ST. LOUIS (AP) – Yadier Molina has been guiding the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff all season. The All-Star catcher played a big role in this one, helping Michael Wacha get his 14th win.

”Everyone knows about what he does behind the plate,” Wacha said after a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. ”He was all over the place, big knocks, stealing bags – it was a lot of fun to watch.”

Molina tripled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning when right fielder Gregory Polanco missed an attempted shoe-top catch. He also threw out Polanco attempting to steal from his knees in the first and stole his second base of the season after doubling in the eighth when the Cardinals won an appeal to have the call overturned.

”We love his aggressiveness,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”Yadi’s coming out of the box and he sees what happens and he’s thinking three.

”He’s opportunistic on the bases. He’s got guts.”

As for Polanco, there was a spanking to be absorbed.

”You’d have liked to be able to keep that ball in front of you,” manager Clint Hurdle said. ”At that point in time of game, runner on first in that situation you’re going to be first and second. ”

The anticipated marquee pitching matchup between Wacha (14-4) and Gerrit Cole (14-6) didn’t live up to expectations, as both were gone by the seventh inning. Seattle’s Felix Hernandez also has 14 wins.

”I felt really good out there,” Wacha said. ”I just wanted to keep pumping strikes.”

”The fastball location was sub-par,” Cole said. ”It hasn’t been the easiest few starts.”

St. Louis gave up an easy run, too, when center fielder Randal Grichuk badly misplayed an attempted diving catch on Andrew McCutchen’s RBI triple that tied it at 2 in the fifth. Grichuk landed early and bounced as the ball rolled past him to the wall.
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Wacha wins 14th, Cardinals beat Pirates 4-2
St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina gestures toward his bench after hitting an RBI triple during  …

Kevin Siegrist worked two perfect innings and Trevor Rosenthal finished for his 35th save in 37 chances.

The Cardinals lead the second-place Pirates by seven games and will attempt to complete a three-game sweep on Thursday night. St. Louis improved to a season-best 33 games above .500 at 73-40.

McCutchen hit his 18th homer and Polanco had three hits for the second straight game for the Pirates, who are 0-5 in St. Louis and 5-2 against the Cardinals at home. The first four losses at Busch Stadium were all by one run.

Wacha scattered nine hits and three walks in six innings, allowing two runs. Pittsburgh left the bases loaded in the fourth and stranded two in the fifth and sixth.

Cole gave up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings and is 0-2 in three starts this month while totaling 16 1/3 innings. A throwing error by second baseman Neil Walker on a potential double-play ball by Jason Heyward in the third handcuffed first baseman Pedro Alvarez on a short hop and led to the Cardinals’ first two runs.
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Wacha wins 14th, Cardinals beat Pirates 4-2
St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina tosses the bat after hitting an RBI triple in the sixth innin …

HEAD TO HEAD

Wacha is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts against Pittsburgh. Cole has lost three straight starts on the road after winning the previous three and is 0-2 with a 3.80 ERA against the Cardinals in four starts this season.

NICE BAT

Polanco had six straight hits, tying the franchise best this season, followed by an intentional walk in the sixth before flying out to open the ninth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Starling Marte was removed before the bottom of the third because of discomfort in his left hand from fouling off a ball in the first.

Cardinals: GM John Mozeliak is hopeful Matt Adams (quad surgery) can go on a rehab assignment before the end of the minor league season. Adams has been cleared to swing.

UP NEXT

Pirates: Francisco Liriano (7-6, 3.13) has a 2.53 ERA in his last 13 starts but is just 6-2 during that stretch.

Cardinals: Lance Lynn (9-6, 2.76) has been dominant at home with six wins and a 2.15 ERA.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — All season, the St. Louis Cardinals have tried to minimize the innings load for Carlos Martinez and Michael Wacha, saving their two young pitchers for the postseason.

During a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, manager Mike Matheny said the 23-year-old Martinez was simply too good to take out early. In the eighth inning, he judged “awkward swings” from the Pirates.

“The potential win supersedes anything we have in place right now,” Matheny said. “Right then we needed our best pitcher, and to me he was the best pitcher we had for that situation, and I think he proved that.”

Yadier Molina tied it with a sacrifice fly and rookie Stephen Piscotty singled in the go-ahead run on consecutive at-bats off Jeff Locke (6-7) in the fifth inning. Kolten Wong singled twice for his first multihit game of the month and Piscotty had three hits.

Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth for his 34th save in 36 chances. The Cardinals lead the Pirates by six games in the NL Central and are 6-5 in the season series with seven of the games decided by one run and five in the final at-bat.

“Carlos did what our pitching’s known for,” Wong said of the right-hander. “We’re facing some good pitching on that side and they’re going to face our best pitching. It’s exciting.”

Or excruciating, depending on your perspective.

“These guys are where they’re at because they play good solid baseball every night,” Locke said. “Very similar to the way we play every night.

“That’s our motto here, one more than the other team.”

Jason Heyward had two hits and two RBI. St. Louis is 72-40 overall, at 32 over .500 it matches the season’s high water mark, and 41-16 at home — both major league bests.

Pedro Alvarez homered on a drive estimated at 446 feet that put the Pirates up 3-2 in the fourth. Aramis Ramirez earned his 145th career RBI against St. Louis, most against the Cardinals among active players, and Gregory Polanco had three hits.

Martinez (12-4) began the game throwing more off-speed stuff than usual and gave up single runs in the first, third and fourth but kept it close for a breakthrough three-run fifth that began with consecutive walks to Wong and Jhonny Peralta. He matched his career high for innings, striking out eight with one walk, and allowed one runner in scoring position his last three innings.

“Before the eighth, Mike asked me how I felt, `Could I go one more inning?” Martinez said through an interpreter. “I said, `Yeah, I’m ready to go.”

CLOSE CALL

Pirates reliever Jared Hughes stayed in the game after deflecting a line drive by Piscotty with his glove that glanced off his cheek in the eighth. “I’ll never watch that replay,” Hughes said, adding that he thought anyone who watched it was certain it was “bad.”

SCHOOL DAYS

The opener drew a paid attendance of 41,273, an impressive number until you consider it’s the Cardinals’ lowest-paid gate in 24 games since the Minnesota Twins attracted 41,203 on June 16. School begins this week for many area schools.

GAME OF INCHES

Heyward beat out the relay for an RBI groundout after the Cardinals appealed and got a double-play call overturned in the first. He mistimed his leap on Polanco’s drive off the top of the wall in right field on a leadoff triple in the third.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: 3B Josh Harrison (broken left thumb) and SS Jordy Mercer (left knee MCL sprain) began rehab assignments Tuesday at Triple-A Indianapolis. Manager Clint Hurdle is hopeful both will rejoin the team “considerably before Sept. 1.”

Cardinals: OF Jon Jay (wrist) and 1B Matt Adams (quad) are taking swings but are not close to rehab assignments. GM John Mozeliak debunked the notion RHP Adam Wainwright (Achilles) could return this season.

UP NEXT

Wednesday’s game has a marquee pitching matchup. Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39) leads the NL in wins and Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92) is right behind. Cole is 0-3 with a 5.95 ERA in four starts against the Cardinals and 14-2 with a 1.82 ERA in his other 18 starts.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers kept waiting, patiently hoping Khris Davis would get in the swing.

No more wondering when that’ll happen.

Davis hit two more homers, including a two-run shot in the eighth inning off recent teammate Jonathan Broxton, and the Brewers beat St. Louis 5-4 Sunday and ended the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.

It was his Davis’ fourth home run in four games.

“That’s who he is,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said of Davis’ streaky tendency in his three-year career. “He’s trying to lengthen those good streaks and shorten the bad streaks. When he gets into these good streaks, he can win games for you.”

Broxton (1-3), traded from Milwaukee to the NL Central leaders on July 31, relieved Kevin Siegrist with a runner on second and one out with a 4-3 lead. Davis hit the first pitch into the Cardinals’ bullpen for his 11th homer.

“It fell just right there,” Davis said. “It was a good pitch to hit and I was ready.”

Will Smith (5-2) pitched a scoreless eighth. Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 26th save in 26 chances this year.

Davis earlier hit a two-run homer off Cardinals starter John Lackey.

Last Thursday, Davis hit a pair of three-run homers in Milwaukee’s 10-1 win over San Diego. He had been held hitless in six at-bats during the first two games of this series, a pair of shutouts for the Cardinals, before breaking loose.

“Khris hasn’t had that streak yet that we’re talking about it,” Counsell said. “We’ll assume this is it. Four homers in four games. Two, two-home run games. That’s it. When you’re that type of hitter you’re kind of waiting for it. You work hard and try to get there.”

Elian Herrera’s home run in the third ended the Cardinals’ streak of not allowing a run at 38 innings. It also was the first home run allowed by St. Louis pitchers in 62 innings.

Matt Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson with two outs in the seventh for a 4-3 lead.

Pinch-hitter Jason Rogers opened the Milwaukee eighth with a single off Siegrist. Shane Peterson’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second, and Broxton took over.

“(When) the roof’s open and the panels are open the ball flies here,” Broxton said. “You really got to focus on getting the ball down. I didn’t get that first pitch down. It’s away, but it’s just up.”

Lackey gave up six hits, including a solo homer by Herrera and the drive by Davis, in six innings.

“It’s a shame, that one bad inning,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “A walk, a homer, he gave up next to nothing all day today. Sixty-six pitches. We didn’t have a lot of offensive opportunities. That’s tough. Throwing the ball that well and didn’t get a lot of offensive support early.”

Herrera’s home run with one out in the third came one pitch after Jean Segura was caught stealing second base, a play that was confirmed after a challenge by the Brewers.

Jason Heyward hit an RBI single in the sixth for the Cardinals. Nelson allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out eight in seven innings.

Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty opened the St. Louis seventh with singles, and Tony Cruz’s sacrificed. Pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds grounded out but, after a brief conference at the mound, Nelson stayed in the game and Carpenter hit his 16th home run.

RARE WALK

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura walked in the seventh inning, his first bases on balls in 120 plate appearances dating to July 3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was given the day off to rest and Cruz started in his place. Manager Mike Matheny said he made the move because with the off-day on Monday his starting catcher would get two days off.

Brewers: RHP Brandon Kintzler has allowed only one hit and no runs in two innings while on a rehab assignment for the Arizona League Brewers in the Rookie League. Kintzler is on the disabled list with knee tendinitis.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: The team returns home Tuesday to open a three-game series with their closest NL Central competitor, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The teams have split 10 games this year.

Brewers: Open a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It is the only three road games in a 20-game span for the team. The Brewers are 4-7 in the first 11 games of this stretch.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Matt Carpenter hit a leadoff home run, Jaime Garcia pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and the St. Louis Cardinals made it three straight shutout victories with a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

The Cardinals have thrown 36 consecutive scoreless innings since the fourth inning of Wednesday’s 13-inning 4-3 win. Michael Wacha won his team-leading 13th game, stopping Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday. Lance Lynn beat Milwaukee 6-0 Friday night in the opener of the three-game series.

On Saturday, Garcia (4-4) walked four, struck out five and allowed Jean Segura’s hit in the first and Elian Herrera’s in the third. The left-hander won for the first time in three starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left groin.

Kevin Siegrist pitched the eighth and Rosenthal earned his 33rd save in 35 chances, striking out Ryan Braun, Khris Davis and Jason Rogers in the ninth.

Carpenter hit his fourth career leadoff home run this season and Stephen Piscotty’s two-out RBI single in the second gave Garcia all the run support he needed as the Cardinals won their fourth straight and major league-leading 71st game. Piscotty made it 3-0 with a two-out hit in the seventh.

Garcia was sidelined for the first 40 games of the season while continuing his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery.

Carpenter is batting .389 (14 for 36) with six home runs and 11 RBI since returning to the leadoff spot on July 30.

Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta (2-7) settled down after Piscotty’s run-scoring hit in the second and retired the next 14 batters. Randal Grichuk’s hit with one out in the seventh snapped that string.

Peralta allowed five hits, one walk and struck out two in seven innings. It was his third start since returning from the 15-day disabled list on July 28 with a strained left oblique.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Matt Holiday, on the 15-day disabled list since July 30 with a right quad strain, has been rehabbing and receiving treatment at Busch Stadium. No date has been set for his return.

Brewers: Dr. William Raasch is set to perform Tommy John surgery on RHP Taylor Williams, a non-roster invitee to spring training, on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Williams pitched two-thirds of an inning on March 7.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (9-7, 2.85 ERA) makes his team-leading 23rd start of the season. A victory makes it his 12th consecutive 10-win season. He is perfect in two starts against Milwaukee in 2015 and 4-1 in six career starts.

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (9-9, 3.57 ERA) makes his second start this season against the Cardinals. He is 0-4 with a 10.43 ERA in four games against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Lance Lynn pitched the St. Louis Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Friday night.

Lynn (9-6) stranded nine runners in six innings as the NL Central leaders became the first major league team to reach 70 wins this season. He allowed six hits and four walks while throwing 109 pitches.

It was the second consecutive shutout and 12th this season for the Cardinals (70-39), who beat Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday behind All-Star Michael Wacha.

Brewers rookie Tyler Cravy (0-3) replaced veteran Kyle Lohse in the rotation and had little trouble with St. Louis until unraveling in the fifth. The Cardinals had three doubles, a walk and a single in the inning before Grichuk hit his 14th homer.

The Cardinals have won 42 of 63 games against the Brewers since St. Louis beat Milwaukee in six games in the 2011 NL Championship Series.

Cravy allowed only three hits and a walk through the first four innings. Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty hit consecutive doubles to open the fifth to make it 1-0. One out later, Matt Carpenter hit the first of his two doubles, scoring Piscotty for a 2-0 lead.

Kolten Wong walked and Jason Heyward singled to score Carpenter. Grichuk then hit a 1-1 pitch into the right-center stands.

Cravy pitched five innings, giving up six runs and eight hits.

The Brewers left two runners on in the first, second and fourth against Lynn. Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but the big right-hander struck out pinch-hitter Logan Schafer to end his night on the mound.

Carlos Villanueva pitched three perfect innings for his second save.

Since returning to the leadoff spot for the Cardinals on July 30, Carpenter is batting .406 (13 for 32) with five home runs and 10 RBI.

Lohse, demoted to the bullpen after going 5-13 with a 6.31 ERA in 22 starts, made his first relief appearance since Sept. 8, 2009, when he pitched a scoreless innings for the Cardinals against Milwaukee. The right-hander worked two shutout innings in this one.

The game was a rematch of the starting pitchers from June 2, when Lynn and the Cardinals beat the Brewers 1-0 in Cravy’s major league debut.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Milwaukee. Shane Peterson went 3 for 4 with three singles.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Citing the need to rest arms in the bullpen, the team recalled LHP Tyler Lyons from Triple-A Memphis and optioned INF Greg Garcia to its top farm club. “We have some guys that are beat up,” manager Mike Matheny said. It is the fourth time Lyons has been recalled this season. He is 2-1 with a 5.02 ERA in six starts for the Cardinals this year, but will pitch out of the bullpen this time.

Brewers: Trailing 6-0, the Brewers removed Ryan Braun after seven innings. He also was removed after seven innings Monday in a 13-5 loss. He missed two games in late July with a strained ribcage.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis has been shut out in four of Saturday starter Jaime Garcia’s nine starts, but the left-hander has fared well against Milwaukee. He is 6-4 with a 3.09 ERA in his career against the Brewers.

Brewers: Wily Peralta will make his third start since returning from the disabled list with a strained left oblique. He struggled in his last start, allowing six runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 13-5 loss to San Diego on Monday.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — The mound was slippery, the rain was steady, the bullpen was exhausted. Michael Wacha overcame all of it for another win.

Wacha gave St. Louis’ tired bullpen a respite by throwing seven innings in the rain Thursday, and the Cardinals pulled away to a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, taking yet another series from their NL Central rival.

The Cardinals improved to 30 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. They have the best record in the major leagues at 69-39.

“It’s August already,” Wacha said. “This is the time we start pushing and play the way we have been all year.”

They took two of three in Cincinnati and have won 15 of their last 18 series together. The Reds were shut out for the last 18 innings.

St. Louis pulled out the second game of the series on Randal Grichuk’s homer in the 13th inning for a 4-3 win on Wednesday night. Wacha (13-4) overcame a 68-minute rain delay at the start of Thursday’s game, and then gave his used-up bullpen a rest.

“Absolutely had to happen,” manager Mike Matheny said. “There’s a couple of things we could have done, but that was the best.”

The right-hander allowed four hits and a pair of walks, allowing only two runners to reach second base as he beat the Reds for the third time this season. It was impressive considering the start of the game got pushed back twice and there were long delays between innings while the grounds crew worked on the field.

“It’s pretty tough pitching in that kind of stuff, but we’ve got to deal with it,” said Wacha, who threw 102 pitches.

Trevor Rosenthal gave up an infield single and a walk in the ninth while getting his 32nd save in 34 chances and completing a five-hitter.

Tony Cruz snapped his 0-for-15 slump with an RBI single, and Kolten Wong singled home two more off Michael Lorenzen (3-7) as the teams played through intermittent, sometimes heavy rain. There was a long delay after the sixth inning to spread a drying compound around the infield.

Lorenzen, one of five rookies in the Reds’ rotation, gave up three runs in five innings. He hasn’t won since June 21, going 0-5 in seven starts. In his last four starts, he’s allowed 20 runs in 18 innings.

STREAKS

Grichuk went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at eight games. Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips extended his hitting streak to seven games.

A LOT OF ZEROES

It was the Cardinals’ 11th shutout of the season, fourth-most in the NL. Last year, they had 23 shutouts. … The Reds’ streak of 18 innings without a run matches their longest of the season — they also did it in June. … Wacha has given up only two runs in 20 1/3 innings against the Reds this season.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY …

It was the 13th rain delay at Great American Ball Park this season, totaling 18 hours, 41 minutes.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LF Stephen Piscotty was hit in the left thigh by one of Lorenzen’s pitches while trying to bunt in the fifth inning. He stayed in the game.

Reds: CF Billy Hamilton got a day off. He has one hit in his last 15 at-bats.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis goes to Milwaukee for a three-game series. Lance Lynn (8-6) is 7-3 career against the Brewers with a 2.53 ERA. The seven wins are his most against any opponent.

Reds: Cincinnati starts a 10-game trip against the Diamondbacks, the Padres and the Dodgers. Raisel Iglesias (2-3) tries for his first back-to-back wins in the majors, making his first appearance against Arizona.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie Randal Grichuk knew that in homer-friendly Great American Ball Park, all it takes is one decent swing to end a game.

Matt Carpenter tied it with a solo homer in the eighth, and Grichuk connected in the 13th inning, rallying the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Grichuk was moved up to second in the Cardinals’ struggling batting order. He doubled home a run in the sixth inning and hit his 15th homer in the 13th off Dylan Axelrod (0-1), Cincinnati’s eighth pitcher.

He knew the ballpark’s reputation for yielding homers that would be outs in most other places.

“You know the ball flies here,” Grichuk said. “It’s in the back of your mind.”

So far, Grichuk has shown a propensity to hit balls hard and strike out a lot.

“Two big swings for us,” manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s got the potential. You might see some swings-and-misses sometimes, but you also see what he does tonight.”

Seth Maness (4-1) gave up a pair of walks in two innings, completing an impressive night by the bullpen. Cardinals relievers blanked the Reds over the final eight innings.

“The way they’ve been throwing the ball this year, we know that if we can scratch a few runs — not many — we’ve got a chance to win,” Carpenter said. “Today was a good example of that.”

Matheny changed the batting order — Grichuk went from batting eighth on Tuesday to second — to try to spark his struggling offense, but the Cardinals didn’t get much going until late in the game.

Left-hander David Holmberg allowed two runs, including Grichuk’s RBI double off the top of the wall in center that cut it to 3-2 in the sixth.

Carpenter tied it with a homer in the eighth off J.J. Hoover, only the third that the reliever has allowed this season. It was Carpenter’s fifth homer in his last six games.

The Reds strung together walks and infield hits while scoring three times off Carlos Martinez.

They loaded the bases in the third with a walk, an infield single and a fielding error by shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Brayan Pena’s opposite-field double landed just inside the left-field line and made it 2-0.

The Reds loaded the bases again in the fourth with a pair of walks — one to Holmberg — and Brandon Phillips’ single just out of the reach of second baseman Kolten Wong. Todd Frazier’s soft groundout got in another run.

EXTRA, EXTRA

The Cardinals have played 15 extra-inning games, going 7-8. Their longest was an 18-inning loss to the Mets. The Reds have played 13 extra-inning games, going 4-9. They’ve gone as long as 13 innings five times.

STREAKS

Grichuk extended his hitting streak to eight games. Stephen Piscotti’s streak ended at eight games. Jason Heyward’s streak ended at seven games. … Phillips extended his hitting streak to six games. Jay Bruce’s streak ended at six games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Yadier Molina got hit in the facemask by Phillips’ foul tip in the fourth inning. Phillips checked to see if the catcher was all right as he shook off the hit.

Reds: LH Sean Marshall threw off a bullpen mound for the first time since surgery on May 20 to remove scar tissue in his pitching shoulder. He’ll throw every three days.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Michael Wacha (12-4) has won both of his starts against the Reds this season, allowing only two runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Reds: Michael Lorenzen (3-6) tries for his first win since June 21. He’s 0-4 in his last six starts and has been hit hard in his last three, giving up 17 runs in 13 innings.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Anthony DeSclafani has figured out how to handle the Cardinals — go right at them.

The rookie handled St. Louis for the second straight start, striking out a career-high nine, and the Cincinnati Reds turned a big first inning off John Lackey into a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.

DeSclafani (7-7), the most experienced member of Cincinnati’s all-rookie rotation with 20 starts, gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings. Last Wednesday in St. Louis, DeSclafani gave up only three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 win over the NL Central leaders.

“Same approach,” manager Bryan Price said. “He has good stuff and he trusts it. It’s more attitude than anything. I don’t think he has any fear.”

Aroldis Chapman fanned two in the ninth — his fastball topping out at 101 mph — for his 23rd save in 24 chances. The lefty has converted 56 consecutive save opportunities at Great American Ball Park since his last failure in September 2012.

The Reds scored three runs in the first inning off Lackey (9-7), who hadn’t allowed that many runs in any of his last nine starts. He went six innings, giving up six hits.

The Cardinals have dominated the Reds in recent years, winning 14 of their last 17 series. The Reds had a bit of a breakthrough in St. Louis last week, taking two of three — their first series win at Busch Stadium since 2001.

“It’s fun playing the Cards and Pirates,” center fielder Billy Hamilton said, referring to the last two opponents. “We get so motivated playing those guys. DeSclafani did a good job pitching and the defense had his back.”

They got a good start on extending that success with the big first inning. Jay Bruce had an RBI double — his fifth double in the last six games — and Marlon Byrd followed with another double as Cincinnati sent eight batters to the plate.

After that five-hit, 30-pitch inning, Lackey settled in and allowed only an infield single through the next five innings, retiring the last 14 batters he faced.

Randal Grichuk tripled off the wall in center field and Matt Carpenter hit his 14th homer in the third inning, cutting it to 3-2. It was Carpenter’s fourth homer in the last five games.

“I didn’t do anything different,” DeSclafani said. “Any time you can pitch with that early cushion, you’re more relaxed. You don’t have to nibble as much.”

GREAT CATCH

Hamilton initially misjudged Jason Heyward’s fly to center in the eighth, but made a stretching, over-the-shoulder catch and slid on his stomach on the warning track to make up for his late break on the ball.

“It’s a game changer,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

STREAKS

Heyward extended his hitting streak to seven games (10 for 22). Grichuk stretched his to seven games (11 for 25). Stephen Piscotty had his snapped at eight games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: Hamilton rammed his right leg into the outfield wall while trying unsuccessfully to catch Grichuk’s triple in the third inning. He came up wincing and stretched his leg, but stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (11-4) allowed five runs and a season-high 10 hits in five innings of a 9-8 win over Colorado last Thursday. He’s 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 13 career appearances against the Reds.

Reds: LHP David Holmberg (1-0) makes his second start since he was called up from Triple-A to take Johnny Cueto’s spot in the rotation. Holmberg gave up two runs and five hits in six innings of a 15-5 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

TORONTO (AP) — An exchange of hit by pitches and some testy words overshadowed a big win for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Chris Colabello hit a two-run home run, R.A. Dickey threw seven shutout innings and the Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Sunday, taking three of four from the AL’s top team.

“I think they’re used to pushing people around,” Dickey said of the Royals. “So when they come onto the playground and there’s a kid that’s bigger than they are for a day, I think it probably (ticks) them off. And I can’t blame ’em.”

Both benches and bullpens emptied after Toronto reliever Aaron Sanchez was ejected for hitting Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar on the thigh in the eighth. It was the climax of a game-long spat that began when Royals starter Edinson Volquez hit Josh Donaldson on the left shoulder in the first.

Volquez didn’t mince words when asked whether Donaldson overreacted to being hit and to a pair of later pitches that were up and in.

“He’s a little baby,” Volquez said. “He was crying like a baby.”

Donaldson and Volquez traded stares and words as the Blue Jays slugger took a slow walk to first base after being hit. Home plate umpire Jim Wolf warned both dugouts.

When Donaldson batted again in the third, Volquez missed high and inside with a pitch that sailed to the backstop. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out to argue but Volquez was not ejected.

In the seventh, Royals reliever Ryan Madson hit Troy Tulowitzki on the right forearm, then threw high and inside to Donaldson, who stepped out and yelled at Wolf. Gibbons and on-deck hitter Jose Bautista stepped in to break up the argument, and Gibbons was eventually ejected.

After Donaldson struck out, Bautista made it 3-0 with a double to center, and yelled at Madson as he ran to first.

Donaldson and Volquez had to be restrained after Sanchez was ejected for hitting Escobar. Gibbons and Colabello, who’d just been replaced for defense, both ran out to join the scrum. Wolf ejected both Sanchez and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

“Our guy loses a two-seamer and hits a guy in the knee when we’ve had four balls thrown at our neck the entire day and our guy gets ejected, it just doesn’t seem proper,” Donaldson said.

The sellout crowd of 45,736 jeered Wolf after the umpires had cleared the field.

“I don’t think he made a lot of the right decisions today,” Donaldson said of Wolf, who declined to speak with to a pool reporter following the game.

Royals manager Ned Yost, meanwhile, praised the umpires for doing “a phenomenal job.”

“I thought Jim Wolf did a tremendous job understanding the game, understanding what’s intentional,” Yost said.

Donaldson hit two home runs in the series but struck out three times in the finale.

“He can’t take it,” Volquez said of Donaldson. “I don’t know why. He hit a lot of homers in the first couple of games and he was pimping everything he does. Somebody hits you, you’ve got to take it, because you’re pimping everything you do.”

Roberto Osuna replaced Sanchez and allowed a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist, cutting it to 3-2.

Toronto scored a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half after Kelvin Herrera walked the bases loaded. Ben Revere hit a sacrifice fly and Tulowitzki had an RBI single.

Osuna finished in the ninth for his seventh save.

Pitching on three days’ rest, Dickey (6-10) allowed just two hits, both singles, and walked two in winning his third straight start.

Gibbons said Dickey was “as good as we’ve seen him.”

Kansas City was among the opponents Dickey beat the last time he won three straight. He also posted victories over the New York Yankees and Minnesota in that run, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2013.

Toronto denied Volquez his third straight win and handed Kansas City its fourth loss in five games.

Volquez retired Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins to strand runners at the corners in the second before the Blue Jays opened the scoring in the fourth. Edwin Encarnacion led off with a single and Colabello followed with a drive to left, his 10th.

“I tried to go up and in and the ball stayed a little bit up in the middle and he hit it out,” Volquez said.

Volquez (10-6) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings.

Earlier in the season, the Royals were involved in two brawls that resulted in multiple suspensions, in April against the A’s and the White Sox, having to do with players getting hit by pitches.

NO QUICK TRIGGER

Gibbons, Sanchez and Hale were the first ejections of the season for Wolf.

FIVE SPOT

Toronto scored five runs or more for the 59th time, the highest total in the majors. The Blue Jays lead baseball with 561 runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Mike Moustakas (right knee) was held out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning Saturday.

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City is off Monday before beginning a three game series in Detroit Tuesday. LHP Danny Duffy (4-5, 4.28 ERA) faces RHP Justin Verlander (1-3, 4.86 ERA) in the opener. Duffy allowed a career-high three home runs in a loss to Toronto last Thursday. He’s 2-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 career starts against the Tigers.

Blue Jays: LHP David Price (9-4, 2.53 ERA) makes his Toronto debut Monday afternoon as the Blue Jays begin a pivotal series against wild-card rival Minnesota. Price is 7-0 with a 3.86 ERA in nine career starts at Rogers Centre. His opponent will be Twins RHP Ervin Santana (2-1, 3.78 ERA).

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brandon Moss felt as if he got a new baseball life after he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

“It was like I won the lottery,” he said. “I’ve got a smile on my face all the time now.”

Moss recorded his first big hit with St. Louis, a pinch-hit game-ending single in the ninth inning, and Randal Grichuk had a two-run homer to lead the Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Moss’ one-out hit to left off reliever Scott Oberg (2-2) drove in Jason Heyward, who doubled with one away.

Closer Trevor Rosenthal (2-2) pitched a perfect inning for the win.

The Cardinals have won nine of 12 and have a major league-best 40-16 mark at home. Colorado has lost four of five.

Moss is 2 for 11 with the Cardinals, but he hit the ball hard to the warning track three times in a 7-0 win on Friday.

He was acquired from Cleveland for minor league left-hander Rob Kaminsky.

Since the trade, Moss has been on cloud nine.

“You forget about how tough a season it has been for me personally,” Moss said. “Coming here, instantly makes you a better ballplayer.”

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny noticed that Moss has displayed plenty of enthusiasm since joining the team.

“There have been a lot of players that have come through here that have been happy to put on the Cardinal uniform,” Matheny said. “But, I haven’t seen anyone as visually excited as he was.”

Heyward kick-started the winning rally with a first-pitch double.

“We put some good AB’s together,” Heyward said. “Then (Moss) came through at the right time. That’s what he’s going to be able to do for us.”

St. Louis jumped to a 2-0 lead on Grichuk’s home run off Colorado starter Yohan Flande in the fifth. It was

Grichuk’s 12th homer of the season and fifth since the All-Star break.

Colorado tied it in the sixth on singles by DJ LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado and a run-scoring double by Ben Paulsen. Arenado then came home on a wild pitch by reliever Steve Cishek.

“Sometimes you lose close games and that was the case on this trip,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s the consequence of playing in tight games.”

Colorado went 2-5 on a seven-game road, three of the losses came in the final inning.

Flande gave up two runs on four hits over five innings.

“I felt very pleased with my outing,” Flande said through translator Carlos Gonzalez. “Except for that home run. That was the only mistake.”

St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia allowed just one run and two hits in five-plus innings. He left with a 2-0 lead but was not pleased with his four walks.

“I just didn’t do my job,” he said. “It wasn’t good enough.”

The Cardinals have won 17 of their last 21 at home against Colorado.

“It’s just great to be a part of this,” Moss said. “I can’t even put it into words.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Colorado: RHP Kyle Kendrick will have an MRI in Denver on Monday. Kendrick was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with shoulder inflammation.

UP NEXT

Colorado: RHP Eddie Butler (3-7, 4.82) will take on Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez (12-6, 3.02) in the first of a three-game series in Denver on Monday. Butler will be facing an American League foe for the first time.

St. Louis: RHP John Lackey (9-6, 2.78) will face Cincinnati RHP Anthony DeSclafani (6-7, 3.75) in the first of a three-game set in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Lackey will be making his team-high 22nd start of the season.

— Associated Press —