ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward hadn’t planned on using Danny Santana, a day after he was hit in the right ankle by a fastball from Carlos Martinez and forced to make an early exit.

But Woodward learned 40 minutes before gametime Sunday that Santana said he was totally fine. Good enough, certainly, to be a pinch-hitter.

Santana delivered, connecting for a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning and then scoring the winning run in the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Nomar Mazara off Martinez that lifted Texas over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.

“The kid is pretty special, to take 97 in the ankle off the bone and come in and hit a pinch-hit homer the next day and have a huge walk the next at-bat — says a lot about who he is,” Woodward said.

The Rangers rallied for two runs in the 10th and won for the fourth time in five games. The Cardinals dropped their fifth straight series and haven’t won consecutive games since taking five in a row from April 27-May 1.

Santana said through a translator that he was one of the first players in the clubhouse on Sunday morning, took treatment, had his ankle taped and declared himself available.

Santana said that after running from first base to third in the 10th inning on the game-tying single by pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun, he knew he could run home if need be.

Both teams blew leads in the late innings.

Dexter Fowler’s solo homer in the ninth off Texas reliever Chris Martin made it 3-all.

The Cardinals went ahead in the 10th when Harrison Bader doubled off Jeanmar Gomez (1-0) and scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul DeJong.

Rougned Odor opened the Texas 10th with a single off Jordan Hicks (1-2), Santana walked and Calhoun had a tying single.

Hicks threw 39 pitches, the most of his two-year major league career.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, who was ejected in the fourth by plate umpire Jeremie Rehak after Fowler was called out on a 3-2 pitch, said he had no issue with Hicks’ workload.

“We knew he had a count at 40 we were going to hold pretty firm to,” Shildt said.

Martinez, the two-time All-Star who made his season debut Saturday following shoulder trouble, entered and intentionally walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases with no outs. After Logan Forsythe struck out, Mazara lofted a flyball that scored Santana.

Paul DeJong drove in three runs for the Cardinals.

St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Choo led off the first with a home run.

Rangers starter Drew Smyly sought his first win since Sept. 13, 2016, having missed the next two major league seasons following Tommy John surgery. He pitched four innings, allowing two runs in the first.

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Jose Leclerc, who has been everything from a closer to an opener for Texas this season, matched a career high for strikeouts in a game with five while pitching the fifth and sixth innings. Leclerc has 23 strikeouts in his last 12 1/3 innings, including all three batters as the opener on Friday.

Woodward said he’ll return Leclerc to the closer’s role later this season but currently sees him as “our version of Andrew Miller back in the Cleveland days.”

SHORT HOPS

Calhoun has hit safely in all five games since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday and is hitting .476 (10 for 21). … Choo’s home run landed in the upper deck in right field and was his third homer in his past four games. The homer was the first run scored off Flaherty in the first or second inning in his 10 starts this season. … Yadier Molina had his third stolen base of the season on the back end of a double steal, tying him for the most by a major league catcher this year.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.93 ERA) will make his fifth career start against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday and his first at home. Wacha is 3-1 with a 2.56 ERA against Kansas City.

Rangers: LHP Mike Minor (4-3, 2.61 ERA) will open a home series against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Minor has five starts of seven or more innings pitched with two or fewer runs this season, already the most by a Ranger during the past two seasons.

— Associated Press —

ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Carpenter almost homered and almost got picked off in the same decisive inning that pushed the St. Louis Cardinals to their first victory over Texas since the 2011 World Series.

Carpenter was initially given a two-run homer in the fifth inning after his opposite-field shot that hit the wide pad atop the 14-foot wall in left field, bounced up and came back down into the field of play. That was changed to an RBI double on replay review after the Rangers challenged the call, but still ignited a five-run outburst.

“That was big … let’s figure out a way, able to break through and have a big inning,” manager Mike Shildt said. “It was a big hit, but more importantly we were able to do something with it.”

Ariel Jurado (1-2) had Carpenter picked off after the overturned call in the fifth, but second baseman Rougned Odor dropped the ball for an error. The Rangers starter was done after walking the next batter.

Paul DeJong, who later homered and had a season-high four RBI, then greeted reliever Jeanmar Gomez with a two-run double into the left field corner that made it 4-0. After another walk, Jose Martinez had an RBI single and a groundout by Yadier Molina sent home another run.

“That’s kind of our identity as an offense, be able to grind out at-bats, take advantage of the mistakes,” DeJong said.

“Obviously, that fifth inning was the big one,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “We just couldn’t seem to stop the bleeding. They hit a couple balls hard but also ground balls found holes. … A little unfortunate.”

DeJong drove in the first St. Louis run with a groundout in the third after a wild pitch and a throwing error by the Rangers. His solo homer in the ninth was his eighth of the season.

Cardinals rookie right-hander Dakota Hudson (3-3) struck out five and allowed two runs over six innings.

The Cardinals had lost seven regular season games in a row against Texas since their World Series title eight years ago, when DeJong was a freshman in college. They were swept in three-game home series in 2013 and 2016, and lost the opener of this series Friday night.

More recently, St. Louis had lost three in a row and 12 of 15 games this season after an 18-win April. The Rangers had scored 29 runs in a three-game winning streak.

Thunderstorms with heavy rain delayed the start of Saturday’s scheduled midafternoon game by 2 hours, 11 minutes. There was no more rain until the game finished in a downpour that started when the Rangers were batting in the ninth.

Ronald Guzman led off the Rangers fifth with a single and scored on a double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa before he later came home on a groundout by Willie Calhoun , who has six RBI in four games since being called up by the Rangers earlier in the week.

“He’s had really quality at-bats ever since he got here.” Woodward said of Calhoun, who has hits in all four games.

LONG, LONG TIME

The series opener was the first regular-season game in Arlington for the Cardinals since June 13, 2004 — a gap of 5,451 games. According to Elias, that had been the longest active gap in MLB, and the fifth-longest since interleague play began in 1997. … The Cardinals still have more postseason wins (four) than regular-season wins (three) against Texas.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: SS Danny Santana was hit by a fastball on his right ankle when batting in the ninth inning. He was lifted for a pinch-runner before Guzman grounded into a game-ending double play. Woodward said X-rays were negative and that Santana has a bruised ankle.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.34 ERA), the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick in 2014, is 2-8 with a 4.94 ERA in 16 career starts when facing an opponent for the first time.

Rangers: LHP Drew Smyly (0-3, 6.85) is still looking for his first MLB win since 2016, before his Tommy John surgery in July 2017. He has never pitched against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

ATLANTA — Austin Riley went 3 for 4 and drove in a run, Julio Teheran pitched five-plus scoreless innings, and the Atlanta Braves won for the fifth time in six games with a 10-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

Riley, who homered in his second major league at-bat Wednesday, doubled off the top of the wall in the second inning and singled in a run in the third. He scored twice.

Teheran (3-4) allowed two hits — a bloop single by Yadier Molina to begin the fifth and a single by Paul Goldschmidt to begin the sixth — and drove in two runs with a sacrifice bunt in the second and a single in the third. Teheran, who has a 0.53 ERA over his last three starts, walked four and struck out four.

Nick Markakis had an RBI double in the three-run third as Atlanta took a 5-0 lead.

The Braves led 2-0 in the second. Markakis walked, advanced to third on Riley’s double and crossed the plate on Brian McCann’s sacrifice fly. Riley scored from third on Teheran’s bunt.

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (3-4) gave up five runs, five hits and five walks with two strikeouts in four innings.

Marcel Ozuna’s 13th homer cut the lead to 5-1 in the sixth off Jacob Webb. Matt Carpenter homered off Touki Toussaint to make it 9-2 in the eighth.

Atlanta went up 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles by Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson and Markakis. Ronald Acuna Jr.’s RBI single in the seventh made it 9-1, and Freeman hit his eighth homer in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

RHP Carlos Martinez will rejoin the Cardinals’ bullpen this weekend at Texas after missing 44 games a right shoulder cuff strain. “You’re talking about a legitimate weapon, a two-time All-Star who proved he could do the job out of the bullpen last year,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said. “You always want to be able to shorten games.”

STILL IN ROTATION

Braves manager Brian Snitker said RHP Mike Foltynewicz will make his next start even though he’s 0-3 with an 8.02 ERA in four starts. Foltynewicz, a first-time All-Star last year, threw a bullpen session Thursday as pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Marty Reed began adjusting his mechanics. “They identified some things on tape and saw some things that maybe can help him,” Snitker said. Foltynewicz, whose season started late because of a right elbow bone spur, will face Milwaukee on Sunday.

UMPIRE CHANGE

Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez left because of sickness before the top of the fifth and was replaced by first base umpire Jim Wolf. Crew chief Sam Holbrook stayed at third, and Dan Iassogna moved from second to first.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-3, 3.83 ERA) will make his 10th start when St. Louis begins a three-game series at Texas. In four career starts in the Rangers’ ballpark, the former Texas hurler is 0-4 with a 13.73 ERA.

Braves: LHP Max Fried (5-2, 3.25 ERA) will make his ninth start as Atlanta begins a three-game home series Friday against the Brewers. Fried lasted three innings in his only start against Milwaukee, giving up four runs and four hits and walking three in three innings last July 7.

— Associated Press —

ATLANTA — Austin Riley made quite a splash in his big league debut Wednesday night, homering off Michael Wacha to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mike Soroka turned in another strong start with three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings, but this night belonged to the 22-year-old Riley.

Another top prospect for the Baby Braves, he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game after Ender Inciarte went on the 10-day injured list with a sore back.

Riley, who started in left field and batted sixth, struck out swinging in the first at-bat of what the Braves hope will be a long major league career.

Then, leading off the fourth, he flashed the form that helped him lead the International League with 15 homers and 39 RBI.

Riley launched a high fastball deep into the left-field seats, a 438-foot drive that gave the Braves a 2-0 lead and sent his parents and a group of about 40 family and friends — many of whom hastily made the drive from his native Mississippi — into a delirious celebration at SunTrust Park.

Riley hit another drive to the edge of the warning track his next time up, and handled a couple of chances without any problem in left. Normally a third baseman, he figures to mostly play left field at least during his initial stint in the big leagues. Josh Donaldson is locked in at third base for 2019 with a one-year, $23 million deal.

After taking over as a defensive replacement for Riley, Charlie Culberson sealed the victory with a two-run homer in the eighth.

It was quite a showing for Atlanta’s kids.

Even younger than Riley, the 21-year-old Soroka (4-1) lowered his ERA to 0.98 in six starts. The right-hander has yet to allow more than one earned run in any of his appearances, and this was his best one yet.

Soroka escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third, getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into an inning-ending double play. He stared down another trouble spot in the sixth when the Cardinals put runners at second and third, fanning Jose Martinez to snuff out the threat.

Dan Winkler walked the first two St. Louis hitters in the eighth on eight straight balls, but Luke Jackson worked out of the jam — this time, it was Paul DeJong hitting into a double play — and finished up for his fifth save in six chances.

Wacha (3-1) surrendered only four hits and one earned run over five innings. Atlanta also scored when the Cardinals pitcher threw one away at third base after appearing to pick off Ronald Acuna Jr., who was able to trot home when the ball skidded under the glove of Matt Carpenter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (shoulder) threw two innings for Double-A Springfield in an 8-2 loss to Arkansas on Wednesday. He allowed one run on four hits, with no walks or strikeouts. St. Louis is hoping Martinez can rejoin the team for a weekend series in Texas.

Braves: Inciarte went on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain. He left Tuesday night’s game after experiencing tightness in his lower back and could be out even longer than his required stint on the IL, according to manager Brian Snitker.

UP NEXT

In the rubber game of the series, RHP Adam Wainwright (3-3, 4.15) goes for the Cardinals against Atlanta RHP Julio Teheran (2-4, 4.26). Wainwright, a Georgia native who began his career in the Braves’ organization, will be going for his first win in Atlanta since May 7, 2014, at Turner Field. Teheran, whose last win came on April 14, will be looking for a little run support after failing to get a decision in his last two starts, despite allowing just one run over a total of 12 innings.

— Associated Press —

ATLANTA — It was difficult for Jack Flaherty to enjoy a runaway win over Atlanta because he couldn’t avoid one bad inning.

Flaherty didn’t have to worry. His St. Louis teammates roughed up Braves pitching all night.

St. Louis hit four home runs, including three-run shots by Marcell Ozuna , Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong, and the Cardinals beat struggling right-hander Mike Foltynewicz and the Braves 14-3 on Tuesday.

Flaherty (4-3) did not allow a hit through four innings. St. Louis led 11-0 before Flaherty gave up three runs and three hits in the fifth.

“Another long inning,” Flaherty said, adding “I’ve got to stay away from that.”

Cardinals manager Mike Schildt allowed Flaherty to remain in the game and finish strong with a perfect sixth inning.

“I was able to get through it,” Flaherty said.

The 2019 struggles for Foltynewicz (0-3) continued. He gave up eight runs, matching his career high, while lasting only 4 2/3 innings.

Foltynewicz, a 2018 All-Star, saw his ERA climb to 8.02 in four starts. He began the season on the injured list with a bone spur in his right elbow. He insists his elbow is fine.

“It’s really frustrating,” Foltynewicz said. “It’s nothing with the elbow or anything. We’re past that.”

Foltynewicz has allowed eight homers in 21 1/3 innings after allowing 17 in 183 innings in 2018, when he was 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA and 202 strikeouts.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said before the game he hoped Foltynewicz would be ready to find his top form after the late start to his season. Instead, the right-hander struggled from the first inning.

“Kind of everything is flat and not coming out real good,” Snitker said. “He paid for it.”

Ozuna’s homer gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead in the first. Dexter Fowler led off the fourth with a homer to right, and Molina’s shot knocked Foltynewicz out of the game and was the big hit in a six-run fifth.

Wong added to the lead with his three-run homer off Jonny Venters in the ninth.

Atlanta’s first hit off Flaherty in the fifth was Brian McCann’s broken-bat dribbler against the defensive shift toward an abandoned third base. McCann scored on pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson’s single to left. Ronald Acuna Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk off Flaherty to force in a run.

The Cardinals were shut out in each of Flaherty’s last two starts. Bolstered by the big offensive support against the Braves, Flaherty allowed three runs on three hits in six innings despite matching his career high with five walks. He had six strikeouts.

St. Louis outhit the Braves 14-3. Every Cardinals starter, including Flaherty, had at least one hit.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw 30 pitches for Double-A Springfield on Wednesday. If all goes well, he could join the team this weekend in Texas.

Braves: CF Ender Inciarte left the game with lower back tightness before the fourth inning and was being examined after the game. … 1B Freddie Freeman started after missing Sunday’s game with an illness and having Monday’s off day for extra recovery time. Freeman was still sick, according to Snitker, who pulled the first baseman in favor of pinch-hitter Matt Joyce in the fifth.

HOME IN THE SOUTH

The Cardinals improved to 6-1 at SunTrust Park, which opened in 2017. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games in Atlanta since the start of the 2016 season.

BIDDLE RETURNS

Atlanta left-hander Jesse Biddle, activated off the injured list before the game, replaced Foltynewicz in the fifth and gave up four straight hits and a walk. He was charged with three runs while recording one out.

ROSTER MOVES

Atlanta right-hander Wes Parsons, who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, pitched three scoreless innings. Left-hander Jerry Blevins was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-0, 5.35) is 0-2 in five career games, including three starts, against the Braves entering Wednesday night’s game. He allowed two runs in a no-decision in his only previous start at SunTrust Park in May 7, 2017.

Braves: RHP Mike Soroka (3-1, 1.21) has allowed only four earned runs in five starts this season entering his first career start against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS — Josh Bell put on a show for his mom on Mother’s Day.

With his mother Myrtle in the stands at Busch Stadium, Bell homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Adam Frazier added a two-run, tiebreaking pinch-hit double as the Pirates scored five times in the seventh inning and twice in the eighth to rally from a 6-3 deficit.

Pittsburgh has won six of eight, including the final three of its four-game series at St. Louis.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle had warned Bell that he’d better come through.

“Jokingly, before the game, I said, `You need to do something special for Myrtle,” Hurdle said. “He said, `Yeah, I’ve got this.”

Bell went 4-for-4, extending his hitting streak to a major league-best 12 games. He reached base five times, including an intentional walk, and is 20-for-49 (.408) during the streak with four homers and 16 RBI.

“It was awesome,” Bell said. “It’s one of those scenarios where I know my mom would be just as excited to watch me play if I go 0-for-4. To be able to celebrate the win with (her) watching, it’s unbelievable.”

Myrtle lives in Louisiana and travels to see her son play at least once a month.

“His work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Pittsburgh infielder Kevin Newman said. “He’s in the cage all the time. He works his tail off on defense. I couldn’t be any happier for him.”

Bell’s three-run homer off John Brebbia (1-2) in the seventh tied the game at 6-6. Francisco Cervelli, who had three hits, followed with a double, Melky Cabrera drew a walk and then Frazier smacked a two-run double to right.

Paul Goldschmidt and Jose Martinez homered for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six and nine of 11.

Chris Stratton (1-2), acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, worked a scoreless sixth for the win.

Brebbia (1-2) gave up three runs on three hits in one inning.

“When you make bad pitches to guys who are taking good swings, it’s not going to be good,” Brebbia said.

Colin Moran added two-run double in the eighth to conclude the scoring.

After the Pirates scored three times in the first, Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer off Steven Brault in the bottom half to start a four-run outburst.

Martinez, who went 3-for-5, had a two-run homer in the third. Bryan Reynolds made a leaping catch in the ninth to rob him of a possible second homer.

St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson gave up three runs on nine hits over six innings.

Brault, making his second start of the season, lasted 3 2/3 innings. He gave up six runs on nine hits.

Goldschmidt, who was 9-for-17 in the series, snapped an 18-game streak without a home run.

“We obviously haven’t won as many games as we’ve wanted to the last 10 or 11 games,” Goldschmidt said. “The focus is just to go out there and win the next one.”

FULL HOUSE

The crowd was announced at 48,555, the largest in the history of the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006. It was St. Louis’ fourth sellout of the season.

ON THE WAY BACK

Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez threw a scoreless inning on Friday for Triple-A Memphis. He has not given up a run in three rehab appearances covering three innings. Martinez has not pitched in the majors this season because of a right shoulder cuff strain.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: RHP Nick Burdi was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He has pain in his right biceps.

Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter was held out of the starting lineup for a day of rest. He walked as pinch-hitter in the eighth.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Nick Kingham (1-0, 5.94 ERA) will start in the opener of a three-game series at Arizona on Monday night. Kingham, who has nine appearances as a reliever and one as a starter this season, is 5-7 in 16 lifetime starts.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-3, 4.32) will face Atlanta RHP Mike Foltynewicz (0-2, 5.94) as the teams begin a three-game series Tuesday. The Cardinals were shut out in each of Flaherty’s last two starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Lyles had to change his plan on the fly.

Lyles overcame a 30-pitch first inning to combine with four relievers on a two-hitter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 Saturday for their seventh win in 10 games following an eight-game losing streak.

Lyles (3-1) allowed one hit through six innings, struck out six and walked three, lowering his ERA to 2.09, fifth-best in the NL.

With the Cardinals lying off of his curveball, the 28-year-old right-hander relied more on secondary pitches. He said he threw more sliders than he had in previous games this season.

“I’ve made strides in making that pitch better, which allows my other pitches to play up a little better alongside with throwing more elevated fastballs and occasional sinkers,” Lyles said.

He battled through the first after a rain delay of 2 hours, 56 minutes, at the start. He struck out Matt Carpenter in a 10-pitch at-bat leading off, walked Paul Goldschmidt on a full count, retired Paul DeJong on a lineout that ended a seven-pitch at-bat, then struck out Marcell Ozuna in another seven-pitch at-bat.

“It’s not the way you draw it up coming out of the blocks, but he was steadfast in his approach, his conviction with pitches and stayed in the hunt,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Lyles was removed after 101 pitches. He had been 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions since beating San Francisco on April 19.

“We were able to bounce back after the second, a couple of one, two, three innings,” Lyles said. “It wasn’t ideal to start the game off, but we bounced back in a decent way.”

St. Louis’ only hit off Lyles was an RBI double by DeJong in the third that glanced off the glove of right fielder Gregory Polanco as he jumped into the wall.

“I think there comes a point in time in a guy’s career where they figure out who they are, they like who they are and they go out and pitch like who they are,” Hurdle said. “I think Lyles got to that point last season.”

Richard Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano combined on a perfect seventh, and Kyle Crick gave up a single to Goldschmidt around a pair of walks in the eighth, then escaped the bases-loaded jam by retiring Ozuna on a groundout. Felipe Vazquez pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save in 12 chances.

After scoring 17 runs in the series opener, the Cardinals were held to one for the second straight day.

Polanco had an RBI triple in the fourth and scored on a single by Josh Bell, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (4-3) gave up three hits — all in a row — and struck out a season-high seven in seven innings. St. Louis has lost two in a row to the Pirates after winning its first three games against Pittsburgh this season.

“I think everyone’s been trending in the right direction,” Mikolas said. “Baseball cliche, sometimes the pitchers will pick up the slack. Sometimes the hitters will do that. Once we start clicking on all cylinders and doing everything right at the right time we’ll be a very scary baseball club.”

SLUMPING

Pittsburgh’s Jung Ho Kang pinch hit in the eighth and struck out, extending his hitless streak to 23 at-bats since April 26 and dropping his batting average to .133.

STREAKING

DeJong was reached safely in all 22 home games for the Cardinals this season, getting hits in 20 of them.

WEB GEM

Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong made a sliding basket catch in short centerfield with his back to the plate to rob Bryan Reynolds of a hit leading off the seventh.

A CALL TO ARMS

Pittsburgh acquired 28-year-old right-hander Chris Stratton from the Los Angeles Angels for cash on Saturday. Stratton went 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances for the Angels, then was designated for assignment on May 7.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: RHP Nick Burdi (right biceps/elbow pain) was moved to the 60-day IL to make room for Stratton on the 40-man roster.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) is to make his third appearance for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. He pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a hit on Friday night.

UP NEXT

LHP Steven Brault (0-1, 7.11 ERA) is scheduled to make his second start of the season for the Pirates against the Cardinals and RHP Dakota Hudson (2-2, 4.63 ERA) in the finale of the four-game series on Sunday. Brault made his major league debut against the Cardinals in 2016 and is 0-1 with a 3.43 ERA in eight appearances against them. Hudson allowed a career high eight runs, though only two were earned, over five innings in a loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Frazier opened the game with a homer, Starling Marte drove in the game-winner and Trevor Williams allowed one run in seven solid innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Friday night.

Marte’s RBI single off of Andrew Miller (1-2) broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth and helped the Pirates snap a two-game skid.

Williams (2-1) stranded seven runners through the first four innings, and pitched around two fielding errors in the fourth inning. He allowed nine hits and limited the Cardinals to one hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals finished with one hit in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position, one night after getting a whopping 11 hits in that situation. St. Louis lost for the seventh time in nine games.

The only run allowed by Williams was shift-aided. Paul DeJong grounded a slow roller to second, but Frazier was playing on the third base side of the bag and couldn’t get to the ball in time to make a throw. The infield hit scored Yairo Munoz, tying the game 1-1 in the seventh inning.

Kyle Crick pitched out of a jam in the eighth inning with runners on first and third. Felipe Vazquez struck out Paul Goldschmidt to cap a perfect ninth and earn his 11th save.

Frazier drove a 3-2 fastball from Adam Wainwright over the right field wall to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. It was the second time this year — and fourth time in his career — that Frazier began a game with a home run.

The Pirates’ Josh Bell extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the first inning and saved a run with a diving stop on a smash by Matt Carpenter that ended the second inning.

Wainwright went a season-high seven innings and retired the final 10 batters he faced. He struck out eight — five looking — and allowed five hits and no walks.

BATTERY MATES

It was the 250th time that Yadier Molina caught a Wainwright start, moving the duo to ninth all-time in the majors ahead of Early Wynn and Jim Hegan (1949-1957 Cleveland Indians).

YADI HONORED

Molina was presented with the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award before the game for to his humanitarian efforts in his native Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Luis Clemente, the second-oldest son of Roberto, and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith presented the award.

TRAINING ROOM

Pirates: RHP Chris Archer (right thumb irritation) threw a four-inning, 60-pitch simulated game to teammates Corey Dickerson, Lonnie Chisenhall and Elias Diaz on Friday. He said he had no issues griping the ball on any of his pitches.

“I threw everything, everything felt fine, no pitch was affected, body feels good,” Archer said. “I’m not sure exactly where we go from here, but I’m ready to pitch five days from now in a big league game.”

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) threw a scoreless inning of relief, striking out two and giving up a hit, at Triple-A Memphis on Friday night. He is still considered two weeks away.

UP NEXT

The Pirates will send RHP Jordan Lyles (2-1, 2.20 ERA) to the mound against the Cardinals and RHP Miles Mikolas (4-2, 4.02 ERA) in the third of a four-game series on Saturday. Lyles gave up one run in a season-high 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Oakland on Sunday. Mikolas pitched seven scoreless innings and didn’t walk a batter for the first time this season against Philadelphia on Monday.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jerad Eickhoff is making up for lost time.

Eickhoff allowed three hits in eight innings, Cesar Hernandez homered and drove in three runs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Wednesday.

Aided by a pair of double plays, Eickhoff (2-1) faced just two batters over the minimum through the first seven innings as the NL East-leading Phillies took two of three from the Cardinals and won for the fifth time in their last seven games. Eickhoff threw a season-high 106 pitches and has allowed one run over 20 innings in his last three starts.

“Early on it was just really fastball, slider,” Eickhoff said. “In the third inning I started dropping a curveball in there. I was having a hard time getting it over for a strike. Once that came, it kind of opened up everything else.”

Eickhoff, who missed most of the 2018 season with a right lat strain, has not allowed a home run this season, a span of 30 innings.

“He pitched with a fearlessness,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “Any pitch, any count, behind in the count, secondary pitch behind in the count. He’ll throw a slider outside of the zone when he’s confident he’s going to get a swing and he’ll fill it up too. He’ll fill up the zone with his breaking balls and utilizes his fastball really effectively.”

Seranthony Dominguez worked the ninth to complete the three-hitter.

After winning 20 of their first 30 games, the Cardinals lost for the sixth time in their last seven.

Odubel Herrera sparked a four-run fifth inning for the Phillies with an RBI double. Herrera has hit safely in 16 of his 18 career games at Busch Stadium.

Hernandez capped the rally with a two-run double. A fielding error by Matt Carpenter helped set up the big frame for the Phillies. It was one of two errors by the Cardinals, who also committed two miscues Tuesday night that led to six unearned runs for the Phillies in the second inning of an 11-1 loss.

Hernandez drove a slider from Giovanny Gallegos into the right-field bullpen in the seventh. He went 3 for 5 and has hit in 10 straight games against St. Louis.

Jack Flaherty (3-3) faced just one batter over the minimum in his first four innings before getting derailed by a 43-pitch fifth.

“We’ve been absolutely right there so many times and it’s been one little thing has opened the floodgates numerous times,” Flaherty said. “Our defense has been really good, but if something goes wrong we’re not able to pitch out of it. We haven’t been able to. And that’s something we’ve got to clean up with just being able to deal with or handle whatever the situation is and continue to be able to pitch out of it.”

FACES IN THE CROWD

St. Louis Blues players David Perron and Tyler Bozak were at the game. The Blues defeated the Dallas Stars in double overtime in Game 7 late Tuesday night to advance to the NHL’s Western Conference final.

PHILLY MOURNS MONTGOMERY

Phillies chairman David Montgomery, who was team president during Philadelphia’s 2008 World Series championship season, died Wednesday morning after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 72.

Montgomery spent nearly 50 years working for the Phillies. He was promoted to executive vice president after the 1981 season, became chief operating officer in 1992 and was promoted to general partner, president and chief executive officer in 1997.

“I think there were points in the dugout where I legitimately found myself asking, what would David do in the situation?” Kapler said. “Pretty special moment as group to be able to win this series and feel like we were doing it in honor of David Montgomery.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: RHP David Robertson (right elbow soreness) began gripping exercises and hopes to start throwing this weekend.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) will pitch Wednesday night at Triple-A Memphis. He is expected to throw between 10 and 20 pitches.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jake Arrieta (4-2, 3.40 ERA) will kick off a three-game road series against the Royals and RHP Homer Bailey (3-3, 5.25) on Friday night. Arrieta is 2-0 with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against the Royals.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 5.17) gets the start in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Pirates and RHP Joe Musgrove (1-3, 2.63) on Thursday night. Wacha received a no-decision in his last start, but had a pair of hits and drove in two runs at the plate for his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game since 2015.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a grand slam, his first with the Phillies, and Rhys Hoskins added four hits, including a homer, to spark Philadelphia to an 11-1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Harper’s homer capped a six-run second inning. Philadelphia took advantage of two errors and two walks as all six runs were unearned.

Aaron Nola (3-0) allowed three hits in six innings, giving up one run. He struck out seven.

Dakota Hudson (2-3) gave up eight runs in five innings.

Hoskins also had a double among his four hits. His solo homer came in the ninth inning.

Odubel Herrera led off with a double and went to third on a passed ball. Cesar Hernandez walked. Maikel Franco grounded to second, scoring Herrera. Kolten Wong’s throw to shortstop Paul DeJong was first called an out at second. The Phillies challenged and won. Wong was given a throwing error. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt fielded Nola’s bunt and threw wildly to third, scoring Hernandez. Andrew McCutchen drew a walk to load the bases.

With one out, Harper deposited a 2-1 Hudson fastball deep into the right field bullpen for his fourth career grand slam. His last came on April 19, 2017, against Atlanta.

Harper, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk before being lifted in the eighth, has hit well at Busch Stadium. In 21 career games, he is hitting .315 with six homers and 17 RBI.

The Phillies added two runs in the fifth on singles by Harper, Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto along with a fielder’s choice.

Matt Weiters, who came in as a defensive replacement at catcher in the sixth, hit his first home run of the season leading off the sixth.

Philadelphia added two runs on three hits and a sacrifice fly in the seventh for a 10-1 lead.

ON THE ICE

The St. Louis Blues were playing a second-round winner-take-all Game 7 against Dallas down the street. With the Cardinals getting blown out early, fans reacted loudly to the first Blues goal. The Busch Stadium organist played the Blues theme and the fans began to chant “Let’s Go Blues” to it.

HOME SWEET HOME

St. Louis shortstop Paul DeJong singled in the sixth to give him a hit in all but one of his 18 homes games. He is hitting .391 at Busch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Relief pitcher David Robertson (right elbow soreness) still has yet to throw a baseball but he’s getting close. “Robertson is doing gripping exercises, progressing well. Perfect world, he’s playing catch by week’s end,” Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder cuff strain) headed Tuesday to Triple-A Memphis. He will pitch Wednesday night. “We’d like him to get more than six (pitches),” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “We’d like him to get six and then we’d like him to go back out and get some more.” In pitching Sunday at Class A Peoria, Martinez threw only six pitches to get three outs. “If he doesn’t get more than 10 in the first inning, he’ll probably go back out and get another 10. I don’t think we’re quite at the 30-mark.”

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 2.05) did not figure in the decision in his last start against Washington. He struck out seven to give him 27 in 22 innings through four appearances (including three starts) this season.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-2, 4.17) lost in his last start at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. He earned his first major league win with a 13-strikeout masterpiece in a 5-1 win over Philadelphia last May 20.

— Associated Press —