ST. LOUIS (AP) — Facing trouble, Michael Wacha did his best to slow down the game. He certainly frustrated New York Mets hitters who had him on the ropes.

Wacha escaped a pair of jams with strikeouts, and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped a fifth-inning tie en route to a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night.

“I hadn’t been doing that in my last three starts,” Wacha said. “It was nice to be able to start making pitches and being able to execute.”

Daniel Murphy couldn’t deal with the changeup when he struck out with runners on second and third to end the fifth inning.

“I don’t think I swung at a single strike the at-bat I struck out,” Murphy said. “He threw the ball well to me, and I helped him out.”

Murphy wasn’t alone.

“I don’t think there are too many right-handers with a better changeup,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “I think that’s accepted league-wide.”

Yadier Molina hit his first homer since May 24 for the Cardinals, who have won eight of nine and will go for a three-game sweep on Wednesday. They have won a season-best five in a row and are a season-best seven games above .500.

David Wright hit his first homer since May 28, and Lucas Duda also connected for the Mets, who have lost 11 of 14.

“There’s many sleepless nights,” Wright said. “I won’t lie and say it’s easy or it doesn’t bother me, but you have to understand there’s not too many players, if any, that can go through a whole season and ride that roller-coaster ride a little bit.”

Mets manager Terry Collins batted the pitcher eighth, with Eric Young Jr. hitting ninth, for the second straight game in an effort to stimulate the offense. During the 14-game slump, the Mets have scored two or fewer runs seven times.

Daisuke Matsuzaka worked a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Mets starter Jonathon Niese (3-4). Matsuzaka left Sunday’s start against San Diego after one inning because of a severe upset stomach.

Wacha (5-5) gave up a run and five hits in six innings. Fanning Murphy preserved a 1-all tie, and he struck out Ruben Tejada with two on to end the sixth when the Cardinals led 3-1.

Wacha had a career-best 10 strikeouts on April 23 at New York but also had a career-worst five walks and lasted four innings in a loss.

Jon Jay’s RBI triple with two outs in the fifth gave the Cardinals the lead, and Matt Holliday followed with an RBI double. Pinch-hitter Kolten Wong and Peter Bourjos added RBIs in the sixth, with both runs unearned after second baseman Murphy dropped Daniel Descalso’s slicing, looping liner with a man on and two out.

“I just misplayed it,” Murphy said.

Jay is batting .405 (15 for 37) in his last 12 games with four multi-hit games. It was his first RBI since May 30.

“He’s on a real good run at the plate,” Matheny said. “The way he’s taking his at-bats … we’ve seen this before. You just see him go, and it’s fun to watch him go.”

Niese allowed five runs, three earned, in six innings. The lefty has made 18 consecutive starts allowing three or fewer earned runs. It is the longest active streak in the majors, extending to last September, but he is just 5-5 during that span.

Wright entered the game 3 for 43 in his last 13 games. He leads the Mets with 34 RBIs, but has just four this month. The home run was his first on the road this season.

Duda hit his ninth homer of the season leading off the ninth against Jason Motte to make it 5-2, and Anthony Recker doubled, but Pat Neshek retired the next three for his second save in four chances.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Allen Craig and Matt Adams each had two RBIs and the St. Louis Cardinals got effective work from rookie pitchers subbing for ace Adam Wainwright in a 6-2 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night.

Carlos Martinez allowed an unearned run in four innings in his second career start and Nick Greenwood (1-0) allowed a run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings to win in his major league debut for St. Louis, which has won seven of eight.

Wainwright (9-3, 2.15) is skipping a turn to allow for tendinitis in the back of his elbow to subside. He is expected to return on Saturday against the Phillies.

Matt Holliday had two hits, including a single for his 1,000th career RBI in a four-run fifth that put the Cardinals up 6-1.

Mets manager Terry Collins batted the pitcher eighth for the first time in franchise history but the novel lineup with rookie pitcher Jacob deGrom batting eighth and Eric Young Jr. ninth mustered just five hits. New York has lost 10 of 13, scoring two or fewer runs six times.

Adams homered his first three games coming off the 15-day disabled list from a strained left calf. He settled for a pair of RBI singles Monday and stung the ball all four at-bats.

DeGrom (0-4) gave up six runs on 12 hits in 4 1/3 innings in his seventh career start, all three numbers statistical low points. He handled the bat fine, with a sacrifice bunt in the third and a broken-bat liner to second with the base loaded in the fourth after Ruben Tejada was intentionally walked.

Young, activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game, had an infield hit to help manufacture a run in the third. But Martinez struck him out to end the fourth.

The 22-year-old Martinez is one of the Cardinals’ top rotation prospects with a fastball that registered triple digits in the first inning. He’s been a setup man most of the year with a previous long outing of 2 2/3 innings and needed just 14 pitches to retire the Mets in order the first two innings.

The Cardinals selected the 26-year-old Greenwood’s contract from Triple-A Memphis Sunday to provide support behind Martinez.

The 25-year-old deGrom has allowed 13 runs on 26 hits in 15 innings his last three starts.

Seth Maness retired the last four hitters in order for his first save, also his first chance of the season.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Adams might want to have his father’s visit last longer.

Adams homered for the third straight game — all with his father in attendance — and Matt Holliday also went deep, helping the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2 victory and series sweep Sunday over the Washington Nationals.

Adams gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch, his sixth homer of the season. Adams’ father, Jamie, has been visiting from Pennsylvania on Father’s Day weekend.

“Unfortunately, he’s going to go home,” Adams said.

There were going to meet before Adams’ father left for the airport.

“He might give me a big hug and start crying,” Adams said. “He’s an emotional guy.”

Adams has homered in all three games since coming off the disabled list with a torn calf muscle.

Holliday put St. Louis up 3-0 in the third with his fifth home run.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny never doubted his sluggers would start to hit the long ball after a slow start. The Cardinals are last in the National League in homers.

“We’ve been saying for months now these guys have done that,” Matheny said. “It’s not a surprise. It’s not like these guys have never hit any home runs in their lives. I think that everybody just thought that we were either brainwashing them not to hit home runs or else they all lost it collectively and both of them are ridiculous.”

Last year, Adams had 17 homers in 108 games and Holliday had 22 in 141 games.

“We knew that our power didn’t go anywhere,” Adams said. “We knew the type of hitters we are. We go out there on daily basis and grind through our at-bats.”

Jaime Garcia (3-0) pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and a run for St. Louis. He struck out six and walked two. Trevor Rosenthal got the final out for his 20th save.

Washington’s Doug Fister (5-2) had his five-start winning streak snapped. He pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and four runs.

“The two home runs were the biggest things for me,” Fister said. “I need to find a better effort.”

St. Louis has won 12 of the last 14 regular-season meetings with Washington. The Nationals are 2-18 in the newest version of Busch Stadium.

“We have a bitter taste in our mouths going home,” Nationals outfielder Scott Hairston said. “I think we definitely didn’t play up to our capabilities.”

The Nationals loaded the bases in three innings, stranded 10 runners and scored on two bases loaded walks.

The timely hit didn’t come for Washington.

“It’s the ebbs and flows of the game,” Washington manager Matt Williams said. “It’s that time of the year where heavy legs start to set in a little bit.”

Garcia pitched out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the second. Third baseman Matt Carpenter caught Sandy Leon’s grounder on a short hop and threw out Hairston at home. Garcia then struck out Fister.

Jayson Werth drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today but at the same time you go out there and you compete,” Garcia said. “You battle and you keep your team in the game.”

St. Louis got the run back in the fifth, when Kolten Wong snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Holliday, who has 999 RBIs in his career.

Craig doubled home Holliday in the seventh for a 5-1 lead.

Rosenthal walked pinch-hitter Adam LaRoche in the ninth with the bases loaded to make it 5-2.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The timing was perfect for Matt Adams’ dad to make a weekend visit to Busch Stadium. The burly first baseman is playing well after a stint on the 15-day disabled list, giving Jamie Adams a lot to smile about.

“I think anybody here would like to have their parents around, especially on Father’s Day weekend,” Adams said after hitting the go-ahead home run for the second straight game in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.

“Tonight was a little better,” Adams said. “Coming the day before Father’s Day is great.”

Adams connected against Stephen Strasburg in St. Louis’ three-run seventh inning, driving a 3-1 offering over the wall in right-center. On Friday, he homered on his first swing in his return from a left calf strain, lifting St. Louis to a 1-0 victory.

“I think I’m just waiting out the pitchers,” Adams said. “I went down to Memphis to get my timing back and my confidence is up.”

The Cardinals batted around in the seventh with the help of two infield hits, a hit batter and two walks, one of them by Matt Holliday with the bases loaded against Drew Storen. Allen Craig added an infield hit off Storen on a slow tapper halfway down the third-base line.

“What can you say?” Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton said. “They’ve been throwing good and today was one of those days.”

Jayson Werth had an RBI double in the first for the Nationals, who managed just four hits for a two-day total of six. It’s their first series loss since losing a pair to Miami from May 26-28, and they will try to avoid a three-game sweep in the series finale Sunday.

St. Louis reliever Randy Choate (1-2) needed one pitch to escape a bases-loaded threat in the seventh after a strong start from Shelby Miller, who gave up four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Pat Neshek worked a perfect eighth and Trevor Rosenthal finished for his 19th save in 22 chances.

Strasburg allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings in his first career appearance in St. Louis. It was his 11th consecutive quality start, but he dropped to 5-3 with a 2.22 ERA in that stretch that began April 20 when he gave up two runs in six innings at home against the Cardinals.

Strasburg didn’t pitch in the 2012 NL division series against St. Louis after the Nationals shut him down the final month of the season. They lost a five-game series.

“It was just fun to finally get a chance to pitch here,” Strasburg said. “I wanted to go out there and give it everything I had and I feel like I did that, so I can sleep easy tonight.”

Strasburg allowed just two homers in his previous seven starts, and Adams’ long ball was the Cardinals’ first off the right-hander in four career appearances.

“In the grand scheme of things you can always second-guess yourself, but I think if I threw a 3-1 changeup there, especially if he’s in swing mode, I probably wouldn’t have had that result,” Strasburg said.

“Who knows? I’m not going to dwell on it too much, just going to learn from it and move on.”

St. Louis pitchers have permitted just one run in the Cardinals’ last five victories, including a pair of 5-0 wins over Toronto and a 1-0 victory against Tampa Bay.

Miller matched his season best with seven strikeouts but walked four, including two for Strasburg, batting .077 with two hits on the year. Strasburg’s second walk loaded the bases, but Denard Span grounded out against Choate.

“I’ll say this just to make him mad, but it looks like he got a little tired,” manager Mike Matheny said of Miller. “Those are the things that they don’t like to hear, so he’ll come back and have something to say about that for sure.”

Span went 0 for 4 and is hitless in his last 18 at-bats over the last five games.

Anthony Rendon singled with one out in the first and scored from first on Werth’s double to right-center. Craig made a sliding stop to cut the ball off and couldn’t recover in time.

It was tied in the third after a two-out rally started by Miller’s fourth hit of the season — and third double. The pitcher scored standing up on Matt Carpenter’s single.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — After shutting out the Yankees for his first career complete game, Lance Lynn had a couple of duds.

With no margin for error, Lynn rediscovered his command while leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

“When you have stuff like that, that’s why you keep coming back,” Lynn said after throwing eight innings of two-hit ball. “It’s like golf. When you hit that drive like 310, that’s why you come back the next time.”

Matt Adams homered off a changeup down the middle by Jordan Zimmermann (5-3) in the second inning. It was Adams’ first swing since coming off the disabled list before the game.

“I was trying to make sure my timing was where it needed to be, see the ball and get the barrel on it,” Adams said. “Everything felt good.”

Lynn (7-4) struck out eight with no walks against the NL East leaders, who had won 10 of 13. Trevor Rosenthal added three more strikeouts in the ninth, working around rookie second baseman Kolten Wong’s two-out error on Denard Span’s routine grounder for his 18th save in 21 chances.

The Cardinals have won three 1-0 games, all on homers, with the others by Yadier Molina at Cincinnati on March 31 and Matt Holliday on June 10 at Tampa Bay.

Zimmermann gave up three hits, two of them by Adams, in eight innings. He threw 76 pitches for the lowest total in a complete game by a Nationals pitcher since the franchise relocated to Washington in 2005.

“I had a good fastball again, down in the zone, and the curveballs and sliders were there when I wanted them,” Zimmermann said. “Really, it was one mistake on a changeup that was down the middle. He made me pay.”

Zimmermann is 0-5 against the Cardinals and 0-2 against the Pirates, the only two NL teams he hasn’t beaten.

The Cardinals have won 10 of the last 12 regular-season meetings, and beat the Nationals in the 2012 NL division series. They are 20-5 overall at home against Washington.

“They were one pitch better than we were,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “So we’ll come get them tomorrow.”

Lynn retired his first 16 batters. He got some help from his defense when shortstop Jhonny Peralta went into the hole to snare Jayson Werth’s one-hop liner in the fourth and threw to first to end the inning.

Jose Lobaton singled with one out in the sixth for Washington’s first baserunner and took an extra base when Holliday bobbled the ball in left. But Zimmermann popped out and Span flied out to center to end the inning.

Lynn said he wasn’t overly disappointed by Lobaton’s hit.

“People get hits,” he said. “Not everybody throws a no-hitter every time, or it would be a boring game.”

Lynn is 22-9 at home for his career, and shut out the Yankees while throwing a career-high 126 pitches on May 27. He surrendered six runs in a total of 8 1/3 innings in a pair of losses in his next two starts at Toronto and against the Giants.

Lynn tinkered with his delivery before facing the Nationals. The difference was control of his two-seam and four-seam fastballs.

Zimmermann threw a two-hit shutout at San Diego his last start and worked 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings before Adams hit his fourth homer on a 1-0 pitch with two outs in the second. Adams was activated from the 15-day disabled list from a strained left calf earlier Friday and rookie Oscar Taveras was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

The game was played in a snappy 2 hours, 3 minutes, fastest of the season at Busch Stadium.

“I wish we could do that every night,” Lynn said. “You could hang out with your family a little bit more.”

— Associated Press —