PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carlos Martinez made his case for inclusion on the National League All-Star team Thursday night by pitching 7 1/3 scoreless innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 in a matchup between the teams with the best records in the major leagues.

Martinez (10-3) scattered four hits while striking out five and walking three in improving to 7-1 with a 1.20 ERA in his last 10 starts.

The right-hander is one of the five players contending for the NL’s All-Star Final Vote. Fan voting ends Friday afternoon and the game will be played Tuesday at Cincinnati.

St. Louis (56-31) opened a 5 1/2-game lead on the Pirates in the NL Central. Pittsburgh (50-35) had its five-game winning streak snapped in the opener of a four-game series.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals jolted the Chicago Cubs 6-5 Wednesday night.

The Cardinals trailed 5-4 and Cubs reliever Pedro Strop (1-4) quickly retired the first two batters in the ninth.

Matt Carpenter followed with a four-pitch walk and Peralta connected on a 1-2 pitch, hitting a drive that barely cleared the wall in left field for his 12th home run.

Miguel Socolovich (3-1) got two outs for the win. Trevor Rosenthal gave up a two-out double to Addison Russell in the ninth, but struck out Dexter Fowler for his 25th save in 26 chances.

The Cubs took a 5-4 in the sixth on Miguel Montero’s three-run double. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and catcher Yadier Molina were ejected after Montero’s hit, arguing that the pitch before the double should’ve been called a strike instead of a ball.

St. Louis starter Michael Wacha gave up five earned runs and seven hits in six innings. He allowed three singles to load the bases for Montero.

Wacha also had an RBI singles.

Cubs reliever Travis Wood pitched three hitless innings and Hector Rondon worked a scoreless eighth before Strop came in.

Chicago starter Jason Hammel exited with tightness in his left hamstring after pitching a hitless first inning.

Dan Johnson, promoted from Triple-A before the game, hit RBI singles in the second and fourth innings. Mark Reynolds and Randal Grichuk had back-to-back triples before Johnson’s second hit.

The Cubs scored twice in the fourth when Anthony Rizzo singled, Kris Bryant tripled and Jorge Soler had an infield single.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong sat out Wednesday’s game, following a play in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday in which he hit his head on the ground while making a catch. Trainers had Wong riding a stationary bike to elevate his heart rate and taking tests, and Wong said he felt much better. “I woke up this morning feeling fine,” Wong said. Matheny said Wong was “asymptomatic” for concussion. “That’s a good sign,” Matheny said, though it’s uncertain when Wong will be back in the lineup.

Cubs: Hammel threw 12 pitches and retired the Cardinals in order.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (9-3, 2.70) will start Thursday night at Pittsburgh. The Cards are 13-3 in his 16 starts this season. Martinez is 0-2 in three starts against the Pirates.

Cubs: After an off day, RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.82) will start the opener of a three-game series against the White Sox at Wrigley Field. Hendricks pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings and got the win in his last start, beating the Marlins 2-0. He has pitched a career-best 15 1/3 scoreless innings. He’ll be opposed by LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 4.18).

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell hit a tying single and scored during a three-run rally in the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 Tuesday to complete a day-night doubleheader sweep.

The Cubs won the opener 7-4 behind a strong start by Jake Arrieta, then came back late in the nightcap to beat the NL Central leaders for just the fourth time in 12 games.

Chicago scored three in the seventh to grab a 4-2 lead. Seth Maness (3-1) got ejected after giving up the tying single and replacement Kevin Siegrist threw away a grounder and allowed two more runs.

Travis Wood (5-3) pitched a scoreless seventh. Hector Rondon retired the side in the eighth.

Jason Motte gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Tony Cruz in the ninth. But he escaped with his fifth save in as many chances after Matt Carpenter fouled out and Jhonny Peralta grounded into a force to end the game.

Down 2-1, Chicago had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh when Russell hit an RBI single just inside the first base line.

As first base umpire Pat Hoberg called a fair ball, first baseman Mark Reynolds threw his arms up. Maness ran over and was tossed.

Siegrist came in, fielded Dexter Fowler’s comebacker and threw the ball into center field, trying for a forceout at second. That allowed Jonathan Herrera to score from third, and Anthony Rizzo had a sacrifice fly that made it 4-2.

Chicago got another run in the eighth when Jorge Soler doubled and Starlin Castro drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals scored two in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead while chasing out Dallas Beeler. The right-hander left to loud cheers with a 1-0 lead and runners on first and third.

Jason Heyward had an RBI grounder and Mark Reynolds drove in a run with an infield hit.

Beeler was charged with two runs over five-plus innings. He gave up four hits, struck out six and walked two after being called up from the minors as the 26th man.

Rookie Tim Cooney, making his third start, allowed one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings for St. Louis.

In the opener, Arrieta (9-5) pitched into the seventh inning and also got a career-high two hits.

Rizzo launched his 16th homer, a two-run drive off Randy Choate that highlighted a four-run eighth after St. Louis pulled within one.

Arrieta gave up two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings and improved to 3-0 in his past four starts. He contributed a pair of singles and scored a run after starting the season 1 for 33.

Chris Denorfia had two hits and drove in three runs, knocking in two with a single in the third off Tyler Lyons (2-1).

HIT MAN

Rizzo set a modern franchise record in the first inning of the second game when he was hit by a pitch for the 18th time.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong was held out of the second game after banging his head in the opener. Wong was woozy after he sprawled out to catch a fly by Miguel Montero in shallow right field in the fifth inning. He was slow to get up and was replaced in the seventh. With Wong out of the lineup for the late game, Carpenter made his first start at second since 2013.

Cubs: Manager Joe Maddon said he got a good report on RHP Rafael Soriano, who struck out three in an inning of relief Monday for Double-A Tennessee — his first appearance for the organization. Soriano, who has 207 career saves, signed last month and had to wait for his immigration paperwork to go through before coming to the United States from the Dominican Republic.

UP NEXT

All-Star Michael Wacha (10-3, 2.66) starts for St. Louis while RHP Jason Hammel (4-5, 2.89) pitches for Chicago.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — John Lackey threw seven scoreless innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0 on Monday night, despite Jon Lester’s taking a no-hitter into the seventh.

Signed to a six-year, $155 million deal the past offseason, Lester (4-7) remains winless in nine straight starts since he beat Pittsburgh on May 16. He allowed two hits and two unearned runs while striking out eight for Chicago, which had won five of six.

Lester’s bid for his second career no-hitter ended with one out in the seventh, when Kris Bryant couldn’t handle Jhonny Peralta’s sharp grounder in back of third base. That also ended Lester’s streak of 18 batters retired.

The Chicago defense then let Lester down when Bryant’s throw to second on a Jason Heyward grounder went into right field. That was followed by Yadier Molina’s run-scoring sacrifice fly to right and Kolten Wong’s RBI single to left that put St. Louis ahead 2-0.

Lackey and two relievers combined on a six-hit shutout.

Lester recorded the first hit of his MLB career when he hit an infield single in the second off John Lackey. He had been 0-for-66 overall, the longest such streak to start an MLB career, and 0-for-30 this season.

Unfortunately for Lester, Lackey (7-5) continued the offensive woes for the Cubs, who have scored three runs in just two of their past 13 games.

Lackey, who was a teammate of Lester’s in Boston from 2010-2014, struck out four and gave up six hits while walking one and getting enough support from a Cardinals offense that scored more than three runs for the first time since June 28.

The Cubs had a good chance in the sixth, when Anthony Rizzo and Bryant started the inning with singles. Miguel Montero struck out before Wong made a diving play on a sharp Starlin Castro grounder to start a double play and end the inning.

With that defense and the offense showing some signs of improvement, especially in a four-run ninth against Edwin Jackson, the Cardinals stayed hot and won their third straight and in a game delayed by rain for more than an hour in the middle of the eighth inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Jon Jay (left wrist) has been told to do nothing for the next week, in hopes the inaction will help the healing.

Cubs: RHP Rafael Soriano joined Double-A Tennessee after a brief time in Mesa, Arizona. Soriano was signed June 9 and had been in the Dominican Republic waiting for his immigration situation to clear up.

UP NEXT

Cardinals LHP Tyler Lyons (2-0, 5.09) faces Chicago RHP Jake Arrieta (8-5, 2.80) in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. In the nightcap, St. Louis LHP Tim Cooney (0-0, 5.40) will oppose Cubs RHP Dallas Beeler, who is expected to be called up from Triple-A Iowa before the game.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie outfielder Tommy Pham has done almost everything right in his first three starts with the St. Louis Cardinals.

His one regret: He’s fallen woefully behind in answering the congratulatory text messages from friends and family after two impressive back-to-back performances.

“Just don’t have the time right now,” Pham said. “Eventually, I will get back to everyone.”

Pham homered, doubled and drove in three runs, leading Lance Lynn and the Cardinals over the San Diego Padres 3-1 Sunday.

The Cardinals improved to a majors-best 31-11 at home with their second successive win. San Diego has lost five of seven.

Pham was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday. He hit his first homer, a two-run drive off Ian Kennedy (4-8) in the third. Pham doubled home Lynn in the fifth.

On Saturday, Pham scored both runs in a 2-1 win.

“He’s sparking us, that’s exactly what we were hoping for,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s delivered, he’s in a great spot.”

Pham’s homer came on a 370-foot drive that gave the Cardinals the lead for good 2-1. The drive barely cleared the wall in left center. Pham temporarily stopped at second base, thinking it was a ground-rule double.

“I didn’t know that the signs are out of play,” Pham said. “But I’m just trying to focus on having good at-bats, swinging at good pitches.”

Pham is 3 for 11 with one home run and three RBI this season.

Lynn (6-4) gave up three hits and one unearned run in seven innings. He also doubled and singled for his first career multihit game and scored twice.

Lynn struck out eight and retired 11 in a row at one point. He has not lost in his last six starts.

“As the game went on, I was able to hit the corners like I wanted to,” Lynn said.

Lynn was just as pleased with his effort at the plate.

“I might be running out of luck when it comes to hitting,” he said.

The Padres went down in order five times, three times against Lynn.

“We couldn’t really put anything together off of him,” San Diego second baseman Jedd Gyorko said. “He had good command of his fastball. He was mixing his sinker enough to keep us off balance.”

Added San Diego manager Pat Murphy, “He was a one-man show.”

Kevin Siegrist recorded his fourth save in six chances. Closer Trevor Rosenthal was unavailable after pitching in three successive games.

Matt Kemp drove in the Padres’ run with a single in the third.

Kennedy gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. He had allowed just one earned run in each of his previous four starts.

“Just eliminate two people in the lineup, Lynn and Pham,” Kennedy said. “They hit me well. I felt like I commanded everything. They worked the counts, but overall I felt pretty good.”

The Cardinals wrapped up a nine-game homestand with a 5-4 mark.

They lost four successive home games before snapping the streak with back-to-back wins over the Padres.

“You don’t like to lose, especially four straight,” Lynn said. “To come back, right the ship a little bit, and win two in a row, we’ll take it.”

San Diego has scored four runs in its last three games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia was put on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain sustained while running the bases against Miami on June 24. LHP Tim Cooney was recalled from the minors and will start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP James Shields (7-3, 4.14) will start the first of a three-game series in Pittsburgh against RHP A. J. Burnett (7-3, 2.05).

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey (6-5, 3.30) will start in the first of a four-game set in Chicago against the Cubs on Monday. He will be opposed by LHP Jon Lester (4-6, 3.74).

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie outfielder Tommy Pham will never forget his first major league hit.

Or his first stolen base and run scored.

Pham scampered home with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jhonny Peralta in the eighth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 2-1 Saturday to stop their longest losing streak of the season at four games.

Recalled on Friday from Triple-A Memphis, Pham had a trio of personal firsts in his second career start.

“This is a special (day). I will always remember it,” he said. “It means a whole lot, just to be up here and contributing.”

Carlos Martinez threw 6 2/3 solid innings, and Seth Maness (3-0) got the win. Trevor Rosenthal closed for his 24th save in 25 opportunities, getting Matt Kemp to ground out with a runner on to end it.

Rosenthal had a 23-game scoreless string halted on Friday.

San Diego won the first two games of the series, including a 2-1 victory Friday. All four losses during St. Louis’ skid came at home.

Pham reached on an error by shortstop Alexi Amarista to start the eighth. Pham stole second on the first pitch and went to third on a sacrifice by Matt Carpenter.

Peralta then hit a two-strike fly to right to bring in the tiebreaking run. Pham barely beat the throw from Will Venable with a headfirst slide, hooking his hand on the plate.

“We were waiting for somebody to do something and he did it,” Peralta said. “I felt it was deep enough when I hit the ball. He’s a pretty good runner.”

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny inserted Pham into the leadoff spot hoping he could kick-start a slumping offense that had managed just six runs in its previous four games. Pham scored both runs.

“We put him in a tough spot to see how he was going to respond,” Matheny said. “It was nice to see that first hit. In the eighth, he comes out of the box hard and that put pressure on the defense.

“He was good. He was just what we needed today.”

Brandon Maurer (5-1) took the loss.

The Cardinals improved to 52-28 overall and 30-11 at home, both marks the best in the majors. They have won seven times this season by a score of 2-1

Martinez allowed eight hits and one run. He struck out five and walked two.

“I felt really good. I competed,” said Martinez, who was looking for his 10th win.

Martinez gave up a fourth-inning homer to Yangervis Solarte, then shut the door.

“I said after that, that’s the only run I’m going to give up,” Martinez said.

The Cardinals are still struggling on offense, although Matheny sees good things ahead.

“It’s a matter of time until we start putting up the big offensive numbers that we know we can,” he said.

San Diego starter Odrisamer Despaigne gave up one run and four hits in five-plus innings.

“I just tried to be aggressive and have a good approach to the hitters,” Despaigne said through a translator. “Today, it was working.

St. Louis tied the game in the sixth on a double by Pham and a run-scoring single by Carpenter.

The Padres were looking for their first three-game winning streak since June 2-5.

“This is a tough loss when you’ve got a little momentum going,” manager Pat Murphy said. “(Despaigne) was great, the relief corps was great. It comes down to a tough error.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres C Derek Norris was in the lineup despite spraining his left shoulder Friday. Norris collided with Cardinals 1B Xavier Scruggs while beating out an infield hit. Norris has started 67 of 83 games behind the plate.

UP NEXT

St. Louis RHP Lance Lynn (5-4, 2.74 ERA) will face RHP Ian Kennedy (4-7, 4.86) in the finale of the four-game series Sunday. The Cardinals have scored just 32 runs in 13 of Lynn’s 14 starts. Kennedy has allowed one earned run in each of his last four starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jedd Gyorko homered in the seventh inning to tie the game and then had a run-scoring single in the ninth to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.

San Diego won the first two games of the four-game series after losing three straight.

St. Louis lost a season-high fourth straight home game but the Cardinals are still a major league-best 29-11 at home.

Gyorko hit a 3-2 pitch from closer Trevor Rosenthal (1-1) to bring in Yangervis Solarte, who hit a one-out triple.

Joaquin Benoit (5-3) picked up the win in relief.

Craig Kimbrel recorded his 21st save in 22 opportunities. He got Jason Heyward to ground into a game-ending double play.

St. Louis starter Michael Wacha, in his first career appearance against the Padres, gave up one run and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked one.

San Diego starter Andrew Cashner allowed one run and three hits in six innings.

The Cardinals scored in the fifth inning on a double-play groundout by Xavier Scruggs. Heyward and Yadier Molina singled to start the rally. Randal Grichuk coaxed a nine-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 to load the bases.

Justin Upton of the Padres broke an 0-for-17 skid with a single in the sixth.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Cardinals: OF Jon Jay was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to July 1 with a stress reaction in his left wrist. Jay was hitting .223 with one homer and 10 RBIS. He is on the DL for the second time this season with an earlier stint from May 14-28 with left wrist tendinitis.

Padres: INF Will Middlebrooks did not start for the fourth straight game after rolling his ankle Sunday against Arizona. Middlebrooks pinch hit on Tuesday and Thursday.

UP NEXT:

St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (9-3, 2.80) will face RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (3-6, 4.94) in the third game of the four-game set on Saturday. Martinez leads the Cardinals with 100 strikeouts. Despaigne has allowed eight earned runs over his last two starts covering 11 innings.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Will Venable hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the top of the 11th inning and the San Diego Padres snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the suddenly scuffling St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

Venable had been 1 for 17 coming off the bench before connecting on the first pitch from Carlos Villanueva (3-3) after the Padres successfully challenged a fair-foul ruling that resulted in a ground-rule double by Clint Barmes. The ball appeared to tick the line as right fielder Jason Heyward made an unsuccessful attempt at a sliding catch near the stands. Venable followed with his sixth homer of the year.

Shawn Kelley (1-2) had four strikeouts in two scoreless innings and Craig Kimbrel earned his 20th save in 21 chances.

Heyward and Matt Carpenter had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —