CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Arrieta tried to tamper his pregame butterflies.

Making his big league season debut following shoulder stiffness, Arrieta struck out seven in 5 1/3 shutout innings Saturday as the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 for their first three-game winning streak this season.

Arrieta said pitching at Wrigley Field has become a special experience for him dating to his Cubs debut last season, also was against the Cardinals.

Arrieta walked two and threw 82 pitches. The Cardinals put five runners on base through the first three innings.

“Command of my sinker down in the zone was working really good, establishing the curveball early in the game,” he said. “The more you do that with secondary stuff, the less they can eliminate certain pitches later in the game. That’s kind of what we had going for us.”

Chicago’s bullpen combined for three-hit relief, finishing a seven-hitter. Brian Schlitter (1-0) got two outs for the win, and Hector Rondon worked around a pair of leadoff singles in the ninth for his third save.

Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo homered for the Cubs, who hadn’t won three straight a series sweep at San Francisco last July 26-28.

A day after the Cubs defeated Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha (2-3) allowed two runs, five hits and three walks in six innings.

Lake hit a two-run homer in the sixth for a 2-0 lead. He also doubled on a 3-for-3 afternoon.

“It’s just frustrating, really,” Wacha said. “I served one up there, and they go up two runs. You just can’t afford that in that situation.”

Rizzo led off the eighth with sixth home run, and third in three games. He connected on the first pitch he saw from Randy Choate.

“We know we’re a good team,” Rizzo said. “It’s just about getting the wins. Today we got the win. The last few days we’ve gotten a win. It’s just about staying with it, keep battling.”

Yadier Molina and Jhonny Peralta opened the ninth with singles off Rondon. But he got Jon Jay to hit into a double play and struck out Mark Ellis.

St. Louis, which stranded eight runners, has scored two runs or fewer in seven of its last 13 games.

Arrieta struck out Molina to strand runners on the corners in first. The Cardinals put two on with no outs in the second before Greg Garcia struck out, Wacha grounded out and shortstop Starlin Castro made an over-the-shoulder catch on Matt Carpenter’s popup.

“Right now, it’s not looking like what we want it to look like,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. “Whatever we’re doing is not working, so we have to figure it out and figure it out fast.”

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo wasted little time in getting to Adam Wainwright.

Rizzo hit a two-run single in the first that ended Wainwright’s scoreless streak at 25 innings, and the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 Friday for their third win in four games.

“I’m not trying to do too much,” Rizzo said. “See the ball and hit it, really try to swing at the pitches I want to hit, not pitcher’s pitches. Especially with Wainwright, his stuff is so good he’s going to eat you alive.”

Wainwright (5-2) had allowed six runs in 45 innings coming in, but the Cubs matched the runs total in just five innings against the St. Louis ace, who gave up 10 hits. His ERA rose from 1.20 to 2.16.

“They did a nice job of spoiling some pitches,” Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of his batters. “You’ve got to give them all the credit. They grinded out some at-bats today and reaped some benefits.”

Wainwright had been 6-0 in 12 previous starts and five relief appearances at Wrigley Field.

“There were certain pitches today I didn’t have good command over,” he said. “My curveball was kind of sporadic in the zone and out of the zone, which is pretty rare for me. It’s a funny game. Today was not my day. I accept that and take responsibility for today and move on.”

The scoreless streak was one inning shy of the career high for Wainwright, who had not allowed an extra-base hit since April 12 against the Cubs in St. Louis.

“He’s been incredibly consistent through this season so far. … You can see pitches were just on the edge and not where he wanted them or weren’t getting called,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “It’s a frustrating day when he knows our guys put some offense up for him and we just can’t stop them. He limited the damage and figured out ways to keep us in it. We had some chances.”

Rizzo added a leadoff home run in the fifth that put Chicago ahead 6-3. Welington Castillo had three doubles for Chicago, which sent the skidding Cardinals to their 10th loss in 16 games.

Travis Wood (2-3) gave up three runs — two earned — and six hits in seven innings but allowed just one runner in his final three innings. Justin Grimm gave up Jhonny Peralta’s two-run homer in the eighth, and Hector Rondon pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.

Cubs center fielder Ryan Sweeney made a catch on the run in the eighth on a drive to right-center by Allen Craig. Sweeney injured his right hamstring and was replaced by Emilio Bonifacio, who moved from second.

“It was great determination,” Renteria said. “Hammy’s hurt.”

St. Louis overcame its early deficit, tying the game in the third when Matt Carpenter singled in a run and scored on Peralta’s double.

Chicago loaded the bases in the bottom half on a pair of walks around Starlin Castro’s single. Ryan Sweeney drove in the go-ahead run with a weak grounder to second that allowed Rizzo to score from third, and Castillo followed with a two-out, two-run double.

Castro’s throwing error from shortstop on Randal Grichuk’s grounder allowed Yadier Molina to score from third and cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After failing to hold three-run leads in two straight games, Allen Craig and the St. Louis Cardinals put their series final against Milwaukee out of reach.

Craig homered on a four-hit day that included three RBIs, and Matt Adams hit a three-run homer as the Cardinals beat the Brewers 9-3 Wednesday.

“It’s nice to see some big production that we know is going to come from certain guys” said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, who slept on his office couch after an 11-inning loss Tuesday night.

Jon Jay had three hits and a walk his first four trips to the plate. The Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep against the team with the best record in the major leagues.

“I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate for a little while now, hitting some balls hard,” Craig said. “Frustration’s part of it. Things are going to turn around.”

Shelby Miller (3-2) worked around homers to Mark Reynolds and Carlos Gomez, allowing three runs and six hits in six-plus innings.

“Kind of little rough early on,” Miller said. “It’s always nice to have a lot of runs scored for you, but at the same time, you’ve got to act like it’s a close game no matter what.”

Milwaukee is 20-8, a franchise record for wins through the season’s first full first month.

Matt Garza (1-3) joined the lengthy list of injured Brewers when he was removed in the fourth inning because of a bruised right thumb from getting jammed on an at-bat to end the third. He said there was no doubt he’d be ready for his next start.

“I’m going to make sure I’m OK by then,” Garza said. “I’m not here to skip a start, I’m prepared to pitch. I want to get right back out there.”

Ryan Braun (oblique) and Jean Segura (cut on head) didn’t start during the series, and Aramis Ramirez (elbow) was out the last two games for Milwaukee, which batted light-swinging Scooter Gennett third. Segura and Ramirez are expected to return Thursday for the start of a four-game series at Cincinnati, though Braun remains day to day.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Braun will not start Thursday and added, “In a couple days, he needs to be ready to go.”

Segura played the eighth at shortstop and doubled in the ninth.

It was 50 degrees at game time. The sun popped out of the clouds a few times, each time getting a big cheer.

Matt Holliday’s RBI single put the Cardinals in front in the first, Reynolds hit a two-run shot in the second and Adams answered in the third with his second of the season, estimated at 439 feet, for a 4-3 lead.

Craig doubled for the second straight at-bat in the fourth, driving in two runs off Wei-Chung Wang, and RBI doubles by Miller and Jay made it 8-3 in the fifth.

The four-hit game matched Craig’s career best. He had seven hits in the series, including two homers, lifting his average to .220.

Miller allowed three runs and five hits the first three innings, but no runs on one hit and three walks the rest of his outing. He’s given up seven homers.

Garza was charged with five runs and rookie Wei-Chung Wang gave up four runs in three innings. Backup catcher Martin Maldonado pitched the eighth for the Brewers, the 13th reliever needed to cover 16 innings in the series.

Roenicke told Maldonado not to throw too hard.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lyle Overbay singled in Khris Davis with the tiebreaking run and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in extra innings for the second straight night, winning 5-4 in 11 innings Tuesday.

Davis hit a go-ahead triple to help the Brewers win 5-3 in 12 innings Monday night and started the winning rally this time with a leadoff double against Kevin Siegrist (0-1). Milwaukee is a major league-best 20-7, two more victories than the previous franchise best for the opening month, and 11-1 on the road.

The Brewers, missing four starters, managed just enough offense to beat the Cardinals again.

Carlos Gomez homered and pitcher Kyle Lohse had a two-run single for the Brewers, who have won five of six. Tyler Thornburg (3-0) struck out four in two scoreless innings and Francisco Rodriguez finished for his 13th save in 13 chances.

Yadier Molina hit a three-run homer in the first and Allen Craig’s RBI triple tied it in the seventh for the Cardinals, who have lost three of four.

The Brewers are 4-1 in extra innings and the Cardinals are 0-3.

Milwaukee’s lineup featured light-swinging Scooter Gennett batting third. Ryan Braun and Jean Segura didn’t start for the third straight game, Aramis Ramirez had a swollen elbow from getting hit by a pitch, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy got a scheduled day off that manager Ron Roenicke elected not to reschedule.

Molina had been 1 for 13 with runners and scoring position and two outs before depositing a belt-high 1-1 fastball into the first row of seats in left-center.

It was the first homer off Lohse since he gave up two in his first start of the season, and Molina’s fourth overall. Lohse followed with five scoreless innings and matched his season best with nine strikeouts, plus a two-run single to cap a three-run fourth against Lance Lynn to tie it.

Gomez homered in the seventh against Tyler Lyons, in his second inning of relief. Lyons had been listed as the starter Friday at Chicago against the Cubs, but the Cardinals have a day off Thursday and could use ace Adam Wainwright on regular rest.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jhonny Peralta went deep twice, ending the St. Louis Cardinals’ 366 at-bat homerless drought.

The first would have been plenty for Adam Wainwright.

Wainwright became the majors’ first five-game winner and Peralta had two home runs and four RBIs in a 7-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

“I’m really having more fun pitching right now than I ever have,” Wainwright said. “It’s just such a chess match.

“I feel I’m right where I want to be and so I’m going to work extra hard to stay there and not get complacent.”

Matt Holliday, Allen Craig and Yadier Molina also had RBIs for the Cardinals, who totaled five runs in their previous four games. St. Louis took two of three from the Pirates, shutting them out in both wins.

“We got some big hits today, gave him a little bit of room to breathe,” manager Mike Matheny said. “Even though we’ve got all the faith in the world in Waino, you just hate to have to be on the edge all the time.”

Edinson Volquez (1-2) gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh, which has dropped five of six. His day unraveled after the Pirates’ appeal of a potential double-play ball was denied and first baseman Ike Davis’ foot was ruled off the bag in the sixth inning.

Davis was on the dirt stretching for the relay and was adamant replay got it wrong, contending he had contact with the base for “at least a half-second” after gloving the relay from second baseman Neil Walker.

“I knew I was on the bag. You can look at the video yourself and you would think I was on the bag, too,” Davis said after the game. “But I guess it wasn’t a close enough view.”

Craig’s two-out bloop single made it 2-0 the next at-bat, his first RBI in eight games. Peralta followed with a three-run homer on a full count for a 5-0 lead that chased Volquez, who’s 3-6 with a 5.66 ERA in 12 career starts against St. Louis.

Manager Clint Hurdle said if the umpires had called it a double play, he didn’t think Matheny would have prevailed in a challenge.

“You saw how it changed the complexion of the game,” Hurdle said. “I don’t think it does anything mentally, you’ve got to play through it.

“We’ve been playing through calls we didn’t like for 128 years, so that part of it is not going to change.”

Peralta also homered leading off the fifth, the Cardinals’ first since Craig on April 16 at Milwaukee. He has six homers, the most ever by a Cardinals shortstop in the opening month of the season and one more than Edgar Renteria hit in 2000.

“The first one, I knew it was gone for sure,” Peralta said. “The second home run, I didn’t know for sure if was gone. He threw me a pretty good change-up.”

Wainwright (5-1) allowed three hits in eight scoreless innings and hasn’t allowed a run in 25 consecutive innings. He stayed on turn after tweaking his right knee trying to cover first in his last start at New York and had seven strikeouts with two walks.

Wainwright’s only loss came April 6 at Pittsburgh when he allowed two runs in seven innings but lost 2-1 in another matchup with Volquez, with the win going to reliever Tony Watson.

On Sunday, Wainwright retired nine straight before hitting Jose Tabata with a breaking ball with one out in the sixth. Pedro Alvarez singled with two outs, but Wainwright got Neil Walker on a called third strike.

He’s the fourth St. Louis pitcher to win five games in the opening month, joining Darryl Kile (2000), Bob Tewksbury (1994) and John Denny (1977).

“You cannot make a lot of mistakes,” Volquez said. “He’s unbelievable. He’s a superstar.”

Matt Adams tripled off Jeanmar Gomez in the eighth and scored on Molina’s sacrifice fly.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Francisco Liriano wasn’t feeling well. First came a nosebleed, then the Pirates pitcher felt dizzy at the plate before flying out to end the second inning.

Liriano was getting hooked up to an IV to deal with flu-like symptoms when the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen stepped up big-time in a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak.

Waiting to be taken out in the third inning, the lefty was bent over, hands on his knees.

“I just feel dizzy, weak and dizzy,” Liriano said after the game. “I don’t know. I just feel sick.”

Gaby Sanchez had two RBIs in a four-run fourth inning and five relievers combined to work seven strong innings, with key outs from rookie Stolmy Pimentel and Jared Hughes against Yadier Molina.

“Pimentel pitched as big an inning as we’ve had pitched for us all year in the third,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “You had 40-plus on their feet, a 3-2 count on Molina, on jersey day.

“To get the swing and miss and then carry it deeper, a big-time push from Stolmy.”

Matt Holliday had an RBI double for the Cardinals, who have mustered five runs in their last six games. They got three hits and a run after Liriano left and got beat by an over-shifted defense, too, when Matt Adams lined out to shortstop Jordy Mercer stationed right behind the second-base bag with a man on third in the seventh.

“We’re just not clicking,” said leadoff man Matt Carpenter, who was 0-for-3 with two walks. “We’re having good at-bats, guys are competing, but stuff just isn’t falling in for us.

“It’s just the way it’s going right now.”

Molina was a bust on his jersey giveaway day, striking out with the bases loaded to end the third against Pimentel (2-0) and popping out with runners on second and third to end the fifth against Hughes. He entered batting .431 during a 15-game hitting streak.

Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata each added an RBI off Tyler Lyons (0-2) in the fourth, with the first four runners reaching safely after the lefty opened with three perfect innings. Tabata totaled three hits and is a career .345 hitter at Busch Stadium.

“He continues to find a way to find hits in this ballpark,” Hurdle said. “He’s really been a solid offensive ballplayer for us here.”

The Pirates have scored seven runs while Liriano was in the game in his six starts. They jumped into gear the inning after the lefty was taken out en route to just their third win in their last 10 games.

“That one inning obviously changes the whole day,” Lyons said. “The one inning, that’s a killer.”

Hurdle said there were no health concerns at the start of the game and noted, “The first two innings were pretty crisp and clean.”

“It just snowballed on him,” the manager added.

Pittsburgh also has struggled offensively, totaling four runs during its losing streak, and got shut out 1-0 in the series opener Friday.

“We got some key hits that we haven’t been getting,” Gaby Sanchez said. “We were finally able to put something together and get some runs across. It was good to get the lead and stay ahead.”

Liriano walked Lyons to start the third and was behind 3-0 against leadoff man Matt Carpenter before meeting with a trainer on the mound, and then departing.

Tony Sanchez added a two-run single in the ninth off Eric Fornatoro after striking out his first three at-bats.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Shelby Miller finally solved Pittsburgh, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh Friday night.

Miller (2-2) entered the game with an 0-5 record and a 5.93 ERA against the Pirates. He allowed just three hits and four walks while striking out four.

Pat Neshek, Kevin Siegrist, Carlos Martinez and Kevin Rosenthal followed Miller and preserved the shutout. Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth for his seventh save in seven chances.

Matt Holliday had three hits, a walk and drove in the only run with a first-inning double. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina singled in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, matching his career high set in 2007.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (2-2) pitched seven innings and allowed a run on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

The Pirates lost for the seventh time in nine tries. Pittsburgh has won just three of its last 12 games.

St. Louis got the only run it would need in the first. Matt Carpenter led off with a bunt single down the third baseline and he went to second on Jon Jay’s fielder’s choice to first. Holliday then doubled to right, scoring Carpenter.

Pittsburgh had Miller on the ropes in the third, as singles by Cole and Jose Tabata and a walk to Neil Walker loaded the bases. But Miller got Andrew McCutchen to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

In the eighth, Pittsburgh had runners on first and third with no one out against Martinez after pinch hitter Starling Marte was hit by a pitch and Tabata singled him to third. Martinez got Marte hung up on a fielder’s choice back to him for the first out. After an intentional walk to McCutchen, Martinez struck out Pedro Alvarez and Chris Stewart to end the threat.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Daisuke Matsuzaka pinched his eyelids, clenched his teeth and thought back. He couldn’t remember all the details of the first save of his professional career.

After 123 starts during seven seasons in Major League Baseball, the 33-year-old right-hander was turned into a reliever by the New York Mets when they brought him up from the minor leagues on April 16. Eight days later, manager Terry Collins took a chance — a roll of the Dice-K? — and Matsuzaka responded with a perfect ninth inning Thursday to cap a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

He hadn’t saved a game since May 2000, his second season with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League, when he struck out four during the final three innings of a 9-0 win at the Chiba Lotte Marines.

“It’s definitely different,” he said through a translator, “but I think I’m starting to get used to going from the bullpen.”

Chris Young homered to start New York’s comeback from a 1-0, fifth-inning deficit, slumping Curtis Granderson singled in a run as a pinch hitter and Daniel Murphy drove in two runs. Bartolo Colon (2-3) allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked none, sending Lance Lynn to his first career loss in April.

Matsuzaka, who completed a four-pitcher, four-hitter, was a rookie of the year in Japan in 1999, MVP as his national team won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and was given a $52 million, six-year contract by the Boston Red Sox after they paid Seibu $51,111,111.11 for his rights.

Matsuzaka went 15-12 in his first season with the Red Sox and 18-3 in his second, but he injured a hip during the 2009 WBC and was never the same, hurting his arm and eventually needing elbow ligament-replacement surgery.

He was just 50-37 for the Red Sox and signed a minor league contract in February 2013 with Cleveland, which released him in August. Then he joined the Mets, started seven games and signed a minor league deal with New York, which initially sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas this spring.

But when Bobby Parnell’s season ended with a torn elbow ligament on opening day, the Mets had to scramble to restock their bullpen. Jose Valverde struggled as the closer and Kyle Farnsworth took over the role.

Manager Terry Collins wanted to give the 38-year-old Farnsworth a rest after three appearances in four days.

“I just said this is a good opportunity to see how Dice handles it,” Collins explained, “and he did well.”

In a 15-pitch outing, Matsuzaka retired Allen Craig on a lineout to right after falling behind 3-1, struck out Daniel Descalso in an eight-pitch at-bat and got Peter Bourjos on a game-ending foulout to the catcher.

“Before, I never really thought I would be able to pitch out of the bullpen because I just take so long to prepare,” Matsuzaka said. “I think I just have to keep pitching well to gain full confidence from the team, but I think having had a few opportunities in tight situations definitely is encouraging.”

Collins said Farnsworth, who has two saves, remains his first-choice closer but Matsuzuka may receive more ninth-inning opportunities. His preparation, which includes lengthy stretching, will have to change.

“If he’s going to pitch the back end of the game, be it the eighth, the ninth, somewhere in there,” the manager said, “I don’t want him to wear himself out in the fifth inning, at 8:15. I want him to kind of save something.”

Dice-K said it’s as much mental as physical.

“Just to comfort myself, I think I throw more than I probably have to,” he said.

New York also gave 40-year-old right fielder Bobby Abreu hit first big league start since July 25, 2012. Abreu went 1 for 3 with an opposite-field double to left in the fifth — his first hit with the Mets.

“It’s been a long time,” he said. “It was kind of exciting. At first I had to calm down my emotions and just go out there and play the game.”

New York took three of four from the defending NL champions and has won four of five overall.

St. Louis lost for the sixth time in nine games and has gone 291 at-bats without a home run since Allen Craig connected at Milwaukee off Wily Peralta on April 16.

Lynn (4-1) had been 12-0 through April in his big league career, including one March victory. But given a fifth-inning lead, he allowed the Mets to tie the score in the bottom half and go ahead 2-1 on Murphy’s RBI double in the sixth, a ball that dropped just in front of diving centerfielder Jon Jay.

Lynn was chased in a two-run seventh after Eric Young Jr. bunted and reached on a two-base error when the pitcher threw off first baseman Matt Adams’ glove and into right field. Granderson had been 2 for 20 against left-handers this year before he greeted Kevin Siegrist with an RBI single, and Murphy singled in the final run.

“We’ve been home six days in the past 2 1/2 months,” Lynn said. “I think a lot of people are looking forward to getting home and sleeping in their own beds.”

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Lucas Duda hit a long home run and the New York Mets threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth inning to hold off the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Wednesday night with a stiff wind whipping through Citi Field.

Jonathon Niese earned his first win of the season, and shortstop Ruben Tejada cut down Matt Carpenter for the second out of the ninth on a strong relay from center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny challenged the call by plate umpire Marty Foster, which was upheld following a replay review of 1 minute, 20 seconds that showed catcher Travis d’Arnaud nicked Carpenter with a sweep tag near his armpit.

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha (2-2) set career highs with 10 strikeouts and five walks in the shortest of his 14 regular-season starts in the majors. A bizarre outing if ever there was one — but it was that sort of night.

With a runner on second, Kyle Farnsworth retired Matt Holliday on a fly to right to end it.

Curtis Granderson snapped his career-worst hitless skid at 22 at-bats with a first-inning single, and the Mets got 6 2/3 effective innings from Niese (1-2) before turning it over to the bullpen.

Carlos Torres and Scott Rice escaped an eighth-inning jam before Farnsworth worked the ninth for his second save. He gave up consecutive singles and an RBI double to pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso that one-hopped the wall in left-center, but New York’s defense saved Farnsworth.

Carpenter had four hits and Yadier Molina added three for the Cardinals, but Jhonny Peralta’s hitless streak reached 21 at-bats. Peralta popped out with runners at second and third in the eighth before pinch-hitter Matt Adams flied out to end the inning.

Niese improved to 4-1 in six career starts against St. Louis.

The game began in 31 mph wind gusting up to 41 mph on a 51-degree night at a mostly empty stadium. Workers hustled between innings to clean up all the flying napkins and hot dog wrappers that littered the outfield — even bundled-up second base umpire Rob Drake helped out during a stoppage in play.

High popups and flyballs were an adventure. Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada dropped one after retreating into the outfield, then scampering back to the infield. New York still got an easy forceout on the play.

Wacha’s red cap blew right off his head as he was waiting for a new ball and rolled, like tumbleweed, to second baseman Mark Ellis.

Duda homered against Seth Maness leading off the sixth, a laser beam of a line drive that cut under the wind and nearly reached the Shea Bridge walkway above the bullpens in right-center.

It was the first home run for the Mets in their last seven home games, ending their longest such drought since May 2012.

Early on, it appeared the 22-year-old Wacha was headed to a record-setting performance.

Last year’s NL championship series MVP overpowered the Mets with nine strikeouts in the first three innings but soon lost his control. He walked three in the fourth, including No. 8 batter Tejada and Nieuwenhuis with the bases loaded, forcing in two runs.

Wacha was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth after throwing 93 pitches. Coming in, he had issued only three free passes in 26 innings this season.

Molina doubled home a run with two outs in the first, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, after Tejada and the Mets botched a rundown that should have resulted in an inning-ending double play.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Wainwright threw seven neat innings before leaving with a knee injury, and Jon Jay hit a two-run single that sent the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

Left fielder Matt Holliday robbed Chris Young of a tying homer, one night after the Mets played some dazzling defense of their own to post a shutout in the series opener.

Wainwright (4-1) faced the minimum through four innings and outpitched Dillon Gee. It was the second consecutive scoreless start for Wainwright, who tossed a two-hit shutout last Thursday at Washington.

After the game, Wainwright passed several tests on his knee and said he would be ready for his next start on Sunday.

“I’ll be all right,” Wainwright said. “Just give me a couple days and everything will be all right. I was very off balance, as you could probably see. Everything is good. At first, you feel a little scared, but as I walked off the field I knew I didn’t do anything wrong. All is good.”

— Associated Press —