Matt Adams’ second homer sent St. Louis to a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in 16 innings on Wednesday night, protecting the Cardinals’ hold on second place in the NL Central.

Adams broke an 0-for-17 slump by connecting in the 14th. After St. Louis let that lead get away, he homered again off Logan Ondrusek (3-1), ending the Reds’ longest game of the season.

The Cardinals had dropped the first two games in the series, letting the Reds get within a game and a half for second place. They finish their season series on Thursday. St. Louis leads it 11-8.

Carlos Martinez (2-1) escaped a threat in the 15th, when Shin-Soo Choo reached third with two outs but was caught in a rundown.

The Cardinals have dropped five of seven overall, costing them precious ground in the division’s three-team race. The Pirates, Cardinals and Reds are all in good shape to make the playoffs – one as a champion, the other two as wild cards.

St. Louis wasted a chance to put it away in the 14th inning.

Adams broke his deep slump by leading off with homer off Alfredo Simon. Speedy Billy Hamilton helped the Reds tie it with another stolen base in the bottom of the inning.

Hamilton ran for Ryan Ludwick after his single off Edward Mujica, who blew a save chance for only the third time in 38 chances. Hamilton stole second – he’s 2 for 2 against catcher Yadier Molina – and scored easily on Zack Cozart’s single.

Leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter had three hits and a walk, scoring twice. Carpenter has five of the Cardinals’ 14 hits in the last two games.

Bronson Arroyo broke with his history of subpar showings against the Cardinals. It was his 38th career start against St. Louis – more than against any other team – and he didn’t have a lot to show for it, going 0-3 against the Cardinals this season and 8-16 in his career.

He went seven innings and allowed three runs – two earned – giving the Reds chances that they squandered.

St. Louis scored twice in the fourth, when Matt Holliday hit a sacrifice fly and Carlos Beltran came around on a throwing error by first baseman Joey Votto on Allen Craig’s grounder.

Craig sprained his left foot while rounding the base on the play and left the game. He’ll be examined again on Thursday.

Brandon Phillips led off the fifth with his 18th homer, giving him 100 RBIs. He’s the first Reds second baseman to reach the mark since Hall of Famer Joe Morgan drove in 111 in 1976, when the Reds swept the Yankees for their second straight World Series championship.

— Associated Press —

The dirt-smudged base leaned on the floor in front of Billy Hamilton’s locker. An inscription in black ink noted the importance: ”MLB Debut 9/3/13.”

Some debut!

The speedy outfielder who outran everything in the minors got his first stolen base in the majors on Tuesday night, and it decided a game with playoff implications. Hamilton swiped second and came around on Todd Frazier’s double in the seventh inning, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

”That’s my job – stealing in important situations,” said Hamilton, who had brown dirt on both knees from his hard slide into that keepsake base. ”This was a real big situation – a pennant race.”

Hamilton set a professional record by swiping 155 bases in the minors last year. He got an ovation when he made his big league debut as a pinch runner for Ryan Ludwick, who led off the seventh with a single against Seth Maness (5-2).

As he went onto the field, manager Dusty Baker had a word.

”He said, ‘I need you to get to second base,”’ Hamilton said. ”I was like, ‘OK, I got you.”’

The 20,219 fans in the stands and everyone on the field and in the dugouts knew what was coming. Hamilton was about to test one of the toughest catchers in the game. Could he outrun catcher Yadier Molina’s throw?

”We knew that this guy’s electric,” said Frazier, who was at bat. ”I didn’t even know he was going. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and said, ‘Here we go, here’s the challenge.”’

After Maness threw to first three times, Hamilton took off and beat an off-target throw from Molina, who rushed a bit.

”That guy’s the best,” Baker said. ”He’ll throw you out. He was close to throwing Billy out there. The throw was a little high and wide. That’s what happens when you have speed.”

The Cardinals had watched video of Hamilton to get ready for his debut.

”He was just another baserunner,” Maness said. ”We know he’s fast, but you treat him no different. Get the ball to the plate quick and make the throw.

”It was a bang-bang play. That’s baseball.”

Hamilton scored easily on Frazier’s hit and got congratulatory slaps in the dugout.

”It was like we won the World Series there,” Hamilton said.

Homer Bailey (10-10) allowed only two hits in seven innings, retiring his last 14 batters. Aroldis Chapman threw four pitches that registered 103 mph while fanning the heart of the Cardinals’ order in the ninth for his 34th save in 39 chances, completing the two-hitter.

The Cardinals were shut out for the third time in their last six games.

By taking the first two in the four-game series, the Reds snapped the Cardinals’ streak of winning seven straight series between the NL Central rivals. St. Louis is 10-7 against Cincinnati this season.

The head-to-head opportunities are dwindling. Second-place St. Louis is a game and a half ahead of Cincinnati. The Cardinals host the division-leading Pirates for three games next weekend, completing their season series. The Reds play Pittsburgh six times in their last nine games.

The trio has been in a tight pack atop the division most of the season. Currently, all three are in position to make the playoffs.

And now, the Reds have a new way to win a close game.

”Watching Billy run – I can watch that every day,” Frazier said.

They considered calling up the 22-year-old Hamilton last September, but decided he wasn’t ready. A year later, he made good on his first steal attempt and decided a game full of tough pitching and sensational defense.

Michael Wacha, the Cardinals’ top draft pick last year out of Texas A&M, made his fifth career start and blanked the Reds on three hits through six innings.

The Cardinals’ lineup was back to full strength. Carlos Beltran was back in right field after missing two games with a sore back. Molina was back in the lineup after leaving Monday’s game with a sore left wrist.

Bailey is in a good stretch, winning his last five decisions. He held the Cardinals to five hits over 7 1-3 innings during a 10-0 win in St. Louis last Wednesday.

Bailey escaped an early threat. Matt Carpenter opened the game with a single, and Bailey walked Beltran on four pitches, bringing up Matt Holliday. The left fielder has a .375 career average against Bailey, but struck out swinging. Allen Craig grounded into a double play.

Defense had a lot to do with keeping this one close. No surprise there – St. Louis has the fewest errors in the NL, Cincinnati the third-fewest.

— Associated Press —

One very bad and very short day in St. Louis, followed by another bad game in Cincinnati. Adam Wainwright doesn’t understand why he’s having a really tough time getting the Reds out.

Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto homered on Monday as Cincinnati roughed up Wainwright for the second start in a row, and Mat Latos went the distance for the first time this season in a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Latos (14-5) credited an offense that seems to have Wainwright’s number.

”It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, but there’s definitely more of an anxiety added when you have a guy like Wainwright,” said Latos, who allowed four hits. ”We were fortunate to be able to get to him today.”

Fortunate? Or maybe they’ve figured him out?

”I don’t know about that,” said Ryan Ludwick, who singled home a run. ”I think we’ve gotten some pitches to hit the last two outings we’ve faced him, and we’ve done damage.”

Latos gave up a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly by Matt Holliday in his fourth career complete game.

The third-place Reds are trying to end the Cardinals’ season-long dominance during their four-game series at Great American Ball Park. St. Louis has won the last seven series between the teams and is 10-6 against Cincinnati this year.

”It starts at one,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. ”Hopefully this is just a beginning because we’ve got a lot of work to do, a long way to go.”

The Cardinals took two of three in St. Louis last week, the only loss coming when the Reds tagged Wainwright (15-9) for nine runs in a career-low two innings. They hit him hard again on Monday, piling up six runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Wainwright isn’t sure what’s going on with him and the Reds.

”The last time, it was a matter of me leaving too many ball in the middle of the plate,” Wainwright said. ”Today, they hit some good pitches. I feel very strong. I’ve had some good games against them in the past. It’s a head-scratcher, to be honest with you.”

It’s an important series for Cincinnati, which now trails the Cardinals by 2 1/2 games. St. Louis opened the day tied with Pittsburgh for first place. The Reds maintain a comfortable lead for the final NL wild-card spot.

The last time the Cardinals visited Great American Ball Park, they won by scores of 13-3 and 15-2 during a one-sided series that left the Reds embarrassed. This one started much better for them.

Wainwright fell to 5-9 career against Cincinnati. In his last two starts against the Reds, the right-hander has given up 18 hits and 15 runs in only eight innings. He’s 1-3 in four starts against Cincinnati this season with a 7.77 ERA.

”That’s a real good pitcher,” Baker said. ”We have nothing but respect for Wainwright. He’s not the guy that you would exactly choose to face twice a week. It’s a funny game.”

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina came out of the game in the fifth inning because of a sore left wrist. He was activated off the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 15 after missing 14 games with a sore right knee.

The Reds quickly got to Wainwright. Choo opened the first with a single and scored on Ludwick’s two-out single. Ludwick missed more than three months with torn cartilage in his right shoulder, but the left fielder is starting to get his swing back in shape. Ludwick has driven in a run in each of his last four games.

Zack Cozart singled home a run in the second, and Choo’s two-run homer made it 4-0. Choo leads all major league leadoff hitters with 19 homers. He has three homers during a six-game hitting streak, which includes four multihit games.

Votto hit an up-and-away 1-2 pitch to the opposite field in left for his 21st homer in the fourth inning.

— Associated Press —

Joe Kelly began the season in the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen with an electric fastball and an identity crisis.

Consider the crisis solved.

At the moment, Kelly has become The Stopper.

The right-hander allowed four hits over six solid innings to win his fourth straight start and the Cardinals moved back into a tie for first place in the NL Central with a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Kelly (7-3) walked two and struck out five while remaining unbeaten since being moved to the starting rotation full-time in July.

”He’s kind of figured himself out,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ”Early in the season, he was confused. He thought he should be a strikeout guy at 97 (mph), but with the movement on his fastball he’d be crazy not to use that movement to try to command the bottom of the zone and get ground balls, too.”

Kelly received plenty of help from an offense that snapped out of a three-game funk by tagging Pittsburgh spot starter Kris Johnson (0-2).

Matt Holliday and David Freese drove in two runs apiece while Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig, Yadier Molina and Shane Robinson added two hits each for St. Louis.

The Cardinals managed all of one run over the first 18 innings of the series, losses that came at the hands of proven veterans Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett. On Sunday they faced a 28-year-old making his first major league start who was nearly out of baseball two years ago.

”For us to come back out in a day game after scoring one run the first two nights was really big,” Freese said. ”It finally gave us a little momentum.”

Pittsburgh’s push for an NL Central title could go down to the wire. The Pirates reclaimed first place with a 7-1 victory Saturday night but St. Louis responded by knocking around Johnson, who took the hill after Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle decided to give struggling All-Star Jeff Locke a much-needed breather.

Locke is 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA in the second half, and Hurdle thought a few days off would allow the left-hander to work on his mechanics and get some rest.

Locke won’t pitch again until next weekend at the earliest. If Pittsburgh decides he needs even more time off, it will likely have to look elsewhere for help after the Cardinals took it to Johnson.

Carpenter doubled to open the game and Robinson followed with a walk. Craig and Molina provided consecutive RBI singles, and Jon Jay added a sacrifice fly to stake Kelly to a 3-0 lead before he threw his first pitch.

The advantage grew in the third when Freese doubled to score Craig and Molina and end Johnson’s day. Two weeks after limiting Arizona to one run in six innings of relief in his first major league appearance, Johnson gave up five runs on seven hits in two-plus innings.

”These are the kind of situations you want to be put in, I just didn’t take advantage of them when I had the chance,” Johnson said. ”I worked all my life to get here and to fall short today, just going to have to get back on the field, get back on the throwing program and get back to where we were before.”

Justin Morneau went 1 for 3 in his debut with the Pirates a day after Pittsburgh acquired the first baseman from Minnesota to bolster the franchise’s bid for its first playoff appearance in 21 years.

Kelly has been a pleasant surprise since moving into the rotation. He never let the Pirates in the game, allowing only an RBI single by Marlon Byrd in the sixth.

By then the Cardinals had things well in hand as baseball’s tightest division race once again drew even.

”My velocity was a lot better than in my last start, my sinker was really working and I was able to pitch to both sides of the plate,” Kelly said.

The Pirates, whose 79 wins are tied for the franchise’s high-water mark since 1992, made two bold moves last week in hopes of drawing ahead. They brought in Byrd and catcher John Buck from the New York Mets on Tuesday, then made an even bigger splash Saturday when they convinced Morneau to leave Minnesota after 11 seasons.

Morneau arrived at PNC Park midway through Saturday night’s blowout and watched the remainder of the game from the dugout. He got a better view on Sunday, playing first base and batting sixth.

The 2006 AL MVP grounded out in his first plate appearance, walked in his second and then lined a single to right field his third time up. He ended his first game for Pittsburgh with a deep fly to the warning track in the ninth.

— Associated Press —

The latest addition by the suddenly splurging Pittsburgh Pirates hustled into the dugout in the sixth inning on Saturday night eager to step into the batter’s box against St. Louis if necessary.

Take a breath, Justin Morneau. The Pirates – and the pennant race – aren’t going anywhere.

A.J. Burnett scattered four hits over seven innings, Russell Martin hit a three-run homer and the Pirates beat the Cardinals 7-1 on Saturday night to regain sole possession of the NL Central lead.

Neil Walker added three hits for the Pirates, who improved to 79-56 and moved within three victories of their first winning season since 1992. And there’s still a month left.

”It’s a great feat,” Burnett said. ”It’s been a long time, but our goals have been higher than that.”

Burnett (7-9) gave up one run while striking out six and walking one. He received plenty of help only hours after the Pirates acquired Morneau from the Minnesota Twins, hoping the 2006 AL MVP can give a middling offense a jolt heading into the stretch drive.

Morneau didn’t waste time getting to Pittsburgh. He left Texas – where the Twins were playing the Rangers – in the middle of the afternoon, arrived at the airport just before 8 p.m. and was in uniform trading jokes with his new teammates moments after pulling on a black-and-gold jersey.

”You try to get here as quick as you can because you want to be a part of this,” Morneau said.

The 32-year-old first baseman will have to wait until Sunday to get his first major league at-bat for someone other than Minnesota. By the time he was inside PNC Park, the Pirates had things well in hand.

Martin keyed a five-run second with his drive off Lance Lynn (13-9), who has a 7.66 ERA in his last four starts.

”It just (ticks) you off and that’s where I’m at,” Lynn said. ”I’m not happy with the way I’m throwing the ball, but I’m going to fix it and I’m looking forward to the next month because it’s going to be better.”

It might have to be if St. Louis wants to keep pace with Pittsburgh.

The trade for Morneau marked the second big move by the Pirates in five days as they try to beat out the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in baseball’s tightest division race. Pittsburgh brought in Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Asked if he was encouraged by the way the Pirates’ notoriously thrifty front office opened the checkbook to bring in three proven veterans, Burnett couldn’t fight back a smile.

”That’s what they’re supposed to do,” he said.

Pittsburgh ranks 10th in the NL in runs scored, one of the main reasons general manager Neal Huntington aggressively pursued Morneau. But the Pirates are averaging 5.2 runs per game during their current six-game homestand and Morneau’s arrival gives MVP contender Andrew McCutchen and slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez some much-needed protection.

”Everybody knows we got better with the addition of Justin,” Martin said. ”He’s an ex-MVP. He knows what he’s doing out there. He’s going to give you a productive at-bat and he lengthens the middle of the order.”

For a night, however, it wasn’t McCutchen, Alvarez or Morneau but role players who provided the pop as the Pirates clinched the season series over St. Louis.

Burnett got Pittsburgh started with an RBI single in the second, and Jose Tabata followed with one of his own to stake the Pirates to a 2-0 lead. It could have been worse after Lynn loaded the bases before striking out McCutchen to get out of the jam.

Lynn wasn’t so fortunate one inning later. Alvarez led off with a double, Byrd singled him home and Garrett Jones walked. Martin stepped in and sent a fastball into the front row of seats in right-center for his second homer in two nights to give Pittsburgh a 6-1 lead. Walker added an RBI triple later in the inning.

While Lynn managed to stay in the game, he left after four innings following a miserable start in which he gave up seven runs on 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts. His ERA rose to 4.29.

The deficit proved far too large for a suddenly reeling offense. The Cardinals lead the NL in batting average and runs but have scored just once in their last three games.

”We’ve had a few balls hit hard, but not a lot,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”I like what our offense has done over the majority of the season. You don’t want to take a couple of games and start making conclusions. We’re just going to keep going about it.”

Burnett’s control had something to do with it in front of the second-largest crowd in the 12-year history of PNC Park. Working both sides of the plate effectively, Burnett assured Pittsburgh heads into the final month of a remarkable season in first place for the first time since it won the NL East in 1992.

— Associated Press —

Jay Bruce homered and had five RBIs and the Cincinnati Reds got a dominant effort from Homer Bailey to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-0 on Wednesday night and avoid a three-game sweep.

The Reds came out swinging a few hours after Brandon Phillips’ expletive-filled tirade at a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter sparked by scrutiny of his .310 on-base percentage, and after manager Dusty Baker criticized his team for falling short while dropping four of five.

The Cardinals lead the NL Central by a half-game over Pittsburgh after losing for the third time in 12 games, and the Reds are 3 1/2 games back.

Bailey (9-10) capped a six-run first against Adam Wainwright (15-8) with the Reds’ sixth hit and his first RBI of the season. He allowed five hits in 7 1-3 innings with seven strikeouts and is 4-0 in his past six starts.

— Associated Press —

Joe Kelly tossed six strong innings and Matt Holliday drove in a run for a seventh straight game, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

St. Louis has won six of its last seven, including the first two games of this three-game set. The first-place Cardinals have won eight of their last 10 against the third-place Reds and lead them by 4 1/2 games in the NL Central.

The Cards also moved 1 1/2 games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh, which lost to Milwaukee.

Shin-soo Choo homered for Cincinnati, which lost for the fourth time in five games. The Cardinals retired the last 13 Cincinnati batters, dropping the Reds to 4-10 against St. Louis this season.

Kelly (6-3), who allowed one run on nine hits, improved to 6-0 in nine starts since rejoining the starting rotation on July 6. The Cardinals have won the last six games he has started. Kelly began the season in the bullpen.

Holliday, who went 2 for 3, keyed a two-run outburst in the first against Mat Latos (13-5), who gave up four runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt had an eight-game RBI streak in early June – a season best in MLB.

The Cardinals needed just 14 pitches to take a 2-0 lead. Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran began the opening frame with singles. Holliday followed with a hit to right to bring in Carpenter, who scored his major league-leading 100th run. Allen Craig then hit into a double play, allowing Beltran to score from third.

Choo brought the Reds to 2-1 with a leadoff homer in the fifth, the 100th round-tripper of his career and 17th of the season.

The Cardinals answered with single runs in the sixth and seventh and scored twice in the eighth.

Craig pushed the lead to 3-1 with his team-leading 96th RBI on a run-scoring double in the sixth. Carpenter brought in Jon Jay with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Jay and Daniel Descalso singled to start the inning.

— Associated Press —

The St. Louis Cardinals needed a big hit with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh inning on Monday night. Fortunately for them, they had Allen Craig at the plate.

Craig hit his first career grand slam, helping the Cardinals rally for an 8-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Matt Holliday also had a long three-run homer as St. Louis moved into sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the first time since July 29. The Cardinals lead idle Pittsburgh by a half-game and Cincinnati by 3 1/2 games in the top-heavy division.

Craig is 7 for 10 with 20 RBIs this season with the bases full.

“I think I’ve developed a pretty good approach that allows me to be successful in that position,” Craig said. “I go up there confident and I believe in myself.”

Rookie Carlos Martinez (1-1) pitched two innings for his first major league win and Edward Mujica worked a perfect ninth for his 35th save.

Zack Cozart had two hits and three RBIs for the Reds, who dropped to 4-9 against St. Louis this season. Jay Bruce hit his 25th homer in the eighth.

Cozart and Todd Frazier each hit a two-run triple off Tyler Lyons in the second, helping Cincinnati to a 4-0 lead. But Holliday belted a three-run drive deep to left in the third.

Holliday’s 18th homer came against Mike Leake and traveled an estimated 442 feet for the longest shot by a St. Louis player at Busch Stadium this season.

“What it comes down to is that guys are just swinging the bats,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

The Cardinals went ahead to stay in the seventh. Jon Jay drove in a run with a bases-loaded grounder off Manny Parra (1-3). J.J. Hoover then came in and walked Holliday on a full-count pitch and Craig drove the next pitch over the wall in right for his 13th homer.

“I left it a little too much out over the plate,” said Hoover, who has allowed three grand slams this season. “I knew he’s a good hitter with the bases loaded and I didn’t want to come in there on the first pitch.”

Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said Craig’s drive was “devastating.”

“They have a lot of dangerous hitters, but we helped them out with a couple walks,” he added.

Craig improved to 14 for 31 (.452) in his career with the bases loaded. He is batting an eye-popping .452 with runners in scoring position this year, a big reason why he leads St. Louis with 95 RBIs.

“No bigger or better at bat all season,” Matheny said. “He’s been so good in that situation.”

The crowd of 35,159 roared as Craig rounded the bases. The big first baseman then came out for a curtain call.

“I wasn’t thinking about hitting a home run, I just wanted to hit it hard and in play,” Craig said. “When guys are on, I just try and hit it hard somewhere and it usually works out.”

Craig’s drive helped the Cardinals rally from a four-run deficit, tying their largest comeback of the season. They also came from four down to beat Pittsburgh 6-5 in 12 innings on Aug. 15.

Bruce connected against Seth Maness, but that was it for Cincinnati, which lost for the third time in four games.

“We’re getting down to crunch time and every series is important,” Hoover said. “When you look back at the end of the season, one loss could be important.”

Lyons settled down after the rough start and was charged with one earned run in five innings. He struck out a career-high seven and walked two.

“The second inning didn’t go how I wanted it to,” Lyons said. “It was just about bouncing back and trying to keep the team in the game for as long as possible. I think I did that.”

Leake allowed five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 1-1 with an unseemly 5.20 ERA in his last six starts.

— Associated Press —

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was so impressed with Mike Minor that he referenced two of the best pitchers in the National League.

Minor bounced back from the shortest outing of his career with seven strong innings, leading Atlanta to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

”I felt like I was pounding the zone, hitting more spots,” Minor said.

Atlanta, which has the best record in the NL, salvaged the finale of the four-game set. Andrelton Simmons hit his 12th homer for the Braves, who closed out a 2-4 road trip.

Minor (13-5) gave up one run and six hits while pitching on seven days’ rest after allowing four runs in 1 2-3 innings against Washington on Aug. 17. The left-hander struck out two and walked one, playing a big role in the end of St. Louis’ four-game winning streak and prompting his manager to compare him to aces Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.

”He’s developing into a big-time deal,” Gonzalez said. ”The Wainwrights of the world, the Kershaws of the world, they stop losing streaks and extend winning streaks.

”He’s becoming one of those guys.”

Minor also beat the Cardinals 4-1 on July 26, starting the Braves on a 14-game winning streak.

”He was sharp today, he didn’t give us a lot of mistakes to handle,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ”And he got out of any kind of jams that he got himself into.”

Minor, who also legged out an infield hit in the seventh, recorded his team-high 19th quality start. He leads the team with a career-high 13 wins, but he had little interest in any talk of being a stopper.

”I don’t look at myself as the ace of this team,” he said.

Simmons hit a solo drive in the seventh for his 12th homer, giving the Braves a 4-1 lead.

Craig Kimbrel came on with two out in the eighth and picked up his 41st save in 44 opportunities. It was his first four-out save of the season, a trend that may continue in October.

”We may have to do that come postseason,” Gonzalez said. ”It was perfect timing. He hasn’t pitched in three days, with a day off tomorrow, it made a lot of sense to push him and he came through.”

Kimbrel enjoyed the extra work. He also liked sitting the dugout for a change between the eighth and ninth innings.

”I found myself talking and joking around,” he said. ”Then I said, ‘Wait I’ve got three more outs to get.’ But I was able to get back out there and get in the zone.”

Atlanta jumped on Lance Lynn (13-8), scoring one in the first and two in the second. Lynn gave up four runs and nine hits over seven innings while dropping to 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his last four starts.

The Braves needed just six pitches to jump in front. Jordan Schafer led off the game with a triple and came in on a run-scoring single by Elliot Johnson, his first RBI as a member of the Braves.

Gerald Laird and Joey Terdoslavich, getting spot starts, each singled to start the second. Paul Janish followed with an RBI single. Schafer then pushed the lead to 3-0 with a double, marking the first time in his career he tripled and doubled in the same game.

The win helped Atlanta get back on track against the Cardinals. The Braves swept St. Louis in a three-game series July 26-28 in Atlanta.

”You don’t want to get swept especially by a team that’s a playoff team that you have the potential of seeing,” Schafer said. ”You don’t want them to have confidence if you face them in the playoffs.”

St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter had two hits, pushing his NL-best total to 157. He doubled in the sixth and scored on a groundout by Matt Holliday, who has an RBI in his last five games.

Allen Craig had three of the Cardinals’ eight hits for his 44th multihit game of the season.

”We wanted the sweep, but it’s still a really good series to win three games out of four against a tough team,” Craig said.

The Braves won for the first time since outfielder Jason Heyward suffered a broken jaw on Wednesday in New York. Heyward, who was hit by a pitch from Jonathon Niese, will be out four to six weeks.

— Associated Press —

Long counts have kept Shelby Miller from pitching too deep into games the last few months. On Saturday, though, the rookie was happy to give the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen a bit of a break.

Miller worked seven innings of three-hit ball and Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran each homered as the Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves for the third straight time, 6-2.

”I thought that’s probably about as good as we’ve seen him in a long time,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”His stuff was electric and he was in the lower part of the zone.

”He was really locked in, hopefully that’s something he can maintain,” Matheny said.

Freddie Freeman homered for the NL East-leading Braves, who totaled five runs while dropping three in a row for the first time since July 3-5. Julio Teheran (10-7) allowed a season-worst five walks and was charged with four runs.

”I didn’t have my best stuff but I was fighting the whole game,” Teheran said. ”I knew it from the first inning, from when I was warming up that it was going to be a hard day for me.”

Miller (12-8) worked more than six innings for the first time in 13 starts since June 1. He struck out six without walking a batter while pitching with no more than a one-run cushion against a fellow 22-year-old right-hander. Center fielder Jon Jay made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Brian McCann of at least extra bases in the seventh.

”My main goal was to keep my focus the entire game and just attack the zone,” Miller said. ”That’s kind of what I’ve been lacking a little bit.

”I felt like we got in front on the counts and after that we didn’t slow down,” he added.

The Cardinals, who began the night a game back in the NL Central, go for a four-game sweep Sunday with Lance Lynn (13-7) opposing Mike Minor (12-5).

”They’re as good a ballclub as you’re going to face in the National League,” Carpenter said. ”For us to take these three games is huge.”

St. Louis totaled three runs while getting swept in a three-game series in Atlanta in late July.

”It’s a combination of tough pitching and we’re not swinging it really well,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ”Sometimes you run into a hot team like they are right now. They ran into us at our place, we were pretty hot.”

Pinch-hitter Shane Robinson and Carpenter opened a three-run seventh with singles to chase Teheran and the Cardinals broke it open against reliever Dave Carpenter with a two-run double by Matt Holliday and an RBI single by Yadier Molina for a 5-1 lead

The Braves had three of their seven hits in the ninth, including pinch-hitter Gerald Laird’s RBI double off Seth Maness before Edward Mujica struck out Elliott Johnson with two on for his 34th save in 36 chances.

The first three hits of the game were home runs. Miller struck out the first two batters on seven pitches and the Braves’ first contact came when Freeman hammered a 1-2 pitch for his 16th homer.

Carpenter answered with his second career leadoff homer and 10th overall, also on a 1-2 count, in the bottom of the first. Beltran’s team-leading 23rd put the Cardinals ahead 2-1 in the third and he finished with three hits, two RBIs and his second base-running gaffe of the series.

Beltran settled for a single in the fifth after standing at the plate for several seconds and belatedly jogging to first on a liner down the third base line that caromed off the jut in the stands in shallow left. Two days earlier he missed third base and had to double back before scoring.

”I got jammed and I didn’t know where the ball went,” Beltran said. ”I heard the fans just clapping and I didn’t know what happened, then I saw the ball in left field and said I’ve got to run. Wouldn’t it be ugly to be thrown out at first base from left field?”

— Associated Press —