Fowler connected with two on in the sixth before Mychal Givens struck out Eric Fryer with the bases loaded.

Not long after that, Baltimore celebrated a blowout victory of its own.

“It was really good, a really good feeling,” Schoop said. “Hopefully we can keep it up.”

FIELDING GEM

Machado snared a grounder down the line in the eighth inning and drifted past the coaching box before rifling a throw that got Jedd Gyorko at first base.

“To make it even better, I had a good look at it. It’s probably a foul ball,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

SEEN `EM ALL

The Orioles were the only major league club that Wainwright had not faced over his 12-year career with the Cardinals. Baltimore remains one of only five teams he has never beaten (along with the Yankees, Twins, Indians and Rangers).

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha appears healthy enough to make his next start. “He’s in doing his normal two-days after workout. It seems like everything was going fine,” manager Mike Matheny said.

Orioles: 1B Chris Davis (oblique strain) will likely be sidelined through the All-Star break, Showalter said. … INF Ryan Flaherty (right shoulder inflammation) has started a throwing program at the Orioles minor league facility in Sarasota, Florida. … RHP Mike Wright (shoulder) received a cortisone injection in his shoulder Friday and will be shut down for at least three days.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (5-2, 2.69 ERA) starts the series finale. He’s coming off his third scoreless start of the season, on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Orioles: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 6.71 ERA) makes his first start since May 22. He’s made four relief appearances since then, allowing eight runs in 13 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —