SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Lincecum followed his second career no-hitter with another vintage performance, pitching eight sharp innings to lead the San Francisco Giants past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Lincecum (7-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fourth and stayed out of trouble the rest of the way, helping San Francisco snap a four-game losing streak since his latest gem against San Diego.

Pablo Sandoval hit his 100th career homer to cap a three-run fourth, and the Giants scored twice in the fifth to chase Marco Gonzales (0-1) in the left-hander’s second career start.

Gonzales gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. St. Louis has lost three straight and four of five.

Lincecum left after throwing 113 pitches, including 73 for strikes. Jean Machi pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Cardinals faced a pitcher with a no-hitter this season for the third time in five games. After Josh Beckett and Clayton Kershaw led the Los Angeles Dodgers to victories over St. Louis, Allen Craig singled with one out in the second to put an early end to Lincecum’s bid for another no-hitter.

The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who has shown signs of returning to his dominant form of late, showed the poise and polish of his younger days even when things started to go awry.

Lincecum loaded the bases in the fourth before striking out Craig and Jon Jay and getting Daniel Descalso to ground out. Lincecum pounded his glove and received a standing ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 41,152.

San Francisco supplied all the support Lincecum needed in the bottom of the inning. Buster Posey’s double drove in a run before Sandoval’s wind-aided fly carried just over the wall in left to give San Francisco a 3-0 lead.

Hunter Pence hit an RBI double and Hector Sanchez drove in another run in the fifth to put the Giants up 5-0.

The performance from San Francisco’s leading men — Lincecum, Sandoval, Posey and Pence — was a welcome turnaround to the team’s fans. The Giants entered the game 1-6 on their homestand, including four straight losses to Cincinnati for the first time San Francisco had been swept in a four-game series at its waterfront ballpark, which opened in 2000.

The Giants had not scored at least five runs since June 21.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Clayton Kershaw completed a spectacular month on the mound with yet another dominant victory, he struggled to muster much excitement about his performance or even the Los Angeles Dodgers’ leap to the top of the standings.

Kershaw knows it’s only June. But what a month it’s been for the Dodgers and their incredible left-hander.

Kershaw struck out 13 during seven innings of five-hit ball, and Andre Ethier hit a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Kershaw (9-2) extended his career-best scoreless streak to 28 innings in his first home start since throwing his first no-hitter June 18 against Colorado. He went 6-0 with an 0.82 ERA in June, yielding four runs in 44 innings and striking out 61.

“More importantly, we’ve just won every game,” Kershaw said. “We’re on a good run. In a long season, we’ll go on a bunch of runs. We’ve just got to make sure the lowest points aren’t as low.”

The Dodgers have had nothing but high points lately: With 12 wins in 16 games, Los Angeles (47-37) has pulled virtually even with the slumping Giants (46-36) atop the NL West. The Dodgers were 9½ games behind San Francisco on June 8, but erased the entire deficit in three weeks.

“When we were struggling early, I think everyone knew in the back of their minds that we could turn it around,” Kershaw said. “Coming back and tying up the Giants in a month is not something we expected, just like we didn’t expect to go 42-8 last year, but we have that ability.”

Kershaw’s bid for back-to-back home no-hitters lasted exactly two pitches before Matt Carpenter lined a single to left. Although he walked two and retired the side in order just once, Kershaw never allowed a runner to reach third base while getting at least one strikeout in each inning.

Kershaw still finished strong by striking out pinch hitter Jon Jay and Carpenter to end the seventh, earning a loud standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd.

He’s been the best pitcher in the world (lately),” said Matt Kemp, who drove in the Dodgers’ first run. “You get a day off from your legs sometimes when he’s pitching, because you don’t have to run too much (in the field).”

The Dodgers took three of four from St. Louis in a rematch of last season’s NL championship series. Ethier capped Los Angeles’ four-run fifth inning with a shot to right off Shelby Miller (7-7) for his first homer since May 27.

Carpenter had three hits for the Cardinals, who were shut out twice in the four-game series.

“We had a couple of guys on with leadoff hits, and the next thing you know, they’re still standing on the bag they started on,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “A couple of times we had guys in scoring position, but (Kershaw) just wasn’t giving us much. He’s locked in.”

Indeed, St. Louis had little chance on another vintage day for Kershaw, who hasn’t allowed a run since June 13. His 28-inning scoreless streak is the fifth-longest in franchise history, trailing only a who’s-who of Dodgers luminaries: Orel Hershiser, Don Drysdale, Don Sutton and Sandy Koufax. Kershaw has the longest streak since Hershiser’s record 59-inning run in 1988.

“It’s tough,” Miller said of his pitching matchup. “Knowing what he’s capable of and doing what he’s doing, you know you’ve got to do the same thing. It’s just frustrating when you give up runs and give up those big innings. You give them a lot of momentum.”

Miller gave up seven hits and six runs in five innings for St. Louis, which is among the few teams with a history of success against Kershaw. The two-time Cy Young winner entered the game just 4-5 with a 3.75 ERA against the Cardinals.

Adrian Gonzalez got the Dodgers’ first hit in the fourth inning by bunting into the wide-open space near third base created by the Cardinals’ severe defensive shift. After Kemp drove in Yasiel Puig, Gonzalez scored on Juan Uribe’s sacrifice fly.

Puig hustled for a two-out double in the fifth, and Gonzalez drove him in. After Kemp doubled, Ethier connected for just his fourth homer of the season, setting off a dance party in the Dodgers’ dugout when he returned.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zack Greinke became the third NL pitcher to reach double digits in victories, and the Los Angeles Dodgers had four RBI doubles during a six-run second inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 on Saturday.

Greinke (10-4) allowed a run and four hits over seven innings, struck out 10 and did not walk a batter as the Dodgers won for the 11th time in 15 games. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner is 13-2 with a 1.98 ERA in 19 starts following a Dodgers loss since signing a $147 million, six-year contract in December 2012.

Greinke became the first Dodgers pitcher to reach double digits in wins before the All-Star break since 2007, when Brad Penny started out 10-1 and finished 16-4.

Lance Lynn (8-6) lasted just two innings and was charged with seven runs, nine hits and two wild pitches. The right-hander is 2-4 with a 3.90 ERA in six starts since pitching his first professional shutout May 27 and beating the Mets 6-0 with a career-high 126 pitches.

Matt Carpenter’s third-inning homer accounted for St. Louis’ run. The defending NL champions tried to get back in the game in the fifth, but Greinke struck out Carpenter with runners at second and third.

Los Angeles got an unearned run in the first after back-to-back infield hits by Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez, who returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sore right shoulder. Puig went to third on a fielder’s choice grounder by Adrian Gonzalez and continued home when shortstop Daniel Descalso dropped the ball on the exchange from his glove to his right hand.

The Dodgers, who didn’t get an extra-base hit in either of the first two games in this series, broke the game open during Lynn’s 45-pitch second inning with RBI doubles by Justin Turner, A.J. Ellis, Dee Gordon and Andre Ethier. Gonzalez and Matt Kemp added two-out RBI singles.

The defending NL West champs sent 11 batters to the plate during their most productive inning of the season — including Miguel Rojas, who came in as a pinch runner after Turner strained his left hamstring running out his double.

During the rally, one of Lynn’s pitches missed Greinke’s head by inches after he squared to bunt. Gordon tried to score from second on a wild pitch to Ramirez, as Yadier Molina jogged back to the screen to retrieve it. But the six-time Gold Glove winner got the ball to Lynn in time for the tag on Gordon.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pinch-hitter Justin Turner delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning off Adam Wainwright, and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 Thursday night in their first meeting since last year’s NL championship series.

Josh Beckett pitched seven sharp innings in a tight duel with Wainwright, who held the Dodgers hitless through five. Left fielder Matt Kemp threw out a Cardinals runner at the plate in the seventh.

Juan Uribe, just off the disabled list after missing 34 games with a right hamstring strain, led off the eighth with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Drew Butera before rookie Miguel Rojas’ infield single put runners at the corners.

Turner, batting for reliever Brian Wilson, came through with his 20th RBI of the season.

Wilson (1-2) pitched a perfect inning and Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 24th save.

Wainwright (10-4) took a hard-luck loss. He gave up five hits while going the distance for the 19th time in 201 regular-season starts. The right-hander was runner-up to Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in last year’s NL Cy Young Award voting.

Beckett scattered four hits, walked two and struck out four. The right-hander has a 1.34 ERA over his last seven starts, a stretch that began with his no-hitter in Philadelphia on May 25. His season ERA is 2.11 in 15 starts.

Wainwright walked his first batter, Dee Gordon, then retired 15 in a row before Rojas led off the sixth with a clean single to left field. Beckett followed with a Texas Leaguer to right, and Allen Craig made a diving catch with the outfield playing shallow against the pitcher.

Gordon followed with a bloop single to left, but Yasiel Puig grounded into a double play started by third baseman Matt Carpenter. Puig, the NL player of the month for May, is batting .242 with no homers, six RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 25 games since his last home run on May 28 against Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey at Dodger Stadium.

Craig hit a two-out double in the seventh, just beyond Puig’s reach on the right-field warning track, then tried to score on Jon Jay’s sharp single to left. Kemp charged the ball and threw a perfect strike to Butera in front of the plate for a sweep tag as Beckett thrust both arms over his head in jubilation.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny challenged the call by umpire Vic Carapazza, but a replay review upheld the decision and the game remained scoreless.

The Cardinals won 97 games last season, five more than Los Angeles, and beat the Dodgers in the NLCS. Wainwright won Game 3 at Dodger Stadium.

— Associated Press —

DENVER (AP) — A strong start and an impressive finish helped the St. Louis Cardinals pull off a series victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Rookie left-hander Marco Gonzales had a strong start to his major league career before stumbling in the fourth inning, but the Cardinals’ bats helped him with a late rally.

Matt Adams homered and drove in two runs, Matt Holliday had three hits, and St. Louis came back to beat the Rockies 9-6 on Wednesday.

“A great win,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “It was one of my favorite wins.”

Drew Stubbs homered, and Justin Morneau had two hits for the Rockies, who finished their homestand 1-5.

The game featured the major league debuts of both starting pitchers. Gonzales was sharp early before faltering. Colorado’s Yohan Flande also started well before getting hit hard in his last inning.

Pat Neshek (2-0) pitched an inning in relief to earn the win. Trevor Rosenthal got four outs for his 23rd save in 26 chances.

The Cardinals scored twice in the eighth off Adam Ottavino (0-3) on RBI doubles by Daniel Descalso and Matt Carpenter to take a win away from Flande.

“I don’t have any answers for today. I feel horrible that I gave it up,” Ottavino said. “I thought I made good pitches and they found holes.”

St. Louis added two more runs in the ninth on two of the club’s four sacrifice flies.

The Cardinals then had to grind out a win in the bottom of the inning when Rosenthal walked two batters to bring the tying run to the plate. He struck out Troy Tulowitzki on a 100-mph fastball, the 11th pitch of the at-bat, before Morneau flied out to center to end it.

“Wow, that’s just like two heavyweights standing in the middle of the ring just swinging at each other,” Matheny said. “That was impressive. That at-bat was pretty impressive on his side. Trevor stayed with it.”

Pitching near where he was an all-state player for Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, from 2007-10, Gonzales was unhittable the first time through the order.

At one point he threw 12 straight strikes, and 30 of his first 37 pitches were strikes. He had only one blemish, a one-out walk to DJ LeMahieu in the second.

“It was the best day of my life right there,” Gonzales said. “It was a blast. A lot of family that I haven’t seen in a while, a lot of friends flying in from everywhere. I’m very grateful for it.”

The Cardinal-friendly crowd cheered throughout but gave him his loudest ovation when he struck out Tulowitzki on three changeups in the first inning.

“Obviously that caught everybody’s attention,” Matheny said. “A couple of guys went up there hunting it after that. It’s one of the better changeups we have in our organization, and he’s able to locate it.”

Things unraveled for him in the fourth.

Stubbs hit the first pitch of the inning into the seats in left to tie it 1-1. After Tulowitzki fouled out, the next five batters reached base. Corey Dickerson had a two-run double and scored on LeMahieu’s single, and Josh Rutledge came home on Flande’s groundout that made it 5-1.

“Three innings strong and the fourth inning just couldn’t locate offspeed stuff,” Gonzales said. “From there hitters eliminate it. When your fastball’s elevated it doesn’t help, either. It was really one bad inning, a couple of good swings.”

Flande is the fourth starting pitcher this month to make his major league debut for the Rockies. Injuries to the staff forced the call-ups but two of those pitchers — Eddie Butler and Christian Bergman — are now injured.

Flande allowed just one run through the first four innings but the Cardinals rallied for three in the fifth. Mark Ellis scored on a sacrifice fly, and Adams followed Holliday’s double with his third home run of the series to make it 5-4.

Flande was touched for four runs and six hits, and he struck out four in five innings.

“Flande was outstanding,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “I thought he was very good. Gonzales was outstanding the first time through the lineup. We got a few off him, but he hung in, gave his team a chance to win.”

Gonzales also pitched five innings. He allowed five runs and seven hits, and struck out three. He doubled and scored the Cardinals’ first run in the third inning.

“I have no idea how I hit that pitch,” he said. “It was a pretty good slider.”

— Associated Press —

DENVER (AP) — Lance Lynn allowed three hits in eight innings and Matt Adams ignited the offense with two homers and a career-high six RBIs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Colorado Rockies 8-0 on Monday night.

Lynn (8-5) struck out seven and walked none before being taken out for the ninth after throwing 108 pitches. It’s the first time Colorado has been held scoreless at Coors Field since last July.

Adams’ big night included a two-run single in the third, a solo shot in the fifth and a three-run homer in the seventh. This was the third multihomer game of his career.

Jhoulys Chacin (1-6) struggled with his control, allowing five runs in six innings.

Corey Dickerson had two of the hits for Colorado, which has dropped seven straight.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mark Ellis knew that he might not see a whole lot of playing time when he signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in December.

“I figured they’d want me to come off the bench and I’m fine doing that,” he said. “I just want to be on a winning team.”

Ellis has gotten the best of both worlds.

The 37-year-old infielder drove in two runs, including the go-ahead score with a bunt, and the Cardinals got a scoreless effort from their bullpen to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Sunday.

The Cardinals have won two in a row and seven of 10. Philadelphia has lost two straight after a season-high five-game winning streak.

Ellis, who has received increased playing time due to injuries, broke a 3-all tie with a safely squeeze bunt in the fourth. He added an RBI single in the sixth. He is hitting .193 with 12 RBIs in 41 games.

“We talked about it and the opportunity came up,” he said of the bunt. “The ball up is an easier pitch to get that ball down. We were able to execute it.”

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny appreciates Ellis’ professional approach at the plate.

“Two big at-bats,” Matheny said. “Mark did a real nice job of getting that bunt down. He was thinking and really preparing ahead of time. He’s done a lot of good things in this game for a long time.”

Starter Carlos Martinez (1-3) allowed three runs over five innings.

Martinez, who has 31 relief appearances, was making his second start of the season, replacing Michael Wacha in the rotation.

“I just focused on throwing strikes, not throwing the ball so hard,” Martinez said. “As a starter, I’m learning to use all of my pitches.”

Nick Greenwood, Sam Freeman, Pat Neshek and Trevor Rosenthal combined for four innings of two-hit scoreless relief. Rosenthal got his 22nd save in 25 chances. Freeman struck out three in 1 2/3 innings.

“I thought the `pen was terrific, too,” Matheny said. “Those guys are doing a good job getting through the game when our starters may not be able to go too deep.”

Cody Asche drove in all three Philadelphia runs with a bases-loaded double in the second.

Asche, who grew up in nearby O’Fallon, was playing his first series in front of family and friends.

“It’s fun to step in and contribute,” Asche said. “I wish we could have taken the last two games and completed the perfect road trip. But we’ve got some confidence.”

The Phillies won the first five games of the seven-game swing. Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak snapped.

Kyle Kendrick (3-7) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. He gave up just one hit over the first three innings before St. Louis scored four times in the fourth.

“That one big inning hurt,” Kendrick said. “They got some hits and I wasn’t able to minimize the damage.”

Jon Jay got the inning going with an RBI single with the bases loaded. Jhonny Peralta followed with a tying, two-run single and Ellis bunted home the go-ahead run.

“I like the way they went about putting together some tough at-bats,” Matheny said. “Just nice consistent approaches at the plate, not trying to do too much.”

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — All Adam Wainwright’s balky elbow needed was a little rest.

The St. Louis starter tossed eight strong innings, and Matt Holliday broke an eighth-inning tie with a run-scoring double to lead the Cardinals to a 4-1 win over Philadelphia that snapped the Phillies’ season-high five-game winning streak on Saturday.

Wainwright (10-3) allowed one run and six hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter for the Cardinals, who broke a three-game losing streak. He pitched on 10 days’ rest after missing a start due to elbow tendinitis.

“That was the right decision,” Wainwright said of skipping an outing. “I felt real good all game. Sometimes you never know how you’re going to respond when you haven’t thrown very much. But I was fine.

“The only time I even felt anything in my arm at all was my first swing where Cole Hamels jammed me and I grounded to third.”

Wainwright needed to be on his game to beat Hamels in a matchup of heavyweight arms.

“It was a pitchers’ duel as advertised,” Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said. “Both guys were outstanding.”

Wainwright was slightly better. He never let a runner get beyond second base except in the third when the Phillies scored their only run. Wainwright, who lowered his ERA to 2.08, threw 104 pitches, 68 for strikes.

“All of his pitches were sinking, and he mixed them up well,” Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz said.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny was impressed with Wainwright’s command following the layoff.

“It’s just amazing how sharp he was,” he said. “It looked like the Adam we’ve watched all season.”

Trevor Rosenthal backed up Wainwright by striking out two in the ninth to earn his 21st save in 24 attempts.

Hamels (2-4) gave up three runs and seven hits over 7 1/3 innings. He had a scoreless streak of 24 2/3 innings snapped on Matt Adams’ second-inning sacrifice fly.

Hamels refused to speak with reporters after the game.

Holliday ripped a one-out double to bring in Matt Carpenter and break the 1-1 tie. Carpenter coaxed a leadoff walk to begin the eighth.

“At that point in the game, you’re looking at having a chance to win if you can scratch across one run,” Holliday said. “Luckily, (Hamels) left it up a little and I put a good swing on it.”

St. Louis added two more runs in the eighth to go up 4-1. Jhonny Peralta brought in Holliday with an infield ground out, and Adams followed with his second sacrifice fly of the game.

“We grinded it out,” Matheny said. “We’re getting good at those close games by just staying the course.”

Philadelphia had tied it 1-1 in the third inning on successive singles by Cody Asche and Hamels, and a sacrifice fly by Jimmy Rollins. Asche, who grew up in nearby O’Fallon, Missouri, recorded his first hit at Busch Stadium.

Rollins extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the eighth inning.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A.J. Burnett scattered seven hits for his first complete game of the year and the Philadelphia Phillies won their season-high fifth in a row, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 Friday night.

The Phillies’ winning streak has come on the road. They have won nine of 11 overall.

St. Louis has dropped three in a row after winning five straight.

Burnett (5-6) threw 111 pitches to earn his 24th complete game. He struck out three, walked one and hit two batters.

Burnett, who came into the season as a career .110 hitter, also contributed an RBI double and scored.

Marlon Byrd homered and John Mayberry Jr. added two hits and scored twice. Jimmy Rollins drove in two runs and extended his hitting streak to 14 games with two hits.

Jaime Garcia (3-1) pitched into the sixth inning, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks. He lost his third start in a row to the Phillies.

The game began after a 50-minute rain delay.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the third when Matt Carpenter was hit by a pitch with two outs and later scored on a single by Matt Holliday.

The Phillies scored twice in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Mayberry, Burnett and Rollins doubled in the fifth. Burnett drove in his first run of the season and Rollins stretched his longest hitting streak since a 14-game run in 2007.

The Phillies chased Garcia in the sixth. Byrd led off with a homer. After Domonic Brown doubled, Seth Maness relieved. Mayberry hit an RBI single and scored on Rollins’ sacrifice fly.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ryan Howard homered and drove in three runs and rookie David Buchanan pitched into the eighth inning Thursday night, sparking the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Howard, a St. Louis native, has hit safely in 22 of 27 regular season games at Busch Stadium. He has 38 RBIs in St. Louis and a .374 batting average.

Howard also has been hot on the road. In his last 15 games away from Philadelphia, he is hitting .350 with three homers and 14 RBIs.

Buchanan (3-3) made his deepest start yet, pitching 7 2/3 innings. He threw 105 pitches and kept the Cardinals off balance and off the scoreboard until the eighth. Buchanan allowed four hits and a walk while striking out four.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth to pick up 17th save in 19 opportunities.

Shelby Miller (7-6) gave up seven hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. Miller has thrown six innings or more in his last four starts.

Philadelphia touched Miller for two runs in the fourth. Carlos Ruiz doubled and Chase Utley singled to lead off the inning. Howard singled home Ruiz and Utley scored on Domonic Brown’s sacrifice fly.

Howard’s homer in the sixth — his 10th career homer at Busch Stadium — came after Utley led off with a single. Howard went to the opposite field and his ball just flew inside the left field foul pole. It was his 14th this season and gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead.

The Phillies have won four of five and are 7-2 in their last nine games. St. Louis has lost its last two after winning five in a row.

The Cardinals had runners at first and third with one out in the second inning but Buchanan pitched out the jam and then again in the sixth when Miller doubled to lead off. Four of Miller’s five hits this season have been doubles.

St. Louis chased Buchanan in the eighth on a two-out single by Matt Carpenter that scored Jhonny Peralta.

Third baseman Reid Brignac was hurt on a play at first in the fifth. Matt Adams dived to nab the ball behind the base. Adams flipped it to Miller, who slid into the base for the out. Brignac extended his left foot and jammed it into the base. Brignac lay on the ground before being helped off the field with a noticeable limp. The club said Brignac sprained his ankle and will be checked Friday.

— Associated Press —