Pete Kozma picked a big spot for his first major league home run.

Kozma had two hits and drove in two runs to help Kyle Lohse and the short-handed St. Louis Cardinals win for the sixth time in seven games, holding their lead in the NL wild-card race with a 6-3 win Sunday over the Chicago Cubs.

Minus All-Stars Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran from the starting lineup, the Cardinals stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot.

Kozma homered in the sixth inning to give his team a 4-2 lead, and added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in St. Louis’ two-run eighth.

”Every game means something,” Kozma said. ”I feel pretty good getting in there every day and working out the jitters.”

A quick-thinking Cardinals fan, Jeff Barabasz, caught the ball and immediately sat on it. He gave a decoy ball to his 13-year-old son, Matthew, who threw it back onto the field to appease the Wrigley Field faithful.

They met Kozma after the game to return the real home run ball, posing for pictures with the 24-year-old.

”That was pretty cool,” Kozma said. ”It’s also big to help your team out in a big spot.”

Kozma was called up when shortstop Rafael Furcal went down with a strained right elbow at the end of August and has impressed manager Mike Matheny, earning regular playing time.

”I’ve been impressed with the way he moves around shortstop, and he’s taken good at-bats for us,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ”He’s had tough at-bats. That eight-hole is not an easy place to be. He’s done a nice job with the opportunities he’s had.”

Closer Jason Motte also kept a souvenir from the game after recording his 40th save.

Motte joins Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith and Jason Isringhausen as the only closers in Cardinals history to post a 40-save season.

Motte has six saves in the team’s last seven games.

”If I’m out there converting saves, that means we’re winning,” Motte said. ”That’s what it’s about, it’s about winning.”

Lohse (16-3) made his team-leading 32nd start, giving up three runs and five hits in six innings.

Molina did not play for the defending World Series champions because of lower back spasms, having hurt himself while getting out of the way of a pitch Saturday. The catcher was feeling better, manager Mike Matheny said, still had some discomfort.

Beltran did not start because of what Matheny believed to be food poisoning. The outfielder had a pinch-hit RBI single during a two-run eighth.

He didn’t join the team in the dugout until the fifth inning, and went to the plate without any warm-up swings.

Allen Craig got three hits and drove in two runs for St. Louis.

”The more I watch him, the more I’m impressed,” Matheny said of Craig. ”Everything about him.”

Cubs starter Justin Germano (2-9) worked 5 2-3 innings, giving up four earned runs and 10 hits.

Craig hit a two-run double with two outs in the third and David Freese had an RBI single. St. Louis would have had the bases loaded for Craig, but a baserunning mistake found both Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday on third base and Carpenter was tagged out.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 31st homer for the Cubs, giving him a career-high 105 RBIs.

”He just keeps going, he’s had to play a lot of games this year with very few days off,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. ”He’s done one heck of a job — left field, at the plate and everything about this season has been one of his best.”

Chicago got two runs back in the fourth on Welington Castillo’s RBI double and a wild pitch.

— Associated Press —

It was all going so well for St. Louis. Chris Carpenter had a solid 2012 debut and Pete Kozma swiped home for the go-ahead run, putting the Cardinals in position to extend their timely winning streak.

Then it all fell apart in a hurry.

Darwin Barney connected for a tying two-run homer off Fernando Salas with two out in the ninth inning and David DeJesus hit a game-ending single in the 11th to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory on Friday.

DeJesus came to the plate with two out and lined an 0-2 pitch from Joe Kelly (5-6) into right field to score pinch-runner Brett Jackson.

Alberto Cabrera (1-1) struck out two in a perfect 11th to earn his first career victory.

The Cardinals had won four in a row and entered Friday with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the second NL wild card.

”We got to a two-run lead with two strikes in the ninth, but wouldn’t finish it off,” manager Mike Matheny said.

Carpenter threw five effective innings and was in line for the win until Barney drove a 1-2 pitch from Salas into the left-field bleachers. Salas allowed a single to DeJesus with two outs and nobody on after getting two strikes on him, too.

”I made the pitches I wanted to make,” Salas said. ”It was a fastball in to DeJesus and a soft hit and then Barney was bad luck. He made good contact.”

The Cardinals’ regular closer, Jason Motte, was unavailable after pitching three days in a row and four out of the last five.

”He’s been very, very good for us lately and he’s been in that situation before so it’s a good fit,” Matheny said of Salas. ”You can look at a pitch now and say it should have been somewhere else, but it’s easy to do now.”

Carpenter threw 77 pitches, with a light rain falling throughout the game. The 37-year-old allowed two runs and five hits, struck out two and walked one.

”My stuff wasn’t as sharp as I’d like and it wasn’t as sharp as it’s been in the simulated games,” Carpenter said. ”But I tried to get as many outs as I could and give us a chance. It was fun to get back out there. Hopefully my stuff will get better and sharper as I get out there more often.”

Carpenter went 4-0 in the 2011 postseason, but hadn’t pitched since winning Game 7 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers. He had surgery July 19 to relieve a nerve ailment that caused numbness up and down the right side of his body.

”It was good to have him back out there and obviously he did exactly what we thought he’d do,” Matheny said. ”He competed and made some good pitches and gave us a chance to win.”

Adding his experienced arm to the rotation boosts the Cardinals’ playoff push. The Brewers open a weekend series Friday night against the Washington Nationals, who clinched a playoff berth Thursday.

Carpenter held Chicago scoreless through the first two innings, allowing three baserunners, but the Cubs jumped on him in a two-run third inning.

DeJesus led off the third with a triple and Barney followed with an RBI single. Two batters later, Alfonso Soriano doubled to the left-field corner to tie it at 2.

St. Louis regained the lead in the fourth on a botched suicide squeeze play. Kozma led off with a triple, and was credited with stealing home when catcher Welington Castillo was unable to handle a high-and-tight pitch that Daniel Descalso offered at but could not get down.

It was the Cardinals’ first straight steal of home since Kerry Robinson in 2002.

Yadier Molina’s two-out single got St. Louis on the board in the first inning, and Allen Craig added a sacrifice fly in the third. Matt Holliday reached four times for the Cardinals.

Descalso tacked on an RBI double in the eighth, driving in Matt Carpenter.

Cubs starter Chris Volstad allowed three runs and six hits in five innings.

— Associated Press —

Carlos Beltran appears to be getting his stroke back. Good timing for the St. Louis Cardinals’ final playoff push.

Beltran snapped a sixth-inning tie with a two-run, pinch-hit double and Allen Craig hit a three-run homer, powering the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory Thursday that held their cushion in the NL wild-card race.

The Cardinals lead Milwaukee by 2 1/2 games for the second wild-card spot with 12 games remaining. Los Angeles, which lost 4-1 at Washington, is three back.

St. Louis has won four in a row, capitalizing on a break in the schedule. There’s more sub-.500 opposition ahead in the final trip of the year, with three in Chicago beginning Friday and three more in Houston.

”Our vibe’s four games better,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”That’s about it. We’re really trying to enjoy each one and realize how much we’re putting on each game as a club. Not looking forward to anything except the next one.”

The urgency was reflected in Matheny’s decision to go to Beltran, slumping much of the second half, so early.

”They told me if a situation came up where guys were in scoring position, they were going to use me,” Beltran said. ”So I’m not surprised. The manager is the one making the calls and I just have to be ready when he needs me.”

Beltran’s double put St. Louis up 5-3, rewarding Jaime Garcia (5-7) for keeping it close. They took care of business against the lowly Astros, who absorbed their 102nd loss while leading for a single inning in the three-game series.

The Cardinals were 6-0 at home against Houston, their first season series sweep in St. Louis since 1996.

Houston did its best to hang tough.

”It definitely was a good series for us,” said Justin Maxwell, who had an RBI double and two nice catches in right field. ”We know what they’re playing for over there. We’re not going to hand anything to anyone.”

”We’re going to see them again next week, so hopefully, we can take some games from them,” he said.

Bud Norris (5-13) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks in 5 1-3 innings for Houston after getting sent back to the team hotel Wednesday night because of flu-like symptoms. He’s 0-12 with a 6.34 ERA in 18 starts since May 21 but with a lot of hard luck, too. He’s had eight quality starts in his last 13 outings.

”I wasn’t very good all around,” Norris said. ”I gave it everything I had. It’s been a tough couple of days for me.”

The Cardinals topped 3 million in attendance for the ninth consecutive season and 16th time in franchise history with paid attendance of 34,788.

Craig also doubled and has three homers and 15 RBIs in 11 games against the Astros this year. He’s a career .412 hitter against the Astros with six homers and 24 RBIs in 20 games.

”He comes through in those big situations,” Matheny said. ”He can just flat hit, that’s all there is to it.”

Jason Motte finished for his 38th save in 45 chances and third of the series after the Astros tested the setup men.

Fernando Salas struck out Jose Altuve and pinch hitter Brett Wallace with the bases loaded to end the eighth after Mitchell Boggs and Marc Rzepczynski combined to issue three walks. Edward Mujica surrendered an RBI single to Brandon Barnes in the seventh.

The biggest worry going forward is overloading the bullpen. Motte has pitched in the last five games, and Boggs, the setup man, has worked in three straight since coming back from a minor back ailment.

”Hopefully I’ll feel pretty good tomorrow and I can get back out there,” Boggs said. ”It was just one of those days when they were being pretty patient.

”I certainly felt like I could have gotten a ground ball out of the next guy.”

Norris, who entered the game 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA in St. Louis, walked Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma with one out in the sixth and was lifted after throwing 111 pitches. Both scored easily on Beltran’s drive off Wesley Wright to the base of the wall in left-center.

Beltran was batting .296 with an NL-leading 65 RBIs at the All-Star break but is hitting just .229 with 24 RBIs since while dealing with a sore right knee and sore right hand. He’s begun to pick it up lately, going 9 for 19 during a six-game hitting streak.

”I’m fine, brother,” Beltran said. ”There’s no excuses. Right now, these days there’s not many ballplayers feeling 100 percent, so I’m good to go.”

Garcia is 2-5 with a 5.67 ERA in 10 road starts, but 3-2 with a 2.84 in eight home starts.

— Associated Press —

Lance Lynn learned a lot from his 18-day stint in the St. Louis bullpen.

Lynn, making his second start since an Aug. 25 demotion, tossed 6 1-3 innings and David Freese and Yadier Molina both hit their 20th home run of the season to lead the Cardinals to a 5-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals, who have won seven straight against Houston, moved two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the second wild card in the National League. Milwaukee is 2 1-2 games back.

St. Louis has won three straight for the first time since a four-game streak from Aug. 21-24.

The Cardinals have five players with at least 20 homers for the first time in franchise history. Carlos Beltran (29), Matt Holliday (27) and Allen Craig (21) already hit the milestone.

Lynn (16-7) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked two in a 102-pitch stint. It was his second successive strong effort since posting a 6.56 ERA in five August starts.

”I got away from what I was all about early on in the season,” Lynn said. ”I got off track, and tried to start nibbling and throwing breaking pitches.

”Now, I’m going right after hitters and it’s making all my stuff better.”

Lynn is 2-0 with 12 strikeouts, four walks and one earned run in 12 1-3 innings since his return.

Lynn, who leads a talented staff in wins, retired nine straight batters after Jose Altuve’s double to start the game. The All-Star was removed from the rotation after an Aug. 24 outing in which he gave up four earned in two innings at Cincinnati. He made six appearances in the bullpen before returning to the rotation last Thursday at Los Angeles. He gave up one run and five hits in six innings of a 2-1 win.

Manager Mike Matheny believes Lynn has returned to the rotation a smarter and more aggressive pitcher.

”He didn’t go down to the bullpen and sulk, he tried to make himself better,” Matheny said. ”I think he learned a lot about his demeanor. He shortened up his mechanics, really tightened everything up.”

Molina said Lynn was at his early season form. Lynn was 8-1 through the first two months of the season.

”He was outstanding, he was keeping the ball down and he was aggressive,” Molina said.

Freese hit a two-run homer off Lucas Harrell (10-10) in the second inning. Harrell, winless in six starts, gave up three runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

”They have some guys that can hit the ball and you just want to work hard and try and get through the game,” Harrell said.

Craig led off the second with a single to set the stage for Freese’s shot. The Cardinals are 16-3 when Freese homers.

Molina homered in the fourth with one out to push St. Louis’ lead to 3-0.

The 20 homers for Freese and Molina are both career highs.

”If you are a guy that’s trying to solidify himself, that’s the number that I think everybody else looks at,” Freese said of the 20-homer mark. ”It’s nice to get to that number. We’ve got a good number of guys that have 20 or more. It’s fun to be a part of.”

Molina was pleased to get to the magical plateau.

”I can’t lie, it’s feels so good,” he said.

Houston interim manager Tony DeFrancesco was impressed with Molina’s game-calling skills as well as his new-found power.

”He’s proven that he’s one of the best players in the game right now both offensively and defensively,” he said.

Jason Motte recorded his 37th save in 44 opportunities. Motte entered the game in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and one out, and ended it by striking out Chris Synder and Jimmy Paredes. Mitchell Boggs had struck out the side in the eighth on 12 pitches.

The Cardinals tacked on two runs in the eighth on successive hits by Jon Jay, Beltran and Holliday, and a sacrifice fly by Craig.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny believes Kyle Lohse belongs in the NL Cy Young conversation.

Helping the World Series champions get to the postseason will do for now.

The right-hander threw seven scoreless innings for his 15th victory and contributed an RBI double as the Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-1 Tuesday night to stay in front for the second NL wild card.

”He was in position to have many more wins than 15 right now,” Matheny said. ”He’s thriving on being that guy for us, to really set the bar for the rest of the starters.

”If we would have been able to hold some of the leads that he had, there’s no question he’d be right at the top of that mix,” Matheny added.

Fernando Abad (0-5) had a career-best six strikeouts in the Astros’ 100th loss. They’re 8-8 this month under interim manager Tony DeFrancesco and need nine wins in the final 14 games to avoid topping last season’s franchise-record 106 losses.

DeFrancesco is hindered by a roster filled with prospects.

”When I got the job it was already where it was at,” DeFrancesco said. ”We know what’s on the field. We know what direction the team is going, and we’re excited about our future.”

Excited about Wednesday, too.

”We know what’s on their mind over there, to get that second wild-card spot,” cleanup man Justin Maxwell said. ”If we can do our job and win games, we can definitely be the spoilers.”

Daniel Descalso got a key early RBI and Jon Jay had two hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, coming off a 2-5 trip. But they have a favorable upcoming schedule with the next eight against lowly Houston and Chicago. With 14 games to play, the defending World Series champions are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers, rained out at Washington, and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers.

Lohse (15-3) matched his season best for victories set in 2008 with St. Louis, on his fourth attempt while stranding two runners in the third and seventh. A .281 career hitter entering the season, he raised his average this year to .100 with his third RBI on a bouncer over drawn-in third baseman Matt Dominguez.

It was hit first extra-base hit since a double Sept. 19, 2011, at Philadelphia off Roy Halladay.

”That looked like a Hall of Fame swing, didn’t it?” Lohse joked. ”It says .100 up there and I’m just glad it’s there instead of lower.

”A positive thing is when it’s in the 80s it doesn’t go down much every time you make an out.”

Due for free agency after the season, Lohse leads the majors with a winning percentage of .833 and is among the National League leaders with a 2.71 ERA.

”It’s easy to just concentrate on what I’m doing,” Lohse said. ”I try to take that focus every fifth day. If I’m worried about numbers, what could have been, or … contracts, none of that matters to me.”

Abad allowed three runs in five innings, the longest of his five career starts – all this year – and is 1-10 with a 5.12 ERA in parts of three seasons with Houston. Brett Wallace had an RBI single off Mitchell Boggs in the eighth.

The Cardinals had four extra-base hits, three of them in succession with one out in the fifth. Pete Kozma tripled, Lohse doubled and Jay doubled to make it 3-0.

They missed a chance for more when Carlos Beltran struck out and Jay was thrown out at third. It was the second time one of St. Louis’ best hitters whiffed in the clutch and Astros catcher Jason Castro turned it into a double play. Matt Holliday struck out and Jay was thrown out at second to end the first.

Yadier Molina singled with one out in the second and scored on a two-out single by Descalso, who had been batting just .104 with runners in scoring position (8 for 77) on the year and was 1 for 16 on the trip. Descalso batted .294 with runners in scoring position as a rookie.

”We saw last year that guy can produce in those situations,” Matheny said. ”It’s just a matter of trusting himself, getting a couple to fall in for in for him and hopefully he goes on a tear.”

Jason Motte worked the ninth for his 36th save in 43 chances.

— Associated Press —