ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning that glanced off right fielder Jay Bruce’s glove on the warning track and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 on Tuesday night.

Yadier Molina homered and Peter Bourjos had three hits and an RBI to help the Cardinals clinch their 26th series win to go with three losses and two splits since 2003 against Cincinnati.

Bruce had a two-run triple in the first, Billy Hamilton’s second hit of the season drove in a run and Ryan Ludwick had two RBIs for the Reds.

The Reds squandered a 4-0 second-inning lead by the bottom half of the inning, and Lance Lynn (2-0) got enough support to beat Cincinnati for the second straight time.

The Cardinals averaged 5.67 runs in Lynn’s starts last year, third-most in the National League, and have scored seven both outings this year.

Trevor Rosenthal finished for his third save in three chances.

Bruce appeared to have a bead on Holliday’s two-out drive with two on against Logan Ondrusek (0-1), but had to jump a bit at the last instant and the ball glanced off his glove as the Cardinals took a 6-5 lead. Bourjos added an RBI single in the seventh off J.J. Hoover.

Both starters scuffled, just as they did in the second game of the season in Cincinnati. Lynn has surrendered eight runs in 11 innings and Homer Bailey has permitted eight runs on 16 hits and five walks in 9 1/3 innings.

Lynn is 5-1 for his career against the Reds, including three wins last year. Bailey is 5-11 against the Cardinals.

Joey Votto and Bruce had one-out hits in the fifth ahead of Ludwick’s run-scoring groundout for a 5-4 lead.

Cardinals leadoff man Matt Carpenter had two hits, an RBI and was hit by a pitch against Bailey. He’s 13 for 22 against the right-hander.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Home opener hoopla was no distraction at all for Michael Wacha. Neither was the 49-degree chill for the first pitch.

The 22-year-old rookie was definitely excited about the occasion and the opportunity. Just like last fall when he was the breakout pitching star of the postseason, he fed off the atmosphere.

“Huge crowd out there, a lot of energy,” Wacha said after the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Monday. “It’s a lot of fun pitching in front of your home crowd, 40,000-plus fans.

“I don’t know who wouldn’t thrive off those kind of situations.”

Wacha outdid Tony Cingrani in a rematch of young power arms, and the Cardinals got a three-run double from Yadier Molina in the first inning.

“I didn’t have my fastball, so what are you going to do? I just tried to battle,” Cingrani said. “One bad pitch and it cleared the bases.”

A standing-room crowd of 47,492, the largest at 9-year-old Busch Stadium, braved daylong rain to greet the National League champions and take a look at the new Ballpark Village. Hundreds milled about the attached complex, which features five sports bars and rooftop seating.

The Cardinals bunched three hits and a walk over the first five hitters to take the early lead against Cingrani (0-1), who allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals six days earlier in Cincinnati.

The Cards went 1 for 18 before adding RBIs from Matt Holliday and Allen Craig off Trevor Bell in a two-run seventh.

St. Louis ended a three-game losing streak on Opening Day, including a blowout loss to the Reds last year.

Wacha (1-0) hadn’t allowed a run in 21 career innings against the Reds before back-to-back doubles by Brayan Pena and pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina in the fifth cut the Cardinals’ lead to 3-1.

The NL Championship Series MVP benefited from two double-play balls in six stingy innings and has permitted one run in 13 2/3 innings his first two starts.

Wacha threw 82 pitches before getting lifted for a pinch hitter with the Cardinals up by two runs and two on in the sixth. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny wanted to take a shot at putting the Reds away, but thought the right-hander had plenty left.

“That was more of a situation of what’s best for the day, what’s best for that particular game,” Matheny said.

Cingrani needed 31 pitches to get through the first and lasted four innings, striking out five but walking four. Matheny said before the game that his hitters had been a “click off” with timing against the 24-year-old lefty last week and should benefit from another chance so soon.

Pena said he wasn’t trying to make excuses but thought Cingrani was bothered by the elements.

“The baseball was slippery. He couldn’t grab his breaking ball the way he wanted,” Pena said.

Peter Bourjos moved up to second in the order and got his first two hits of the season after an 0-for-13 start. Craig got his third hit and third RBI of the season after entering 2 for 22.

Seeing Wacha once again didn’t do the Reds any good. They’ve totaled 18 runs in seven games.

“Right now, almost collectively, we’ve struggled to do anything with guys in scoring position,” Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. “But that’ll change. It’s tough to sit through it.”

The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes after the inclement weather combined with pregame ceremonies that featured the traditional grand entrance with players, coaches and Hall of Famers touring Busch Stadium on the back of convertibles and trucks. A team of Clydesdales was kept in the stable due to concerns the field might be damaged.

Billy Hamilton doubled to start the game and the Reds put the leadoff man on base in the first four innings but were undone by two double plays.

Zack Cozart broke an 0-for-22 slump to start the season with a bloop RBI single, and pinch-hitter Neftali Soto had a sacrifice fly for his first career RBI in the ninth against St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal, who gave up his first runs at home since Aug. 15 against Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals opened the first with singles by Matt Carpenter and Bourjos, and Holliday walked to load the bases with none out. Craig struck out before Molina cleared the bases with a drive to left-center on a 1-2 pitch.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For his first start with the Pirates, Edinson Volquez beat Adam Wainwright. That’ll do nicely as an early return on that offseason contract he signed with the Pirates.

Tony Sanchez hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the seventh inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Sunday.

Singed to a one-year, $5 million contract as a free agent in December, Volquez was sharp in his first start for the Pirates as he gave up one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings with one walk and four strikeouts. That came after Volquez pitched two scoreless innings of relief Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

“What you saw was fastball command with downhill angle, big-time spin and tilt on the breaking ball, a good changeup and getting ahead with good pitches,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He pitched a gem.”

Volquez got a standing ovation when he walked off the mound.

“I think I did a great job and the fans appreciated what I did,” Volquez said. “I just wanted to keep making another good pitch, keep the ball down and get them to hit the ball on the ground. All my pitches were there.”

Sanchez’s double to deep center field with two outs came off Wainwright (1-1) and snapped a 1-1 tie.

“I’m still nervous playing up here,” Sanchez said. “My heart is racing. My head is spinning. It feels like the game is going 1,000 mph. So, it’s nice to be able to get some big hits.”

The hit by the rookie reserve catcher scored Pedro Alvarez, who led off the inning with a walk, and was Sanchez’s second winning hit of the week as he singled home the winning run in the 16th inning of Wednesday night’s victory over the Chicago Cubs.

“I can’t let what happen in the seventh inning happen, especially in a close game, a rivalry game like this,” Wainwright said. “I walked the leadoff man then left a ball out over the plate with two outs and Sanchez took a good swing at it. You can’t do that.”

Tony Watson (1-0) retired all four batters he faced, striking out three, and ran his string of consecutive scoreless innings to 24, dating to last season. Jason Grilli pitched a scoreless ninth to convert his first save.

St. Louis managed just three hits.

Singed to a one-year, $5 million contract as a free agent in December, Volquez was sharp in his first start for the Pirates as he gave up one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings with one walk and four strikeouts. That came after Volquez pitched two scoreless innings of relief Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

Volquez’s 5.71 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers was the highest among the 81 pitchers who qualified for the ERA title. He also allowed 15 runs in 13 innings in exhibition games this spring.

Wainwright went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits after pitching seven scoreless innings in his first start of the season at Cincinnati in Monday’s opener. He struck out seven and walked two.

The Pirates opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Andrew McCutchen doubled with one out and scored on Neil Walker’s two-out double.

An RBI triple by the Cardinals’ Jon Jay in the sixth tied the score at 1-1 and chased Volquez.

— Associated Press —

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Yadier Molina hit his second homer of the season, Jhonny Peralta added a late two-run shot and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Saturday night.

Molina finished 2 for 4 and his solo homer in the sixth gave the Cardinals plenty of cushion as they bounced back from a 12-2 loss on Friday night by jumping on Pittsburgh ace Francisco Liriano (0-1) early.

St. Louis used a three-run first inning to put the Pirates in an early hole then held on as Joe Kelly (1-0) wiggled his way out of trouble. The right-hander worked 5 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out four in his first start of the season.

The Pirates left 11 runners on base, including seven in the first four innings.

Liriano, who struck out 10 in six innings on opening day against the Cubs, settled down after early trouble. The left-hander gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings, walking two and striking out four.

It wasn’t exactly a repeat of the last time Liriano faced St. Louis, when he held the Cardinals in check in Game 3 of the NL division series to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. The Cardinals rallied to take the series in five, though six months later it appears the clubs that finished one-two in the NL Central remain evenly matched. The teams have now split the last 26 meetings.

The Cardinals didn’t give Liriano time to settle in on a brisk night at PNC Park.

Matt Carpenter led off with a single. Peralta walked and Matt Holliday followed with an RBI single to right. Peralta scored on a sacrifice fly by Allen Craig, with Holliday scoring on a perfectly placed single to left by Matt Adams.

The Pirates had their chances to get back in it against Kelly. They loaded the bases in the third but managed only a single run when Kelly walked Russell Martin.

Pittsburgh had two on with two outs in the fourth and two one with one out in the sixth against Kelly but couldn’t come through. St. Louis reliever Carlos Martinez replaced Kelly and retired Starling Marte and Travis Snider on groundouts to end the threat.

The Cardinals’ bullpen didn’t give up a hit in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Molina provided insurance with a homer to right and Peralta’s second home run with the Cardinals slipped inside the left field foul pole against Pittsburgh reliever Jeanmar Gomez in the ninth.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — The defending National League champions opened the season with a lot of waiting. And a couple of wins, too.

The St. Louis Cardinals overcame another long delay and Todd Frazier’s two homers on Thursday, holding on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 and take two of three in their season-opening series.

The first pitch was delayed 3 hours, 42 minutes because of rain. Some of the Cardinals spent their down time by studying Cincinnati’s pitchers again and getting a little extra work in the indoor batting cages.

“It’s tough to stay mentally into it,” said Matt Adams, who had a single and a pair of doubles. “That’s what we had to do to make sure we could go out there and perform. We’re watching video and taking swings in the cage and stretching and making sure we’re ready to go.”

Finally on the field, the Cardinals emerged from their two-game hitting slump by knocking Homer Bailey (0-1) out of the game in the fifth inning. Jhonny Peralta homered to get it going.

It wasn’t perfect — St. Louis stranded eight runners — but it was much better.

“We had a lot of opportunities that we missed, too,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We had a lot of guys in scoring position.”

St. Louis pulled away with three runs in the seventh, when Matt Holliday’s single off the top of the outfield wall was upheld by the only video review of the series, this one initiated by the umpires.

Lance Lynn (1-0) gave up Jay Bruce’s two-run homer and Frazier’s solo shot during five innings. Frazier added a three-run homer in the seventh that cut it to 7-6. Trevor Rosenthal got the last four outs for his second save.

The series involved nearly as much waiting as playing.

There was a 2-hour, 40-minute delay before Wednesday’s game, a 1-0 victory by Cincinnati. Along with the delay on Thursday, the teams wound up waiting 6 hours, 22 minutes to play during the two days.

As Thursday’s delay stretched on, Reds reliever Sam LeCure tweeted: “Uncle.”

“The whole series was kind of weird with all the rain and stuff,” Frazier said. “It really put a damper on things.”

The starters had a rough time after the delay.

Lynn beat the Reds three times last season, but couldn’t get a 1-2-3 inning on Thursday. Bruce and Frazier hit back-to-back homers in the first for a 3-0 lead. Even Bailey had a single off Lynn, who gave up eight hits while throwing 107 pitches.

Peralta hit a two-run homer in the second off Bailey, and the Cardinals tied it with a breakthrough hit in the fourth. Adams doubled and came around on Jon Jay’s double, the Cardinals’ first hit with a runner in scoring position this season. They had been 0 for 17.

Jay’s hit also extended his hitting streak to 15 games, including the end of last season.

Holliday’s first hit of the season, an RBI double, put the Cardinals up 4-3 in the fifth. Bailey lasted only 4 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits, three walks and four runs.

The Cardinals added three in the seventh, when they loaded the bases on a pair of walks and Holliday’s single off the top of the wall. The ball went over Billy Hamilton’s glove and deflected to Bruce, who caught the ball. The umpires correctly ruled that it a hit off the top of the wall, and a 2-minute, 8-second review initiated by the umps upheld the call. They wanted to make sure the ball hadn’t cleared the wall.

Allen Craig and Yadier Molina followed with RBI singles as St. Louis pulled ahead 7-3.

— Associated Press —