Jeff Samardzija hopes his traditional June swoon is a thing of the past.

Samardzija picked up first career win as a starter in his most unlucky month, tossing 8 1-3 strong innings to help the Chicago Cubs to a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Samardzija (4-7) came into the contest winless in eight June starts – he was 2-8 with a 7.14 ERA, with both victories coming in relief.

”I really want to knock this June bugaboo,” he said. ”I’ve been working really hard and I like where I am today.”

Samardzija gave up two runs on seven hits and left with a 4-1 lead. He struck out six and walked one for his first win since May 27.

Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ransom hit back-to-back homers in a four-run first as Chicago broke a five-game losing streak in St. Louis.

The Cubs started fast against Adam Wainwright (10-4) and won for the fourth time in six games.

Carlos Beltran hit his team-high 17th homer for the Cardinals, who lost for the third time in five games but still lead the majors with a 45-26 record.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum was especially impressed with his starter.

”He was as good as he’s been all year against the best offense in baseball,” he said. ”If you can do that to them, you’ve had one heck of a game.”

Said Sweeney: ”Watching from center field, he was unbelievable.”

”He was keeping hitters off balance and still throwing 96 to 97 (mph) in the ninth inning,” he said.

Kevin Gregg picked up his 10th save in as many opportunities. He got David Freese to ground into a strange game-ending double play. Pinch-runner Shane Robinson was called out for interference while trying to break up the play at second.

Robinson was ruled to have gone out of the way to hinder the relay throw from shortstop Starlin Castro.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny agreed with the call by umpire crew chief Fieldin Culbreth.

”He got it right,” Matheny said. ”It’s just frustrating to see the game end like that.”

The Cardinals cut the lead to 4-2 on an RBI single by Yadier Molina with one out in the ninth. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig singled with one out to chase Samardzija.

Gregg, after giving up the hit to Molina, induced Freese to hit a hot shot right at second baseman Darwin Barney, who started the double play.

Freese hit into three double plays and also struck out.

The Cubs’ first-inning runs all came after two outs. Nate Schierholtz and Alfonso Soriano hit consecutive singles before Sweeney unloaded with his second homer of the season to make it 3-0. Ransom followed with his eighth homer.

”We just got on them early,” Sweeney said. ”Thankful enough that we did. If you don’t get to a guy like that, he’ll bear down and then you can’t score any runs.”

The Cubs tied a season high with four runs in the first – they also did it in the first inning of a 10-7 loss to San Francisco on April 14.

Wainwright, who was trying to become the majors’ first 11-game winner, gave up back-to-back homers for the third time in his career. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits over seven innings.

Wainwright had won his previous five starts, but has not beaten the Cubs since Sept. 24, 2010. He had given up a total of four first-inning runs over his first 14 starts this season.

”It was unforgivable,” Wainwright said. ”I put my team in a really tough spot.”

Samardzija never let a runner past second base in the first five innings and was helped out by three double plays.

”What else can you ask for?” Samardzija said. ”Great defense. And the icing on the cake were those four runs in the first.”

Beltran homered off the right-field foul pole with two outs in the sixth. Molina went 3 for 3 and leads the NL with a .367 average.

— Associated Press —

Known for his defense, Yadier Molina is putting together an impressive offensive season.

Molina had two more hits Monday night against the Chicago Cubs, including a two-run double, to help the Cardinals to a 5-2 win in the opener of a four-game series. Those two hits raised his average to a National League best .355.

Although Molina has topped the .300 mark the past two seasons, hitting .305 in 2011 and a career-best .315 last season, he seems to be at a different level in 2013, though he appears afraid to he might jinx himself.

”Next question,” Molina said when asked about leading the league in hitting. ”I’m glad we got the win for Shelby (Miller). At the same time, he pitched pretty good.”

After waiting out a rain delay of 1 hour, 59 minutes to start the game, Miller (8-4) pitched five scoreless innings to get the win for the Cardinals. He left after five innings with cramps in his right leg.

”He did a great job,” said St. Louis manager Mike Matheny. ”Had a little warning there that his calf had tightened up (and) we didn’t know exactly what we were dealing with. We found out it’s just a cramp. He should be fine.”

Miller allowed just two hits and struck out five in the shortest start of his career. His previous shortest stint was 5 1-3 innings at Los Angeles on May 26.

”I guess I was a little dehydrated this week,” Miller said. ”But if feels OK. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”

Kevin Siegrist and Seth Manness followed Miller and combined for two shutout innings before Trevor Rosenthal allowed a run in the eighth on a broken bat single by Nate Schierholtz. Edward Mujica gave up a homer to Darwin Barney with two outs in the ninth, but still earned his 20th save in 20 opportunities.

Shane Robinson and Allen Craig added sacrifice flies for the Cardinals, who moved back to a major league best 20 games over .500 (45-25).

Chicago fell to 8-22 against the National League Central, the lowest winning percentage by any team in its own division (.266). The Cubs are 5-23 when they score three runs or less, including Travis Wood’s last three starts. Wood (5-6) was again a hard-luck loser, as he gave up four runs on seven hits. He has dropped three straight games despite having a 2.70 ERA in those contests.

It’s tough for the team,” Wood said. ”We’re scratching and clawing trying to get everything we can right now and trying to put together quality ball games.

”We’re falling a little short right now, but it’s a good group of guys. We’re going to eventually get it together and string together some wins.”

Molina was happy the Cardinals were able to break through against Wood.

”He beat us in Chicago,” Molina said. ”Tonight, we executed pretty good.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday started the inning with singles, and Beltran then went to third on Craig’s long fly out to right. Molina then drove both Beltran and Holiday home with a double to the gap in right center.

St. Louis began the seventh the same way, with Molina and David Freese getting singles. Molina would score on a throwing error by first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Freese came home on Robinson’s sacrifice fly.

Craig’s sacrifice fly in the eighth gave the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.

— Associated Press —

Ricky Nolasco beat the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Miami Marlins won a weekend matchup of worst versus first.

Nolasco allowed one run and three hits in seven innings Sunday to help the Marlins take the rubber game of their three-game series against the Cardinals, 7-2. NL Central leader St. Louis lost a series for the first time since April 26-28 against Pittsburgh.

The Marlins climbed above .300 at 21-47, still baseball’s worst record.

”We didn’t see it,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ”The team we saw is hitting the ball and making good pitches. They have the kind of offense that can make you pay if you make mistakes, and that’s what we saw. Regardless of what their record shows, they’ve got some talent, and they’re going about things the right way right now.”

Miami is 3-3 since slugger Giancarlo Stanton rejoined the lineup after missing 36 games with a strained right hamstring. He had six hits in the series.

”When you have Giancarlo back in the lineup, that’s a whole different team,” Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter said. ”Nothing against the other guys, but you can put him in anybody’s lineup, and that team looks a little bit different. Having him back is a big advantage.”

Miami scored 19 runs in the series against a team with the lowest ERA in the majors.

”We knew they were a great team coming in here,” said Juan Pierre, who had two hits in each of the three games. ”This is a big series win. To beat a team like that definitely gives you confidence.”

The abundance of offense was a refreshing change for Nolasco (4-7), who has endured the worst run support of any pitcher with at least 14 starts. Luxuriating in an early lead, he retired 11 in a row during one stretch.

”It helps a ton,” he said. ”It just changes everything and the way you pitch and your approach.”

Pierre drove in two runs and had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, while Justin Ruggiano and Placido Polanco each had a two-RBI hit. The Marlins have won eight of the past 14 games, their best stretch this season.

Tyler Lyons (2-3), making his fifth major-league start, lost for the third time in a row after winning his first two decisions. He went 5 1-3 innings and gave up six runs, including four with two out.

”I made some mistakes with guys on base,” Lyons said.

The Cardinals managed only five hits, all singles, with NL batting leader Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday out of the lineup. Both were given a day to rest but pinch-hit in the ninth, and Holliday was called out on strikes against Steve Cishek with the bases loaded to end the game.

Cishek earned his ninth save in 11 chances.

Carlos Beltran went 0 for 4 to end the longest active hitting streak in the majors at 14 games. Carpenter was also hitless and finished 7 for 38 (.184) on the Cardinals’ nine-game trip.

Jon Jay and Matt Adams drove in St. Louis’ runs. Right fielder Stanton made a leaping catch at the fence to rob Adams of an RBI and an extra-base hit in the seventh.

”With that lineup, probably among the top three in the league, you just have to stay focused,” Nolasco said. ”You can’t lose concentration and leave balls over the middle, because they’re just going to start crushing you. I was able to get away with some balls that they hit hard, and we had great defense at the same time, so it worked out.”

The Marlins scored twice in the first. Pierre led off with a single and took third on a double by Stanton. Ruggiano followed with a two-run single.

A bout of wildness against the bottom of the order cost Lyons in the fourth inning. He hit Jeff Mathis, who was batting .128, and then Nolasco walked for the first time this year to load the bases. Pierre followed with a two-out, two-run single for a 4-1 Miami lead.

Pierre increased his RBI total to eight in 222 at-bats this year.

Polanco had three hits starting for the first time in five games after being sidelined by back stiffness. His two-out, two-run double in the fifth made it 6-1.

”To get a win against such a great team and a great lineup, and to play as well as we did, that’s a great day for all of us,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

— Associated Press —

Carlos Beltran homering from each side of the plate Saturday was hardly a shocker, since he had done it 10 times before.

But Lance Lynn’s two-run single? That was unprecedented.

Both contributed offensively as the St. Louis Cardinals survived a slugfest against the lowest-scoring team in the major leagues and beat the Miami Marlins 13-7. Beltran homered twice and tripled, while Lynn (9-1) notched the victory despite allowing a career-high seven runs in five innings.

The Cardinals scored five runs in the first, then found themselves at 6-all in the second before pulling away. Even for the hitters, the game was no fun, Beltran said.

”I felt like I was out there playing defense for four hours,” he said. ”It’s one of those days where you have to grind and try to find a way to stay in the game.”

Manager Mike Matheny agreed.

”It felt like a doubleheader,” he said.

Swinging left-handed, Beltran hit his 15th home run in the second inning and tripled for the first time since May 2012 in the eighth. He hit another home run from the right side in the ninth.

Beltran extended the longest active hitting streak in the NL to 14 games and raised his average to .311.

”I feel great,” he said. ”I’ve been healthy, and good things are happening for me and the team.”

The Cardinals tied a season high with 17 hits. Yadier Molina singled home two runs in their big first inning, and David Freese’s fourth homer in the third inning put them ahead to stay.

It’s the fifth time this season the Cardinals have scored at least nine runs when Lynn has started, and this time he contributed himself, delivering a two-out single off Ryan Webb to make the score 9-6.

Lynn glanced over his shoulder as he stepped to the plate, unsure whether Matheny might call on a pinch-hitter.

”He looked right at me,” Matheny said. ”He wanted to know what the game plan was. I told him to get a hit. Brilliant coaching, huh?”

The single raised Lynn’s lifetime average to .077. He came into the game with five hits and one RBI in 76 career at-bats.

But the right-hander’s pitching performance left him in no mood to smile about his hitting.

”It was a bad day,” he said. ”I was fighting it the whole time. I only had one pitch, the fastball. When I threw it they got hits, and I wasn’t able to get other pitches over for strikes.”

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer for Miami, his fifth, while Rob Brantly had two hits and three RBIs. But the Marlins never took the lead.

Tom Koehler (0-5) allowed a career-high nine runs in 4 2-3 innings.

”It was really a case of two starters out there having a tough time plowing through the lineups,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

Molina finished with three RBIs and two hits, hiking his NL-leading average to .352. Freese and Daniel Descalso had three hits each.

The Cardinals went 7 for 14 with runners in scoring position, hiking their season average in those situations to .342.

Lynn has received the best run support of any Cardinals starter this season, and they went to work for him right away, loading the bases with one out in the first before Molina singled home their first runs. Freese followed with an RBI single, Descalso doubled home a run, and Freese beat a throw home on a grounder to first.

After Juan Pierre led off Miami’s first with a triple, Ed Lucas and Adeiny Hechavarria had RBI singles, and Brantly hit a two-run single.

Stanton’s homer in the second inning made it 6-all, but Lynn stayed on the mound long enough to get the win – barely.

”It definitely wasn’t one of his better games,” Matheny said. ”The offense gave him a lot of room.”

— Associated Press —

Rookie Jose Fernandez outpitched a rusty Jake Westbrook, and the team with the worst record in the majors beat the team with the best record.

Fernandez had a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings Friday, and the Miami Marlins spoiled Westbrook’s return from an elbow injury by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.

The 20-year-old Fernandez (4-3) became the first pitcher under the age of 21 to strike out 10 or more since Felix Hernandez with Seattle in 2007. Relying heavily on breaking balls, he threw a career-high 107 pitches and allowed three runs, two earned.

”I was looking forward to this start,” Fernandez said. ”They’re a great team. They’ve got great hitters. Everybody knows the Cardinals, one through nine, can create a mess in two seconds.”

Westbrook (2-2), who had been sidelined with elbow inflammation, went five innings in his first game since May 8. He allowed five runs, two of them unearned because of a misplayed grounder by second baseman Matt Carpenter, and his ERA rose to 2.05.

”He wasn’t as sharp as he normally is, but he’s coming back from an injury,” manager Mike Matheny said.

Fernandez settled down after giving up two runs and three hits in the first inning. He had a 1-2-3 third, striking out Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and Allen Craig.

”He really was in complete control of that game after the first inning,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. ”He set the tone against a great team, a great lineup, and it was fun to watch him. He can pitch.”

Fernandez improved to 4-1 over his past eight starts with a 2.42 ERA. He also singled home a run.

”He did a lot of things right,” Matheny said. ”We knew he was going to be a handful.”

Giancarlo Stanton had three hits, including a two-run double for the Marlins, who won despite going 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position. They’ve won seven of their past 13 games, their best stretch this season.

Beltran singled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, but Marlins relievers retired the final five batters. Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances.

Plate umpire Phil Cuzzi reversed himself on a call in the fifth, which led to a Marlins run. When Ed Lucas tried to bunt, Cuzzi initially said the pitch had been fouled. But after Redmond came onto the field and pointed out the blood on Lucas’ hand, Cuzzi ruled he had been hit by the pitch.

”He said, ‘OK, I’ll give it to you.’ I said, ‘Thank you,”’ Redmond said. ”It broke his skin. He took his glove off, and he had a little cut there. It was bleeding, so it wasn’t a tough sell.”

Lucas then scored on Stanton’s double to make it 5-2.

Carpenter mishandled Derek Dietrich’s grounder for an error to start the second inning, and Miami went on to score two unearned runs. Jeff Mathis had an RBI groundout, and Fernandez followed with a two-out run-scoring single for his third RBI this year.

”I keep getting lucky, man,” Fernandez said.

Miami went ahead to stay in the fourth on a single by Dietrich and a run-scoring double by Greg Dobbs. That was one of eight hits off Westbrook.

”I felt good enough to pitch better than that,” Westbrook said. ”Overall my arm felt good. Just came out on the wrong end.”

The Cardinals scored in the first on consecutive RBI singles by Craig and Yadier Molina. The hits came after an error by third baseman Lucas, and one run was unearned.

Jon Jay had a two-out RBI double for the Cardinals in the sixth. David Freese doubled home a run in the eighth.

— Associated Press —