ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds doubled off the wall in center field to snap a tie in the sixth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from three runs down to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4 on Tuesday night, their eighth straight victory.

Matt Carpenter of St. Louis tied the game with a three-run homer off Kyle Hendricks in the fifth and finished with four RBIs. Kolten Wong added an RBI in the seventh on an infield single, his third hit of the game, and Trevor Rosenthal earned his ninth save in 10 chances.

Anthony Rizzo had three hits and a walk but grounded out with the bases loaded against Miguel Socolovich to end the eighth. Starlin Castro had two RBIs on a forceout in the fifth when the Cardinals couldn’t quite turn a double play and rookie Kris Bryant scored from second. The Cubs have lost a season-long four straight.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kolten Wong went up there hacking. Starting a rally wouldn’t satisfy.

“I didn’t want to bloop something in or anything like that,” Wong said after he homered in the 14th inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Pittsburgh in extra innings for the third straight time, 3-2 on Sunday.

“I wanted to drive something and either score myself or get in scoring position,” he said.

Starter Michael Wacha, who’d been three outs away from becoming the majors’ second 5-0 pitcher, returned to the dugout just in time to watch the winner.

“Myself and all the other relievers that had already thrown, we were like, `We’ve got to go out there and support these guys,” Wacha said. “Sure enough, Wong comes through.”

The Cardinals swept a three-game series all in extra innings for the first time in franchise history. They’re the first team to do it since June 4-7, 1925, when the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Braves, according to STATS.

The Cardinals posted three extra-inning wins in a row for the first time since July 2006, when they twice beat Houston before the All-Star break and then won at Dodger Stadium when play resumed.

“Wow. I think that’s all I’ve got,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I love how they keep playing.”

The NL Central leaders are a major league-best 18-6, matching the franchise’s best 24-game start since 1900. They had the same record in 1941 and 1944.

“We’re playing arguably the team that’s playing the best baseball in the league,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “And we went with them for three straight days. We came up one run short each day.”

Pedro Alvarez homered in the Pittsburgh 12th inning before the Cardinals tied it on a bases-loaded single by Peter Bourjos in the bottom half. St. Louis left the bases loaded in the 11th and again in the 12th.

The finale of a three-game series that totaled 35 innings lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes. The Cardinals scored seven runs, the Pirates four.

Wong hit his second homer with one out, sending a pitch from Radhames Liz (1-2) into the home bullpen in right. Both of his game-winning homers have come against Pittsburgh, the other on July 8, 2014 off Ernesto Frieri.

“It’s pretty special, especially against the Pirates because they’re in our division,” Wong said. “I guess I’m lucky against them.”

Rookie Miguel Socolovich (1-0) worked a perfect 14th to earn his first career victory.

After walking in four straight at-bats, Alvarez hit his fifth homer, connecting against rookie Sam Tuivailala.

Bourjos’ infield hit against Liz ticked off the glove of diving third baseman Josh Harrison. He’s 6 for 12 his last five games.

Jung Ho Kang’s first homer came on the first pitch of the ninth from Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal. It’s the first blown save in nine chances for Rosenthal and first homer allowed.

Pirates starter Vance Worley gave up a run on four hits in six innings. Wacha allowed five hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Carpenter hit his fourth homer leading off the fourth. He was removed in a double switch after seven innings after experiencing light-headedness.

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen’s glove popped off as he attempted to reach over the wall for Carpenter’s fourth homer. The shot ended a run of 95 consecutive innings in 11 games by Pirates pitchers without allowing a longball.

McCutchen lost his mitt again just missing a diving catch on Jhonny Peralta’s bloop single in the seventh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Pitcher Charlie Morton, rehabbing from offseason hip surgery, threw 93 pitches in extended spring training on Saturday.

Cardinals: Set-up man Jordan Walden was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right biceps inflammation.

UP NEXT

Pirates: Jeff Locke (2-1, 4.76) didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in his last game. On Tuesday, he’ll oppose the Reds to open a six-game homestand.

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (3-0, 1.73) is among the league leaders in ERA and has won his last three starts, surrendering three runs in 19 innings.

FREE PASSES

Alvarez drew a career-high four walks the previous four at-bats before homering. He has 16 homers against St. Louis, topped only by 17 against Milwaukee among opponents.

LONG DAY

Harrison was 0 for 7 with two strikeouts and only two balls hit to the outfield. Shortstop Jordy Mercer flubbed two popups that dropped in for gift singles, the first perhaps lost in the sun but the second after shadows had descended on Busch Stadium.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Carpenter takes pride in giving St. Louis baseball fans their money’s worth.

The Cardinals’ third baseman hit a game-ending sacrifice fly in the 11th inning Saturday and the Cardinals once again beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in extras.

The Cardinals, who have won five in a row, beat the Pirates 2-1 Friday night on Matt Adams’ single in the 10th.

Pittsburgh left a season-high 18 runners on base and the Cardinals stranded just four. St. Louis has won 15 of its last 18 against the Pirates at Busch Stadium.

Thrilling walkoff endings are getting to be the norm for St. Louis, especially against NL Central rival Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals’ last three home wins over the Pirates came in walkoff fashion. Five of their last eight wins over Pittsburg ended that way as well.

“Both teams really want to win so bad and you can see it in the way they play,” Carpenter said. “It seems like every time we play them, we give the fans free baseball.”

It was the case again Saturday as St. Louis got its 14th walkoff win since the start of the 2013 season, and the seventh against the Pirates.

Peter Bourjos doubled to start the St. Louis 11th. He was trapped off second by Jared Hughes (0-1) and caught stealing third. Pete Kozma and Jon Jay singled and Carpenter hit a deep fly to left that easily scored the winning run.

“Every time we play these guys it’s like a chess match,” Pittsburgh infielder Josh Harrison said. “It always comes down to a big hit, a big play. We just need to get one in our favor every once in a while.”

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny was pleased with the way his club took advantage of its limited opportunities.

“I’m really happy about how the guys have been playing. Somebody is always coming up big,” Matheny said. “It’s fun when you can pull these out like this.”

Carlos Villanueva (3-1), the seventh St. Louis pitcher, went one inning. He induced Francisco Cervelli to ground out with two on to end the 11th.

St. Louis starter John Lackey gave up one run and six hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three.

“My arm felt as good as it has all season,” Lackey said.

Pittsburgh started Francisco Liriano was even better. He gave up one run on three hits over eight innings. He did not allow a hit until the sixth.

“The whole key is not to try to do too much and stay calm,” Liriano said. “Location-wise everything was (good).”

Harrison hit an RBI single in the third that put Pittsburgh ahead. Gregory Polanco began the inning with a single, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Yadier Molina.

St. Louis tied it in the sixth on a run-scoring ground out by Jay. Bourjos and pinch-hitter Jason Heyward led off the inning.

“When you play the game every day for six months, you’re going to go through some stretches where you get challenged,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “You either meet the demands of the game or you don’t. When you don’t, you can’t really expect (good) results.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: OF Andrew McCutchen was in the starting lineup after he appeared to hurt his leg while breaking up a double play in the ninth inning Friday night.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Vance Worley (2-2, 4.50) will make his fifth start of the season in the final game of the series on Sunday. The Pirates have been shut out in each of his losses.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (4-0, 2.42) allowed five hits and one run in each of his first four starts this season. He is 9-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 career appearances at home.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dropping Matt Carpenter to second in the batting order is working for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carpenter doubled, singled and walked twice, and the Cardinals overcame a short outing by Tim Cooney in his major league debut to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 Thursday for their third straight win.

Carpenter scored in his first three times on base and has 21 runs in 21 games. St. Louis averaged 3.7 runs during a 12-8 start and has scored 25 runs in three games since Carpenter was dropped from the leadoff spot.

“When you get this offense really going, it’s one of the best in the majors, and right now everybody it seems is producing,” Matt Adams said,

Adams had three hits and drove in three runs — two on a tiebreaking homer. He had just three extra-base hits in the Cardinals’ first 18 games, but has three doubles and the homer in the last three.

“It seems like everything is starting to really come around on the offensive side, not just for me but the whole offense itself,” he said. “Things are really starting to click now.”

Cooney, a 24-year-old left-hander brought up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, was given a 3-0 lead but lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.

“I think it was, you know, always a tough assignment bringing a young kid in for his first one,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “We’ve seen him pitch much better than that, and I think he will in the future.”

Carlos Villanueva (2-1) followed and retired all 10 batters he faced. The Cardinals bullpen retired 19 of 21 hitters during 6 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.

With the score 3-3 in the third, Adams hit a two-run homer off David Buchanan (0-5), who became the first Philadelphia pitcher to lose his first five starts in a season since Kyle Abbott in 1992. Buchanan gave up seven runs, eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings, leaving him with an 8.76 ERA. He is 0-8 in 14 starts since beating Houston on Aug. 6.

“I want my team to win a game that I pitch in,” Buchanan said. “I’m not out there for my record, I want my team to win in a ballgame that I pitch in, I don’t care how it happens.”

The Cardinals boosted their lead to 7-3 in the fifth when Matt Holliday hit his second RBI double and scored on Adams’ single. Jon Jay had a run-scoring single in the eighth, when Luis Garcia walked Jhonny Peralta with the bases loaded.

St. Louis built a 3-0 lead in the first when Carpenter and Holliday had consecutive RBI doubles, and Jason Heyward hit a run-scoring double-play grounder.

Odubel Herrera singled in a run in the second, and the Phillies tied the score in the third on Darin Ruf’s leadoff homer and a sacrifice fly by Cody Asche, Villanueva’s first batter.

ROSTER MOVES

St. Louis optioned C Cody Stanley to Memphis and transferred RHP Adam Wainwright from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jerome Williams, 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in four outings, is to start Friday.

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn is slated for a series opener against Pittsburgh on Friday. He is 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA in four starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: RHP Chad Billingsley allowed two runs and five hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings during an injury rehabilitation start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Cardinals: Wainwright had surgery Thursday to repair a torn left Achilles tendon. “Everything went well,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “No surprises, which was probably the best news, and didn’t have to use any extra material to reattach the tendon. So now it’s rest and recovery for probably the next 6 to 8 weeks.”

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Peter Bourjos’ well-rested legs made all the difference both at the top of the batting order and in center field for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bourjos made just his second start of the season count by hitting a game-tying RBI triple and scoring the go-ahead run by beating the throw home on an infield tapper to fuel a four-run fifth inning in a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.

“Any time you get a chance to start and play, it’s a lot of fun,” Bourjos said. “It’s a tough role, but when you can get some hits and help the team win, it makes it even more special.”

Carlos Martinez (3-0) allowed two runs in six innings and Matt Adams doubled twice with an RBI.

Ryan Howard hit his 20th career homer against St. Louis, 11 coming in his hometown, and Odubel Herrera had two hits and an RBI. Aaron Harang (2-2) surrendered five runs in six innings, ending a career-best run of eight consecutive quality starts dating to last September.

Bourjos entered 7 for 15 against Harang with a homer and four RBIs, no doubt factoring into his starting considering he was just 1 for 10 on the season.

“He’s got pretty good stuff, but for some reason I have pretty good at-bats against him,” Bourjos said. “It’s just something I can’t explain.”

Neither could Harang.

“There’s just guys that have your number and it always seems to be the leadoff hitter, those pesky guys, that get me more often than the big guys,” Harang said.

Bourjos made a nice running catch to rob Chase Utley of extra bases and an RBI to end the seventh.

“His speed plays big,” Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. “I don’t know if any other center fielder, might be one, catches Chase’s ball.”

Howard’s throw home on Matt Carpenter’s grounder to first base was not quick enough to catch Bourjos, who slid in ahead of catcher Carlos Ruiz’s tag. The Phillies unsuccessfully challenged the call, believing that Bourjos might have been late getting his foot on the base.

Adams and Jhonny Peralta added RBIs later in the inning. Kolten Wong had a two-out RBI single in the second to give St. Louis the early lead.

Howard hit his fourth homer in the fourth, a drive just over the fence into the home bullpen in right that gave him 39 RBIs in 33 career games in St. Louis. He grounded out his other three at-bats against an over-shifted defense, each time to Wong, the second baseman, standing in shallow right field.

“No, I don’t like it at all,” Howard said. “That’s four hits. I’m hitting the ball hard, it’s just that guys are playing shifts.”

Howard batted fifth behind Jeff Francoeur and hedged at first when asked whether he thought he should be back at cleanup, ultimately saying it was up to Sandberg.

“I feel like I’m a four-hole guy,” he said. “I’ve been there most of my career. That’s his call.”

Trevor Rosenthal earned his eighth save in eight chances for the NL Central leaders.

UP NEXT

Phillies: David Buchanan has lost all four starts this year and was 0-3 in his last nine starts last season with his last win on Aug. 6. During the 13-game drought he’s thrown seven quality starts.

Cardinals: LHP Tim Cooney takes injured Adam Wainwright’s spot in the rotation and will be making his major league debut. The 24-year-old Cooney, who grew up in a Philadelphia suburb rooting for the Phillies, is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Memphis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Domonic Brown reported to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the end of a rehab assignment for a left Achilles injury.

Cardinals: OF Randal Grichuk, on the DL since April 17 with a lower back strain, has participated in pre-game activities all three games in the series.

CONTROL ROOM

Phillies pitchers entered the game with a major league-high 86 walks, but they issued just two on Wednesday — both to Matt Holliday.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Harang made a rough slide into third advancing on a wild pitch in the fifth inning. He had thought it would be easy taking the bag but also respected catcher Yadier Molina’s arm.

“That was one of those ones where you’re running thinking `Let’s slide. No I don’t need to slide. Yeah, I need to slide. No I’m not going to slide. Yeah, let’s slide.” Harang joked.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Juggling the batting order paid off for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Facing a pitcher making his major league debut did not hurt either.

The Cardinals scored seven runs off Severino Gonzalez in the first three innings and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-5 on Tuesday night. St. Louis finished with a season high in runs and hits (15) to win for the first time in three games.

Trying to jolt his offense, manager Mike Matheny moved Matt Carpenter out of the leadoff spot for the first time in nearly two years. Jason Heyward was dropped from second to sixth and Jon Jay took over at the top of the order. All three contributed in their new places in the order.

Carpenter tripled and scored in the first, had an RBI double in the fifth and walked and scored in the eighth. The double was his 12th, most in the majors and the most in franchise history after 19 games.

“It’s hard to argue with the team’s 15 hits and 11 runs,” Heyward said of the changes. “Our lineup’s flexible and that’s what is awesome about it.”

Heyward reached base four times and scored twice and Jay added two RBI singles.

“We like what we saw,” said Matheny, who said he switched the order because Heyward had been struggling and he wanted to put Carpenter in a better position to drive in runs. “They were clicking pretty good. We like the way it went.”

Matt Holliday, hitting in his usual third spot, and Matt Adams each added three hits for the Cardinals. Holliday also scored three runs and had an RBI as every player in the Cardinals’ starting lineup finished with at least a hit, run or RBI.

Michael Wacha (4-0) drove in two runs and pitched 5 2/3 innings to win for the fourth time in four starts. He gave up a season-high four runs and six hits.

“My command just wasn’t where I wanted it to be,” Wacha said. “But those guys putting together great at-bats made my job easier.”

Gonzalez (0-1) yielded seven runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.

“He left some balls over the plate and we capitalized,” Jay said.

Added Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg: “He didn’t really establish both sides of the plate with his fastball. It seemed like most of the balls were out over the plate and they had good swings at them. It was an experience for him.”

Freddy Galvis singled three times and scored twice for Philadelphia. Rookie Odubel Herrera doubled and had two RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Domonic Brown was eligible to return to the majors after finishing a 20-day rehab assignment, but after being removed from the disabled list, the 2013 All-Star was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Brown was on the disabled list because of left Achilles tendinitis. After he went 5 for 42 in the last part of his rehab assignment, the Phillies decided not to bring him to the majors. Manager Ryne Sandberg said Brown would stay in the minors until “he’s ready to come here and help us.”

Cardinals: If RHP Adam Wainwright had not been injured, he was scheduled to make his next start on Thursday. Instead, he will be undergoing surgery on his left Achilles that day and LHP Tim Cooney will start in his place. Cooney, 24, will be making his major league debut.

A FIRST FOR PANAMA

For the first time in major league history, a pitcher born in Panama (Gonzalez) started a game throwing to a catcher born in Panama (Carlos Ruiz).

HIT AWAY

Even though Wainwright’s season-ending injury happened while batting, he is not ready to see the National League adopt the designated hitter. “Baseball is a National League game,” Wainwright said. “I wish both leagues would convert to National League baseball. You can’t point to another instance that the pitcher has hurt on Achilles (batting). The game in the National League is just a better game.”

UP NEXT

RHP Aaron Harang, who has made more starts against the Cardinals than any active pitcher, will start for the Phillies on Wednesday night. In 27 starts against St. Louis, Harang is 7-15 with a 4.27 ERA. He has not beaten the Cardinals since 2009. RHP Carlos Martinez, 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, will start for the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Finally, Cole Hamels got a few runs to work with.

The Philadelphia Phillies put some key hits in the right places and the lefty won for the first time in seven starts dating to last September in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

“You just know that you don’t have to be as precise,” Hamels said. “You can kind of let the ball go a little bit and see what happens.”

Ben Revere’s two-run double just inside the foul line in left field in the seventh inning was the go-ahead hit for the Phillies, who have won three of four.

Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg left Hamels (1-2) in to sacrifice in the seventh to give the pitcher a shot at ending his winless skid. Besides the bunt that moved up the runners for Revere, Hamels retired his final seven batters in order, finishing with 114 pitches.

“I thought that would be big for him,” Sandberg said. “But the fact that he can hit a little bit, that came into play also.”

The Cardinals needed five baserunners to get a run in the third on Matt Holliday’s RBI single. Mark Reynolds, who got a spot start in right field, grounded out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Cardinals starter John Lackey (1-1) didn’t help his cause when he struck out attempting to bunt after Jon Jay drew a leadoff walk in the third. Lackey has spent virtually all of his career in the American League.

“Obviously, tonight I didn’t get it down,” Lackey said. “He threw me a breaking ball, changeup — he kind of showed me a little bit of everything.”

Hamels and Lackey both went seven innings. Hamels had a season-best nine strikeouts and allowed four hits, while the Phillies put just two runners in scoring position before their three-run seventh.

Hamels had been 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA since Sept. 23, receiving four total runs of support while he was in the game. He’s 2-2 in seven career starts at Busch Stadium, the other win coming on Aug. 3, 2006, and this was his first victory over the Cardinals since 2007.

“I think personal wins aren’t something I really focus on that much,” Hamels said. “It’s more for the team. You want to set the tone no matter what and I think that’s what we were trying to do.”

Ken Giles had two strikeouts in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon made it 13 strikeouts for Phillies pitchers while earning his fifth save in five tries.

The Cardinals have lost two straight since ace Adam Wainwright tore his left Achilles. The team announced before the game that the two-time 20-game winner will miss the rest of the season, and general manager John Mozeliak was optimistic Wainwright will be ready for spring training.

Cody Asche’s infield hit off first baseman Matt Adams’ glove began the Phillies seventh, and Revere’s opposite-field flare on the chalk in shallow left put Philadelphia up 2-1. Odubel Herrera followed with an RBI single, his third hit of the day.

Carlos Ruiz doubled for his fourth hit leading off the eighth against Matt Belisle and scored on a groundout by Darin Ruf.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: OF Domonic Brown could be close to joining the team after starting the year on the disabled list with tendinitis in his left Achilles. He is scheduled to complete a 20-game rehab assignment Tuesday.

Cardinals: OF Jason Heyward (hamstring) did not start after being removed from Sunday’s loss at Milwaukee. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth and is expected to play Tuesday. One reason to sit him Monday: He’s a .219 career hitter against Hamels with no RBIs in 32 at-bats. Jhonny Peralta batted second for the 21st time in his career in place of Heyward.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Severino Gonzalez makes his major league debut in place of injured Sean O’Sullivan. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. RHP Hector Neris was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

Cardinals: Michael Wacha (3-0, 1.33 ERA) is 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA in his career at home. He’ll be facing the Phillies for the first time and is 4-2 with a 1.52 ERA against NL East foes.

SLICK FIELDING

Lackey snared Revere’s liner to start a double play in the fifth, and third baseman Matt Carpenter made a diving stop down the line and threw out Herrera.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Adam Lind’s homer gave a quick boost to the Brewers’ struggling hitters. The runs that Mike Fiers kept off the board were just as important.

Lind hit a two-run shot and Milwaukee beat the St. Louis 6-3 Sunday for just their second victory in the last 12 games.

The Cardinals got 13 hits, but stranded a season-high 14 runners, including eight in the first three innings.

“The ball that Lind hit, that was huge for us,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “To get three points up there early and to have a lead, and to hit a home run to do it, which we haven’t had many of, so I thought that was huge to get us going.

Milwaukee, off to the worst start in team history, improved to 4-15. Every other team in the majors has at least six wins.

The Cardinals had won nine of 10. They headed back to St. Louis, where ace Adam Wainwright will have an MRI on Monday to see how long his injured Achilles and left ankle will sideline him — there is speculation he could miss the rest of the season.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, so might as well not be nervous about it or worried about it,” said Wainwright, wearing a protective boot on his left ankle. “Worry doesn’t do anybody any good.”

Mike Blazek (1-0) pitched two innings for the victory. Fiers gave up one earned run on nine hits and two walks in four-plus innings, pitching out of bases-loaded jams in the second and third.

“I had to battle today. I do not think a lot of things went my way,” said Fiers, who gave up two grand slams in his previous start. “I made some big pitches when it really mattered and got out of some tough innings with the bases loaded.”

The Brewers took a 3-0 lead in third off Lance Lynn (0-3), who was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in five innings.

Logan Schafer reached on infield single that bounced off the back of Lynn and Gerardo Parra tripled. Cardinals right fielder Jason Heyward appeared to stumble on Parra’s hit and left the game with left groin tightness, and was listed as day to day.

Lind then hit his third homer.

“I didn’t get the job done, plain and simple. I’ve got to be better than that,” Lynn said. “It’s just get people out when it’s time to get them out and I wasn’t able to do it when I was supposed to today.”

The Cardinals got a run back in the fourth when Jon Jay, who replaced Heyward, singled with two outs. Jay moved up when Lind mishandled a pickoff throw and scored on Jhonny Peralta’s single.

Mark Reynolds, who played last season for Milwaukee, cut the lead to 3-2 with his first home run to lead off the fifth, chasing Fiers.

The Brewers scored three times in the bottom half on doubles by Parra, Khris Davis and Elian Herrera, and an RBI single by Hector Gomez.

Catcher Cody Stanley, called up from Triple-A Memphis to take Wainwright’s roster spot, made his major league debut as a pinch hitter to lead off the eighth and singled off Jonathan Broxton. He later scored on Matt Adams’ bases-loaded grounder.

“It was a good at-bat, too, against a good setup guy with good stuff,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “And, it was able to get us one run closer to where we needed to be. Just a good first day for him.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was out of the lineup for the second straight day as he recovers from getting hit by a foul tip on Friday. “He’s feeling better, even though we just need to go ahead and take at least another day,” Matheny said. “He can hit, he can run, but squatting is the major issue right now.”

Heyward said he felt something grab when he turned to make his throw after fielding Parra’s triple. “When I tried to throw the ball, that’s when I felt it. When I tried to set my back foot and throw, that’s when it grabbed.” Heyward said coming out of the game was precautionary and his availability on Monday would be up to the training staff.

Brewers: CF Carlos Gomez is getting closer to ready to play when he’s eligible to come off the 15-day DL. “(Gomez) was really good running bases yesterday,” Roenicke said. “He is taking flyballs. He is doing all the things I think he needs to do to be ready. We will just see where the timing is. He should be close.” Gomez went on the DL on April 16 with a strained right hamstring.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP John Lackey gets the start as the Cards return home for a four-game series against Philadelphia after a six-game road trip. He is 1-0 with a 4.34 ERA in three starts.

Brewers: Jimmy Nelson, 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA, will be making his fourth start to open a three-game series at Cincinnati. The 25-year-old right-hander has been one of the few bright spots this season, giving up no more than two runs in any start.

PERFECT TIME

Stanley didn’t have much time to spare after being told Saturday night that he was being called up. He said he arrived at the stadium at 11:30 a.m. with the game scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. “Came to straight to the field, got dressed and went out,” he said. “It’s an indescribable feeling, for sure.”

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis lost ace Adam Wainwright to an ankle injury, and then got a boost from Mitch Harris that helped the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

Wainwright was helped from the field by a trainer after injuring his left ankle while stumbling out of the batter’s box on his popup to first leading off the fifth inning. He allowed three hits in four shutout innings.

The 29-year-old Harris then tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut after serving five years of active duty in the U.S. Navy following his graduation from the Naval Academy.

Matt Holliday hit a three-run drive in the seventh for St. Louis, which has won four in a row. It was Holliday’s first homer of the season.

The Brewers lost for the 10th time in 11 games to fall to 3-15. Every other team in the majors has at least six victories.

Milwaukee scored three runs with two outs in the eighth on an RBI single by Adam Lind and a bases-loaded double by Aramis Ramirez, but Hector Gomez bounced out to third to strand the tying runs.

Matt Belisle (1-0) got five outs for the win and Seth Maness pitched 1 1/3 innings for his first save.

Holliday’s 26th career homer against the Brewers put the Cardinals up 5-0. Matt Carpenter, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a fifth-inning single, doubled with one out in the seventh and Jason Heyward drew a walk.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke was ejected during the pitching change to Jeremy Jeffress, whose first pitch was hammered over the wall in right-center by Holliday.

St. Louis grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second when Kolten Wong had an RBI triple and came home on a wild relay throw to third by shortstop Jean Segura.

Wainwright will be re-evaluated when the Cardinals return to St. Louis. The Cardinals complete a six-game trip with a Sunday afternoon game at Miller Park.

Milwaukee right-hander Wily Peralta (0-3) allowed seven hits in six innings in his third consecutive loss. He struck out four and walked two.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (1-1, 1.56 ERA) has allowed one earned run in each of his three starts this season. He is 6-2 in his career against the Brewers, including 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in six starts at Miller Park.

Brewers: Mike Fiers, who gave up two grand slams in his last outing, has yet to make a quality start in three outings. Fiers, who hit Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the face last September, is 0-3 this season with a 6.75 ERA and opponents are batting .333 against him.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina, forced out of Friday’s 3-0 win over the Brewers after being struck on the right knee guard by a foul tip, was out of the lineup. Tony Cruz started in place of Molina. “We’re still hopeful that we’re talking a day or so. We’ll adjust as we need to,” manager Mike Matheny said.

Brewers: With starters Carlos Gomez (CF), Jonathan Lucroy (C) and Scooter Gennett (2B) all on the disabled list, Roenicke has been forced to mix-and-match, using 16 different lineups through the first 17 games. “I guess what it tells you is that, if you’re changing all the time, something’s not working,” Roenicke said.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

The Brewers successfully challenged a call at first base in the sixth inning, negating what would have been the Cardinals’ fourth double play. Pinch-hitter Elian Herrera opened with a walk and Jean Segura followed with a bouncer to second. Segura was originally called out on the end of 4-6-3 double play, but the call was overturned after a review estimated at 49 seconds. The Brewers are 4-0 in challenges this season.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Carlos Martinez likes pitching in Miller Park, and it shows.

Martinez struck out eight in seven innings, Jason Heyward and Jhonny Peralta homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Friday night.

“I feel good in this stadium,” the 23-year-old Martinez said through a translator. “I like the mound.”

Martinez (2-0) gave up four hits and walked two in the longest of his 11 career starts. The right-hander has a 2.04 ERA in eight road games against the Brewers, with 19 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.

“I don’t know what it is about Milwaukee, but he’s bouncing and jumping all over the place. He was a little higher energy than we’ve seen,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He had a very live fastball today and I thought he used his other stuff effectively, but his fastball was the story.”

Martinez has won each of his last two starts while lowering his ERA to 1.35 for the season.

“He’s attacking the hitters, putting them away with that slider, with that changeup,” catcher Yadier Molina said.

Jordan Walden pitched the eighth and Trevor Rosenthal finished for his seventh save in seven tries, completing a five-hitter.

Heyward belted a solo shot off Matt Garza in the third, lifting St. Louis to a 2-0 lead. Peralta homered leading off the sixth.

Garza (1-3) allowed seven hits in six innings while striking out a season-high six.

Milwaukee has dropped nine of 10. At 3-14, the Brewers have the worst record in the majors.

The Brewers threatened in the third, but were hurt by poor baserunning.

Garza led off with his fourth career walk and advanced to second on Jean Segura’s single. As Gerardo Parra squared to bunt, Garza broke for third. Initially ruled safe, Garza was called out after a review. Parra then struck out and Segura was caught stealing.

Molina’s run-scoring groundout got St. Louis on the board in the second, but the six-time All-Star left in the fifth in what the team said was a precautionary move. Molina was in pain after a foul tip struck him in the knee guard in the fourth. He is day to day.

Molina took a foul ball off the same knee last week.

“I was feeling better and boom, tonight I get hit again in the same spot,” he said. “He got me on the muscle. It’s just a big bruise.”

CAUGHT STEALING

Entering Friday night’s game, Molina, known for his strong arm, had only thrown out one attempted base stealer. Then he cut down two baserunners in in the third inning.

“I was excited. It’s been a while,” Molina said. “I feel good to get the outs.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Peter Bourjos returned after being on paternity leave for three days. His wife, Ashley, gave birth to a son, Maxton. Infielder Dean Anna was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to clear a roster spot for Bourjos.

Brewers: OF Carlos Gomez continues to make progress in recovering from a right hamstring injury. He is on the 15-day disabled list. “He’s hitting again out on the field. He ran on the treadmill,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “Hopefully, it’ll be those 15 days or just a couple added onto that.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (2-1, 1.71 ERA) took the loss against the Brewers in St. Louis’ home opener on April 13. He is 12-8 with a 2.37 ERA in 31 career games versus the Brewers.

Brewers: Wily Peralta (0-2, 5.68 ERA) will make his second start of the season against St. Louis. He is 4-5 with a 4.58 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cardinals, but went 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA in five starts against them last season.

— Associated Press —