CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant got another Chicago Cubs rookie record.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Cubs and Cardinals might just want to just get at each other.

Jorge Soler and Bryant hit back-to-back homers, and tempers flared for the second straight game as Chicago beat St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Saturday for its fifth straight win to tighten the NL Central race.

Chicago is five games behind first-place St. Louis, which got a two-run homer from Matt Carpenter in the ninth. The Cubs entered the contest one game behind Pittsburgh for the top NL wild-card spot.

Cubs pitchers hit St. Louis batters three times. After closer Hector Rondon plunked pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to lead off the ninth with Chicago leading 5-1, both he and manager Joe Maddon were ejected.

“Obviously, we’re not trying to do that right there,” Maddon said.

Bryant’s drive against the wind and into the last row of the left field bleachers gave him 25 homers and tied the Cubs record for a rookie set by Billy Williams in 1961. Bryant, who sparkled at third base, also drove in a run with a double and scored in the first as he went 2 for 3 with a walk.

“He’s been outstanding,” Maddon said. “Great defense, wonderful hitting, one of the best baserunners in the National League already.

“He is the rookie of the year.”

Soler went deep for the first time since missing 23 games with a left oblique strain. Starlin Castro, who had six RBI on Friday, and Tommy La Stella also drove in runs for Chicago.

Rondon hitting Garcia nearly sparked a St. Louis comeback.

Carpenter homered off Zac Rosscup to cut it to 5-3. Tommy Pham and Jason Heyward followed with singles, but Pedro Strop got the final three outs — including a sac fly by Yadier Molina that trimmed it to 5-4 — for his third save.

“It was a very intense game,” Carpenter said. “But you know what? Every game from here on out is going be an intense game.

“We had a nice little ride there at the end. It just came up a little short.”

Shortstop Addison Russell ended it by diving up the middle to grab Stephen Piscotty’s grounder and flipped to second to force out Heyward.

“That was a base hit the moment it left the bat,” Maddon said. “(Russell) just willed his glove on the ball at the end of it.”

After St. Louis’ Kolten Wong was hit for a second time in the eighth, plate umpire Bruce Dreckman issued a warning.

Maddon used eight pitchers in a patchwork effort to cover for an empty spot in Chicago’s rotation. The second pitcher, Trevor Cahill (1-3), entered with two outs in the third and earned his first win with the Cubs by pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Michael Wacha (16-6) had won five of his previous six decisions, but gave up four runs — on six hits and four walks — in five innings.

The Cardinals’ magic number to clinch a fifth straight postseason berth remained at one.

Maddon’s ejection came after the manager called the Cardinals a “vigilante group” Friday night. He was upset when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch by Matt Belisle in Chicago’s 8-3 win. Dan Haren had hit Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday in the head with a pitch in the fifth.

30-30

Rizzo has been hit by a pitch an MLB-leading 29 times this season. He also leads the Cubs with 30 homers.

“It (being hit by a pitch) is part of the game,” Rizzo said. “It’s what teams do. I’m used to getting hit — one more and I’m 30-30.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Matt Holliday suffered only a bruise when he was hit by Haren, Matheny said. But Holliday continues to improve slowly from a right quadriceps strain that sidelined him for 41 games. He ran the bases before Saturday’s game, but was available only off the bench. “We’ve had some significant steps forward and times where we’ve just had to pause until more healing happens,” Matheny said. … C Yadier Molina started Saturday after being rested for two games.

Cubs: Soler was back in the starting lineup in right field for the first time since going on the DL on Aug. 24 and batted second. He struck out Friday as a pinch hitter in his first appearance since returning.

UP NEXT

St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (13-7, 3.02) faces LHP Jon Lester (10-10, 3.38) in the series finale on Sunday. Martinez hasn’t won since Aug. 27 and is 0-1 with two no-decisions in his last three starts. Lester is coming off his first complete game as a Cub, a 2-1, five-hit gem at Pittsburgh last Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Starlin Castro remembered the previous time he had six RBI in a game.

“Yeah, my debut,” he said. “That was a long time ago.”

Castro accomplished that in his first big league appearance, at Cincinnati on May 7, 2010 at Cincinnati.

He did it again Friday, hitting a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth inning and a three-run drive in the sixth to lead the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 Friday for their fourth straight win.

Castro went 3 for 3 with a walk in the third multihomer game of his career. He put the Cubs ahead 5-3 in the fifth with his drive off Seth Maness (4-2), then connected off Steve Cishek in the sixth for his 10th homer this season.

Castro, who lost his starting shortstop job in early August, has not lost his swing and upbeat attitude, according to manager Joe Maddon. And the infielder loved the curtain call following his second homer.

“I have like six years here and that never happened, never,” Castro said. “That’s my first time and I enjoyed it so much.”

Maddon was heartened by Castro’s performance and recognition.

“When his name has been called, he’s been ready,” Maddon said. “I’ve been nothing but impressed with him this whole time.

Chicago began the day two games behind Pittsburgh for the NL’s top wild-card berth. The Cubs closed within six games of the NL Central-leading Cardinals.

Tommy Hunter (2-0), the second Chicago reliever, got one out in the fifth, and Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Fernando Rodney and Neil Ramirez combined for four scoreless innings of two-hit relief.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn lasted 3 1/3 innings and threw 83 pitches, allowing three runs, four hits and six walks. He is 0-2 with a 9.26 ERA in his last three starts, giving up 12 runs, 15 hits and 11 walks in 11 2/3 innings.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny and a trainer went to the mound to speak with Lynn with one out in the fourth. Lynn walked Dexter Fowler and was replaced by Tyler Lyons.

“I was a little caught on the mound. That happens sometimes as the game goes on,” Lynn said.

Chicago starter Dan Haren gave up three runs — one earned — and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Matheny and Matt Belisle, the sixth St. Louis reliever, were ejected in the seventh after Belisle hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch.

“Obviously there was a warning, but I had to try to pitch in, so what can you do,” Belisle said.

Plate umpire Dan Bellino had issued a warning after St. Louis pinch hitter Matt Holliday was struck on the back of the helmet by a pitch from Haren in the fifth. After walking to first, Holliday was replaced by pinch-runner Pete Kozma.

Matheny said Holliday sustained only a bruise. Holliday returned from the disabled list this week after being sidelined 41 days with a right quadriceps strain, and Matheny had planned to run for him.

Haren said hitting Holliday was accidental.

“Going inside on him is one of the only places I can go, and I just lost it,” Haren said. “The ball popped out my hand.”

Maddon was angry over what he claimed was retaliation by the Cardinals.

“There was no malicious intent on Dan Haren’s part,” Maddon said. “So to become this vigilante group that all off a sudden wants to get their own pound of flesh, that’s absolutely insane, ridiculous and wrong. … And furthermore, we won’t start stuff, but we will end stuff.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Cardinals: Matheny held C Yadier Molina out of the starting lineup for a second straight day to give him rest.

Cubs: Rookie Kris Bryant didn’t start despite having six hits, including four doubles, in the previous two games. He grounded out as a pinch hitter in the sixth and stayed in the game at third base.

UP NEXT

Ace RHP Michael Wacha (16-5, 2.96) will start for St. Louis on Saturday and LHP Travis Wood (5-4, 4.11 ERA) for Chicago.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — John Lackey pitched seven shutout innings and the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals beat Milwaukee 6-3 Thursday night in a game delayed after Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson was hit in the head by a line drive.

The Cardinals swept the three-game series to extend their winning streak to four. They now lead second-place Pittsburgh by five games in the division race.

Nelson was struck in the back of the head by a liner from Tommy Pham in the third inning. Nelson crumpled on the mound and remained prone face down for about a minute.

Nelson later walked off the field and was hospitalized after a CT scan showed a contusion.

There was a three-minute delay in the seventh when a fan was hit by a foul ball off the bat of St. Louis pinch hitter Matt Holliday. The fan got medical attention and was able to walk out of the stadium bowl.

Lackey (12-9) scattered five hits and two walks while striking out eight. He has a 2.23 ERA in his last 17 starts dating to June 15.

Pham tripled, doubled and singled, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Matt Carpenter got three hits, including a home run.

Nelson (11-3) took the loss and Milwaukee dropped its sixth in a row.

Carpenter singled to open the game and scored when Pham followed with a triple. Carpenter doubled and scored in the third and hit his 23rd homer into the second level of the right-field bleachers in the sixth.

Jean Segura hit a three-run homer with two outs in the Milwaukee ninth off Mitch Harris.

Pham’s liner hit Nelson and ricocheted down the left-field line for a double. Nelson got to his knees and later stood up while Pham watched with a look of anguish.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Holliday struck out in his first game since July 29. He had been out because of a strained right quadriceps. He fouled the first pitch he saw from reliever Cesar Jimenez down the right-field line, striking a fan.

Brewers: RF Ryan Braun was back in the lineup after being scratched Wednesday with a back injury. … Jonathan Lucroy remains out with concussion symptoms, but manager Craig Counsell said he expects his catcher to play again this year. … RHP Matt Garza left the team this week to be with his wife as she delivers twins and the team said he would not return this season. Garza was removed from the rotation earlier this month and refused to pitch out of the bullpen.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis plays a day game to open a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Lance Lynn (11-10) will start and is 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA in his last two starts, giving up nine earned runs in just 8 1/3 innings.

Brewers: The team opens a three-game home series with the Reds, and Cincinnati’s Brandon Finnegan will make his first major league start Friday night. Finnegan, the 17th pick in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft by Kansas City, was traded to the Reds on July 26 in the deal that sent Johnny Cueto to the Royals. Finnegan has pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings over two relief appearances since joining the Reds.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Call this one Phamtastic!

Tommy Pham homered twice and tripled, Matt Carpenter added a solo shot and Jaime Garcia went 6 1/3 innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals increased their lead in the NL Central to four games over the Pirates, who lost 3-2 to the Chicago Cubs.

Pham’s two-run shots came in the second and the fourth off Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (5-9). It was the rookie’s third and fourth home runs of the season and first multi-homer effort in 43 career games over this season and last. He was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on August 17 when Randal Grichuk went on the disabled list with a right elbow strain.

Pham downplayed his success.

“I didn’t try to do too much today,” the 27-year-old left fielder said. “I went into the game with the mindset of have some good at bats.”

He did just that.

His first home run came on a 3-1 pitch he deposited over the wall in center. His second blast was on a 3-2 count that ended up on the short porch near dead center.

“I laid off some good pitches, and he put me in some hitter’s counts,” Pham said. “When you’re throwing in a zone, I put a good swing on it. The byproduct was just the result of me laying off his pitches and getting good looks.”

Garcia liked what he saw out of Pham who is in his second stint with the Cardinals this season.

“Offensively, you saw what he did,” Garcia said. “He’s a kid. He’s been working really hard.”

Carpenter led off the third with his 22nd home run and 74th RBI of the season, both team highs.

Garcia (9-5) won for the third time in his last four starts and improved to 6-1 in nine starts since Aug. 1, helping the Cardinals go 8-1 over that span.

Garcia’s only trouble came in the fourth when the Brewers pushed across four runs, highlighted by Martin Maldonado’s three-run homer.

“It was literally one pitch,” Garcia said. “He put a good swing on the mistake I made. At the same time, I was able to stay in the game. That really didn’t affect me mentally or physically. I was able to continue to make pitches just as if nothing happened. It was just a mistake, and I paid for it.”

Garcia allowed eight hits, struck out four, walked one in 6 1/3 innings as the Cardinals won their third straight after a 2-8 skid.

Jonathan Broxton retired the side in order in the eighth. Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth for his 45th save, matching his career high set in 2014.

Peralta hadn’t allowed a home run in four starts since Aug. 19 against the Miami Marlins, but Pham and Carpenter ended that quickly.

It was the first time Peralta faced Pham.

“So far, he’s good,” Peralta said of his first impression of Pham. “Two ABs, two homers. I get to face St. Louis again, so I try to get him out.”

Peralta walked two and struck out two before being pinch hit for in the bottom of the fourth. He lost all four starts this season and is 0-5 with a 5.73 ERA in his last six against St. Louis.

The first two batters singled in the Brewers half of the fourth before Elian Herrera knocked in a run with a bloop base hit. Maldonado followed with his fourth home run of the season, a three-run drive that landed in the Cardinals’ bullpen in right-center field.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (11-9, 2.89 ERA) makes his team-leading 30th start and fourth against the Brewers this season. He is 2-0 with a 2.70 over that span.

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (11-12, 3.95 ERA) makes his team-leading 30th start and third against the Cardinals this season. He is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in the two prior starts. Overall, he is 0-4 with an 8.72 ERA in five career games, including four starts, facing St. Louis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 1B Matt Adams went 0 for 1 with a walk Tuesday night in his first start since May 26. He missed 91 games with a right quad injury that required surgery. Stephen Piscotty replaced him at first Wednesday night in a precautionary move. The Cardinals plan to bring Adams back slowly. However, he pinch hit for Seth Maness and lined out to end the Cardinals’ eighth inning.

Brewers: RF Ryan Braun missed the game with tightness in his lower back. Manager Craig Counsell said Braun was day-to-day. “I’m definitely hopeful that he plays tomorrow,” Counsell said. “It was a little tight yesterday, worse today.”

CARDS OWN MILWAUKEE

The Cardinals are 10-4 against the Brewers this season.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis hasn’t been playing well lately. Jason Heyward has.

Heyward hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

Heyward had two doubles to finish with three or more extra-base hits for the first time since Sept. 26, 2013, with Atlanta. The right fielder is batting .478 (11 for 23) with five RBI in his last six games.

“Just trying to keep it simple, keep it simple,” he said. “There are good stretches, bad stretches. You just try to minimize all of them regardless of what happens. Each at-bat, put it behind you and go attack the next one.”

St. Louis has won consecutive games following a 2-8 skid and increased its lead in the NL Central to three games over second-place Pittsburgh.

“We weren’t swearing too much what was going on before,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “We weren’t allowing ourselves.”

Kevin Siegrist (7-1) pitched the ninth and Trevor Rosenthal the 10th for his 44th save.

Carlos Martinez matched a season high by going eight innings. He struck out nine and gave up one earned run and four hits, as the team improved to 16-4 in his last 20 starts.

Milwaukee lost its fourth straight game and has just 10 victories in its last 36 home games against St. Louis.

Matt Carpenter led off the 10th and reached on an error on by first baseman Adam Lind. With one out, Heyward connected off Tyler Thornburg (0-2) for his 12th homer.

“All night we were falling behind to Heyward,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “You can’t fall behind to a hitter like that. He’s going to make you pay.”

Milwaukee’s Ariel Pena made the second start of his career and allowed one earned run and four hits in five-plus innings.

Pena allowed a leadoff double to Heyward in the sixth and he scored on a single by Jhonny Peralta, as St. Louis tied the score 1-1.

Khris Davis’ solo homer to deep center field gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead in the fifth and it came after Martinez retired 10 straight.

In the sixth, Martinez got out of a bases-loaded jam when Lind hit into an inning-ending double play.

MORE GOOD NEWS

Matt Adams made his first start at first base since tearing his quadriceps muscle on May 26, a few hours after teammate Matt Holliday returned from the disabled list. Adams, who was 0 for 2 with a walk, came off the bench over the weekend.

“I think whenever we have any of our guys back it’s a positive for us, especially two guys who have significant roles on our club,” Matheny said. “But we’ve been very fortunate, we’ve had some other young players step in. And this team hasn’t bought into the fact that we can’t compete, we can’t do what we need to do with some of our key pieces gone.”

SPOILER ALERT

Milwaukee hasn’t had much to play for this season, but the team still has six games left with St. Louis and six against the Chicago Cubs.

“There’s something in the atmosphere, the competition, that’s fun to be a part of,” Counsell said.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Jaime Garcia (8-5) is 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA since Aug. 1.

Brewers: Wily Peralta (5-8) is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA against St. Louis this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Holliday was activated from the 15-day DL before the game but did not play. The 35-year-old missed 41 games after being sidelined July 30 with a right quadriceps strain.

Brewers: C Jonathan Lucroy has been out since getting a concussion at Miami on Sept 8, and Counsell is hopeful for his return this season. “But you can’t press it,” he said.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tommy Pham made the most of a rare start, giving his St. Louis Cardinals a needed boost.

Pham hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the sixth inning, pinch-hitter Matt Adams added a two-run drive in a five-run eighth and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-2 Sunday and avoid getting swept in the four-game series.

“Just to be able to get a start and help the team out was a truly good feeling,” said Pham, whose start on Sunday was his second in 10 games since striking out four times against Washington and Max Scherzer.

The Cardinals, on their worst stretch this season, had lost eight of 10 going into the series finale, and their division lead over Pittsburgh was down to 2 1/2 games. St. Louis then fell behind 2-0 on Todd Frazier’s second-inning homer and Tucker Barnhart’s fourth-inning sacrifice fly.

“We played a good Cardinal team and took three out of four,” Frazier said. “We’ll take that any day of the week. We helped a couple teams. We made the race a little closer. It’s hard to take four from any team.”

Those were the only runs the Reds would score against Michael Wacha (16-5), who allowed three hits and four walks in six innings.

Outscored 20-3 in the first three games, the Cardinals tied the score in the fifth against Raisel Iglesias on Kolten Wong’s run-scoring infield single and Matt Carpenter’s RBI single.

Sam LeCure (0-1) walked Greg Garcia and Pham homered on a 2-2 pitch for a 4-2 lead, his second home run of the season and first since July 5.

St. Louis broke open the game in the eighth against Carlos Contreras, when Barnhart’s passed ball allowed Wong to come home from third, and Jason Heyward hit an RBI double and scored on Yadier Molina’s single.

The Reds bullpen allowed seven runs, snapping a 14 2/3 a stretch of consecutive scoreless innings.

“I’m not going to use (J.J.) Hoover and (Aroldis) Chapman every game to keep it close,” manager Bryan Price said. “We got some of the other guys out there and it got out of hand.”

Adams, was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday after missing 91 games with a right quadriceps injury, homered for the first time since May 20.

“Lots of people contributing again,” manager Mike Matheny said. “You saw some big at bats all the way through, and Michael came up big today.”

Jason Heyward, who watched Adam Duvall’s go-ahead, two-run homer bounce off the top of the wall in Saturday’s completion of a suspended game, made a leaping catch in right to rob Ivan De Jesus Jr. of what would have been a go-ahead home run in the fifth.

SELECT COMPANY

Todd Frazier’s 33rd home run on Sunday is the third-highest total for a Reds’ third baseman in franchise history. Only Hall of Famer Tony Perez has hit more — 39 in 1970 and 37 in 1967.

FINALLY

St. Louis C Yadier Molina threw out Billy Hamilton trying to steal second base in the seventh inning on Sunday. Hamilton had been 10-for-10 in his career against the All-Star and Gold Glove winner, the longest active streak by any player. The stretch included two in this series that included two throwing errors on Molina.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Cardinals: Manager Mike Matheny wouldn’t commit to RHP Adam Wainwright (Achilles tendon) or OF Matt Holliday (quadriceps strain) returning for the series in Milwaukee that starts Tuesday.

Reds: RF Jay Bruce and 2B Brandon Phillips both got Sunday off.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: After an off day, RHP Carlos Martinez (13-7) starts at the Brewers.

Reds: RHP Keyvius Sampson (2-4) is Cincinnati’s scheduled starter in Monday’s opener of a three-game series in San Francisco.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Sometimes, when Lance Lynn makes mistakes, hitters still pop them up.

Skip Schumaker popped Lynn’s Saturday mistake into the right field seats.

Schumaker hit a three-run homer, rookie Anthony DeSclafani pitched six strong innings and the Cincinnati Reds won their second game of the day, beating the struggling St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday.

The first-place Cardinals have lost the first three games of this four-game series. Their lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central fell to three games before the Pirates hosted Milwaukee on Saturday night.

Earlier, Adam Duvall’s two-run homer in the eighth lifted the Reds to a 4-2 win in the completion of a game suspended in the eighth by rain on Friday.

Schumaker, a former Cardinal, hit his first homer since Aug. 13 of last season.

“We have to disrupt a little bit of what’s going on in this race,” he said. “To have fun around here, we have to beat teams going to the playoffs. It’s nice to hit one against the organization that I respect the most.”

St. Louis is 3-8 in September after three straight losses to the last-place Reds, who on Sunday can finish off their first four-game sweep of the Cardinals since 2003.

Lynn agreed that a losing streak looks worse down the stretch.

“It’s a good thing it’s the beginning of the month,” he said. “We’ll see where we are at the end of the month. It’s a good thing the season goes a couple of days into October.”

Joey Votto, who is appealing the two-game suspension he was handed Friday for his altercation with plate umpire Bill Welke on Wednesday, electrified the sellout crowd of 41,187 with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh that Jason Heyward tracked down a step in front of the center field wall.

The Cardinals committed two errors to push their total to five in the first three games of the series.

Rain fell during the middle innings of the scheduled game and again in the eighth and ninth, but not heavy enough to interrupt play.

DeSclafani (9-10) bounced back from giving up hits to the first three Cardinals, including Heyward’s RBI single, to strike out the next three and go on to retire 15 straight batters.

“That was a good start,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of the Cardinals’ first. “It’s a shame three strikeouts had to follow. Strikeouts hurt us today.”

DeSclafani finished with one walk and a career-high 10 strikeouts in six innings.

“DeSclafani found his curveball and fastball command after the first three batters,” manager Bryan Price said. “He’s a tough kid. I’m really happy with his makeup.”

Tony Cingrani, Burke Badenhop and Jumbo Diaz combined to finish the game.

Lynn, coming off his second-shortest appearance of the season, opened with four hitless innings before Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart started the fifth with singles. Those set up Schumaker’s two-out shot to right. Lynn (11-10) allowed four hits in six innings.

Barnhart added an insurance run with a single in the eighth.

KING’S DAY

Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Mann presented career hits leader Pete Rose with a key to the city and proclaimed Saturday “Pete Rose Day.” Friday was the 30th anniversary of Rose’s record-setting hit. A Rose bobblehead helped attract a sellout crowd.

SUSPENDED

Cardinals C Cody Stanley was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Stanley, 26, spent most of this season at Triple-A Memphis, but was promoted to St. Louis when major league rosters expanded on Sept. 1. It is the seventh suspension announced this year under the big league program.

Major League Baseball said Stanley tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. The suspension is effective immediately.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Matt Belisle was reinstated from the disabled list on Saturday. Belisle had been out since June 26 with right elbow inflammation.

Reds: Billy Hamilton’s two stolen bases in the first game were his first since Aug. 18. He was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday after missing 19 games with a sprained right shoulder.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (15-5) makes his first start since tying his single-game career high by allowing six runs on six hits in four innings of Tuesday’s 8-5 loss to the Cubs.

Reds: Rookie RHP Raisel Iglesias (3-7) is coming off his shortest appearance of the season, lasting just three innings in a 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — John Lackey could win a game Saturday without taking the mound.

The St. Louis starter was still the pitcher of record when heavy rain forced the Cardinals’ game against the Cincinnati Reds to be suspended in the top of the eighth inning tied 2-2 on Friday night. It’ll resume on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. before the regularly scheduled game.

Lackey won’t pitch on Saturday, but he would get the win if the Cardinals score in the eighth and hold on.

“I’m all for it,” said Lackey, who has never pitched in a suspended game. “We’ll see what happens. Maybe that’s what we need to get us going.”

The NL Central leaders have lost six of eight, with their rotation hitting a downturn lately. Lackey held up his end, allowing seven hits and three walks while fanning 10. He repeatedly pitched out of threats to keep it tied.

“He was terrific, absolutely terrific,” manager Mike Matheny said. “He got better as the heat got turned up.”

Rain fell intermittently during the game and intensified as the eighth inning began. Jhonny Peralta led off and hit a pop-up that shortstop Eugenio Suarez dropped for an error. Suarez had trouble looking up into the heavy rain, and the umpires called for the tarp.

The Cardinals will have a runner on first when the game resumes.

“We’ve got the leadoff runner on, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Matheny said.

The teams waited out the 17th rain delay at Great American Ball Park for an hour and seven minutes before it was suspended. It was Cincinnati’s first suspended home game this season — three have been rained out.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto struck out and walked three times. He received a two-game suspension on Friday for an altercation with umpire Bill Welke on Wednesday, but will keep playing while his appeal is heard.

Cincinnati’s Michael Lorenzen gave up two runs in five innings. His start was the 42nd in a row by a rookie for the Reds, passing the 1902 Cardinals for the major league record. The Reds have gone with an all-rookie rotation since trading Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake in July.

Billy Hamilton opened the Reds’ first with a bunt single, stole second, advanced on catcher Yadier Molina’s wild throw for an error and came home on Brandon Phillips’ infield single. Ramon Cabrera hit his first major league homer in the second.

The Cardinals repeatedly wasted scoring opportunities, stranding runners in scoring position during the first three innings. Also, Jon Jay was thrown out at third base while trying to stretch a double with no outs in the fourth.

Lackey had an RBI groundout in the second, and Greg Garcia homered in the fourth to tie it 2-2.

CAN’T STOP HIM

Hamilton stole two bases, leaving him 10 for 10 in attempts against catcher Yadier Molina over his career. He leads the majors with 56 steals in 63 attempts, matching his stolen base total from last season.

NO MOSS

Cardinals first baseman Brandon Moss stretched into the dugout to catch Phillips’ foul with two runners in scoring position in the fifth, undercutting a rally. He went 0 for 2, extending his slump to 0 for 19.

RAIN GO AWAY

The 17 rain delays at GABP have lasted 24:26, the highest home total since the Reds began tracking weather delays in 1978. They’ve had a rain delay every homestand except one this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Matt Adams felt good a day after his pinch-hit appearance, his first since May 26. He missed 91 games with an injured right calf that needed surgery.

Reds: Brayan Pena won’t catch for a couple of days because of a slightly strained right hamstring, suffered while running the bases on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Lance Lynn (11-9) is coming off one of his worst starts. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings and gave up six runs — matching his season high — during a 9-0 loss to the Cubs. He’s 7-3 career against the Reds with a 3.51 ERA.

Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (8-10) is 2-0 in three career appearances against the Cardinals with a 1.29 ERA, allowing two runs in 14 innings.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals hoped their come-from behind win on Wednesday over the Chicago Cubs would get them back on track.

Instead, they followed with their most one-sided defeat this season.

Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips both homered and drove in three runs as the last-place Cincinnati Reds beat the NL Central-leading Cardinals 11-0 Thursday night.

St. Louis opened its longest trip this season — 10 games in 11 days — with its fourth loss in five games, including a 9-0 defeat to the Cubs on Monday.

Reds star Joey Votto doubled and singled, driving in a run and scoring one, a day after his tantrum at home plate following an ejection.

Jaime Garcia (8-5) lasted a season-low 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs. He had been 5-0 in seven starts since losing to the Reds on July 28.

“Definitely not a good one,” Garcia said. “There are no excuses. I’ve got to do a better job the next time.”

John Lamb (1-3), one of three left-handers acquired from Kansas City for Johnny Cueto in late July, shook off control problems for his first major league win. He walked six, struck out six and gave up three hits in five innings.

“It was a crazy game,” Lamb said.

Four relievers combined to complete St. Louis’s 12th shutout loss this year, matching last season’s total.

The Reds scored their first two runs on groundouts. Lamb got his first career RBI in the second and Phillips made it 2-0 in the third.

Cincinnati chased Garcia in a four-run fifth that included RBI doubles by Votto and Frazier. Phillips and Bruce each had a sacrifice fly.

Votto’s double into the left field corner came on a 3-2 pitch after he fell behind 0-2 and was sent sprawling by a high-and-tight fastball.

“He’s locked in right now,” manager Mike Matheny said of Votto. “That kind of changed the game a little bit.”

Phillips hit 12th homer, a leadoff shot in a three-run seventh. Right fielder Jason Heyward almost made a leaping catch, but he couldn’t keep the ball in his glove.

Frazier added his 32nd homer, a two-run line drive in the eighth.

“It’s a great feeling, but you have to stay on an even keel,” Frazier said.

WELCOME BACK

St. Louis 1B Matt Adams made his first appearance after missing 91 games with a quad injury as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and singled. “Everybody was happy to see him back and active,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We were excited to get him in there.”

BIG NAMES

Todd Frazier’s fifth-inning double was his NL-leading 40th this season, making him just the fourth player in Reds history with at least 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season. Frank Robinson (1962), Dave Parker (1985) and Jay Bruce (2013) are the other three.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Randal Grichuk took the day off from throwing as he continues to rehab his inflamed right elbow. The Reds have right-handers scheduled to start the final three games of the series, which means the right-handed hitting Grichuk might not start all weekend.

Reds: C Brayan Pena will be “limited for a couple of days,” manager Bryan Price said. Pena strained his right hamstring legging out a pinch-hit double in the eighth inning of Cincinnati’s 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (11-9, 2.90) scheduled to start Friday, a year and a day after he was ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Reds: RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-8, 5.54) is coming off his first win in his last 10 starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals rookie Stephen Piscotty continues to show a penchant for making quick adjustments.

After going hitless in his first three at-bats, Piscotty lined a two-run double off the centerfield wall to cap a three-run rally in the eighth inning that sent St. Louis over the Chicago Cubs 4-3 Wednesday.

Matt Carpenter tripled and scored twice as the Cardinals ended their three-game losing streak. The NL Central leaders avoided their first sweep at home this season and their first against the Cubs since September 2010.

“It’s definitely good to get that one,” Piscotty said. “You don’t want to get swept by the Cubs. We’re fine. There’s no panic. We did a good job of fighting back.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Piscotty is a good self-evaluator.

“This is what he did: ‘He got me last time, this is what I probably need to do.’ And not many guys can make those adjustments as far as approach,” Matheny said. “He’s able to think ahead and then make those physical adjustments as well.”

Cubs lefty Jon Lester exited after seven dominant innings. He gave up two hits, retired 20 of his final 21 hitters and left with a 3-1 lead.

“I felt good, cutter was better today,” Lester said. “I got away with a couple of pitches because of what we established early.”

Jonathan Broxton (2-4) got the win and Trevor Rosenthal picked up his 43rd save. Clayton Richard (3-1) took the loss.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez needed 99 pitches to get through five innings. The Cubs stranded at least one runner in each of his innings, and Martinez was able to limit the damage with eight strikeouts.

“All in all, I think he did a nice job of keeping it together all the way around,” Matheny said. “His mind was right. He kept coming out and grinding and that’s a great sign of what could come.”

The Cardinals’ bullpen retired 12 of the 13 batters they faced.

“Carlos gave us five,” Broxton said. “He struggled early, but once the bullpen opened up we just tried to hold them there and give our offense a chance.”

Chris Coghlan took advantage of Randal Grichuk’s compromised throwing arm to score the Cubs’ first run on Anthony Rizzo’s double.

Grichuk, starting for the first time since straining his elbow Aug. 16, had to flip the ball to right fielder Jason Heyward, who threw it in allowing Coghlan to score from first.

Rizzo appeared to be caught in a run-down following his double, but Martinez failed to cover third, allowing Rizzo to take an extra base. Tommy La Stella followed with a two-out double to give the Cubs an extra run.

Lester got his second career hit, both against St. Louis. The Cardinals have given up hits to opposing pitchers in four consecutive games and each have led to runs.

WEB GEM

Coghlan made a tough catch on a tailing flyball off the bat of Tommy Pham in the fifth. Coghlan made the grab in foul territory, and his momentum flipped him over the wall and into the crowd.

WELCOME BACK

The Cardinals activated 1B Matt Adams from the 60-day disabled list. Adams was hitting .243 in 144 at-bats with four home runs and 20 RBIs before missing 91 games. Lefty Nick Greenwood was designated for assignment to make room.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Matt Belisle (right elbow inflammation) threw a simulated game, but no definite return date has been set for the right-hander. He has missed 65 games.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (18-6, 2.03 ERA) takes the mound to kick off a four-game series Thursday at Philadelphia. Arrieta has a 17-inning scoreless streak and was the NL Pitcher of the Month for August.

Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (8-4, 1.89 ERA) starts a 10-game road trip Thursday at Cincinnati. He is 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA since Aug. 1.

— Associated Press —