ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna hit a tiebreaking two-run single and Michael Wacha won his fourth straight start as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 9-1 on Wednesday night.

Jedd Gyorko added a two-run homer for St. Louis, which has won nine of 11.

Ozuna had just one hit in his previous 24 at-bats prior to a bases-loaded single to cap a three-run third inning that put the Cardinals in front to stay 3-1. Acquired from the Marlins on Dec. 14 for four prospects, the outfielder had struck out 23 times in his previous 20 games. He finished 1 for 4.

Wacha (4-1) gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He struck out eight and walked one. He is 4-0 with 2.78 ERA over his last four starts. His only loss this season came in a 6-2 setback to the Mets on March 31.

Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong had two hits each for the Cardinals, and Dexter Fowler drove in two runs.

Steven Matz (1-2) gave up seven runs, just three earned, over 3 1/3 innings. He surrendered five hits and fell to 0-3 with an 8.49 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.

The Mets have dropped six of 10 after an 11-1 start to the season.

St. Louis added four runs in the fourth on two hits and two errors. Wacha brought in Paul DeJong with a squeeze bunt. Dexter Fowler drew a bases-loaded walk for a 5-1 cushion.

Gyorko’s 100th career homer, in the fifth off Corey Oswalt, pushed the lead to 9-1.

Jay Bruce had given the Mets a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the third.

St. Louis outfielder Tommy Pham was removed in the third inning after suffering a head laceration before the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: LHP Jason Vargas will make his season debut on Saturday at San Diego. Vargas had been on the disabled list with a broken bone in his non-throwing hand suffered on March 17 when he tried to catch a line drive in a minor league game. He allowed three runs in four innings of a rehab appearance for Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter was given the night off. He is in an 0-for-6 skid. Carpenter is hitting .167 with two home runs, 10 RBI in 21 games. … RHP Sam Tuivailala begins a 30-day injury rehabilitation stint at Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. He has been out with a left knee strain suffered on April 9.

UP NEXT

Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard (2-0, 3.29) will face St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (2-1, 1.42) in the final game of the three-game series Thursday. The Mets are 5-0 in Syndergaard’s starts. Martinez has not allowed a run his last 18 innings.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning, Yoenis Cespedes launched a majestic, three-run shot and the New York Mets rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Bruce began the game batting .194 but broke out of his slump with three hits, including an RBI triple.

After his decisive drive to center field off Matt Bowman (0-1), the Cardinals claimed he missed first base and challenged. A 56-second replay review confirmed Bruce touched the bag, and the NL East-leading Mets (15-6) closed it out for their 10th comeback victory of the season.

“It feels good to help the ballclub a little bit,” Bruce said.

Cespedes’ homer off starter Luke Weaver tied it 4-all in the fifth. The drive traveled an estimated 463 feet to left field, the third-longest by an opposing player in the history of Busch Stadium III.

Bruce’s eighth-inning single sent Todd Frazier from first to third before Adrian Gonzalez tied it at 5 with a sacrifice fly.

Mets starter Zack Wheeler lasted a season-low four innings and gave up four runs. Former ace Matt Harvey gave up a run over two innings in his first relief appearance since being demoted to the bullpen.

Back-to-back doubles by Dexter Fowler and Paul DeJong off Harvey with two outs in the fifth gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead.

Robert Gsellman (3-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win, and Jeurys Familia earned his ninth save.

Bruce’s sinking line drive got by left fielder Marcell Ozuna in the second for an RBI triple. It was Bruce’s first triple in 174 games with the Mets.

Weaver lasted 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four runs and walked a career-high six as St. Louis had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Tommy Pham drove Wheeler’s 95 mph fastball 420 feet to center for a home run that gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Kolten Wong doubled in a run and scored on Weaver’s single in the fourth to make it 4-1. Weaver’s single was the first time the Mets allowed an opposing pitcher to reach safely in 42 plate appearances this season.

WEB GEM

Wong made a diving play at second on Gonzalez’s grounder and threw him out from his knees for the first out in the second. Wong was playing in with Bruce at third. The play saved a run and Weaver was able to strand Bruce at third.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: LHP Jason Vargas (broken right hand) started Monday for Triple-A Las Vegas and allowed three runs over four innings. He is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday in San Diego.

Cardinals: RHP Sam Tuivailala and LHP Ryan Sherriff have reported to Triple-A Memphis for rehab assignments. Tuivailala is scheduled to throw Wednesday and Sherriff will throw later this week.

UP NEXT

Mets LHP Steven Matz (1-1, 4.42 ERA) seeks his first win against St. Louis in the middle game of the series Wednesday night. Matz is 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals. They counter with RHP Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.22), who has won his last three starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — For Miles Mikolas, throwing strikes translates to success — no matter where he’s pitching.

Mikolas, who spent the last three seasons in the Japanese Central League, tossed seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals completed their second sweep this season of the woeful Cincinnati Reds with a 9-2 victory on Sunday.

“I had great command over there,” Mikolas said of his stint with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. “Pitching is pitching. You throw strikes and good things will happen.”

The Cardinals have won eight of nine overall and 11 in a row over the Reds.

Cincinnati, which has lost five in a row and 13 of 14, has the worst record in the majors at 3-18. The Reds are 0-3 — all against the Cardinals — since firing manager Bryan Price and replacing him with Jim Riggleman.

St. Louis took four games last week in Cincinnati. The Cardinals’ 11-game winning streak over the Reds is their longest since winning 11 straight in 1949.

Mikolas (3-0) gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter in what he called his best outing since returning to the majors.

“His stuff just continues to get better in our eyes,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s had that history of being able to be in the strike zone and that makes him efficient.”

Catcher Yadier Molina, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, said Mikolas made his job easy.

“Everything was working,” Molina said. “I feel confident with him. I can call any pitch and he can throw it for strikes.”

Wong hit a solo homer in the second inning. DeJong added a three-run shot in the seventh. DeJong is tied for second in the NL with seven home runs.

Wong’s homer came off Luis Castillo (1-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked four.

“At the beginning of the first inning, I knew my command was not good enough,” Castillo said. “When that happens, you’ve got to go out there and compete. And that’s what I did for the rest of the game.”

The Cardinals added two runs in the third on a run-scoring infield single by Dexter Fowler, who reached base five times, and Tyler O’Neill’s sacrifice fly. It was O’Neill’s first major league RBI.

DeJong pushed the lead to 6-2 with his homer in the seventh off Kevin Quackenbush. He also hit a two-run homer in Saturday’s win.

“This series, I felt a lot more relaxed out there,” DeJong said. “The last couple of weeks, I faced some pretty good pitches.”

The Reds scored twice in the sixth. Joey Votto’s RBI infield single trimmed the deficit to 3-2.

“I can promise you this, hitters, whether the results show or not, are giving you 100 percent when they step into the batter’s box,” Riggleman said. “Their focus is going to be there. It’s just not happening right now.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP David Hernandez will likely make his second rehab appearance on Monday for Triple-A Louisville. Hernandez has been bothered by right shoulder inflammation.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday with right elbow inflammation. RHP John Brebbia was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Brebbia made two appearances earlier in the season and did not allow a run in two innings. … OF Tommy Pham missed his third game in four days with a right groin strain. He is day-to-day.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Sal Romero (0-2, 5.75 ERA) will face RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-1, 2.53) on Monday in the first of a four-game home series against Atlanta. Romero will be making his fifth start of the season.

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (2-1, 4.22) is slated to start the first of three-game series against the Mets on Tuesday. RHP Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.77) will start for the Mets.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Hicks didn’t get jammed up.

The rookie St. Louis reliever got Scooter Gennett to ground into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded, and the Cardinals held off the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Saturday.

“I just tried to stay calm and just throw every pitch to the best of my ability and just try to give my team the best chance to win,” Hicks said. “I just go out there with full confidence and do what you know how to do, what you’ve been doing your whole life.”

Star catcher Yadier Molina hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning as the Cardinals won for the seventh time in their past eight games, including six against the Reds. The Reds dropped their fourth straight, and second under interim manager Jim Riggleman, and fell to 3-17 this season.

St. Louis has won 10 in a row from the Reds dating to last season, matching its longest streak against them since 1949, when the Cardinals won 11 straight.

Hicks (1-0) recorded the final seven outs for his first career victory.

“Amazing,” Molina said of the hard-throwing Hicks. “This kid has the talent to pitch late in the game. Obviously when you throw 102 (miles per hour), you don’t have to be afraid of anything. He’s a great kid and great job for him tonight.”

Jared Hughes (0-2) gave up Molina’s sixth homer, a solo drive. The one-out shot gave Molina his 800th career RBI.

“I totally missed my spot right there,” Hughes said. “I left it up and in the middle. It was not the pitch I wanted. He doesn’t miss mistakes. He did a good job of hitting the heck out of it.”

Cincinnati scored three times in the seventh to tie it. The Reds strung together four singles and a walk in the seventh, with Gennett’s two-run hit making it 3-all. Hicks used one pitch to get Cliff Pennington to fly out, ending the inning with runners at the corners.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez pitched six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven. He was pulled after 91 pitches and exited with an 18-inning scoreless streak, leaving with a 1.42 ERA.

Home runs by Paul DeJong and Dexter Fowler helped the Cardinals build a 3-0 lead through six.

Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, striking four and walking two.

“I honestly wasn’t very sharp today,” Bailey said. “I did some things that I wasn’t very happy with today. We tried to hold them the best we could. Defensively we did a good job and the offense started coming through there at the end. It was just kind of one of those days where you had to fight back and forth.

“That’s something that shouldn’t be necessarily commented on. It should just be a regular thing that you do every day. Maybe it’s a step in the right direction. But, the overall picture is we still need to do more,” he said.

DeJong hit his sixth home run in the second. Fowler’s third homer opened the sixth for the Cardinals.

BRINGING THE LEATHER

Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong sprinted into right field and had to make a full extension of his glove arm to pull in a flare from Reds OF Adam Duvall in the sixth. Wong then tossed the ball to 1B Jose Martinez to double off Gennett, who had already rounded second base.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP David Hernandez began his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Friday. He pitched 1/3 of an inning, giving up three hits, four earned runs and striking out one while throwing 19 pitches. He is recovering from right shoulder inflammation.

Cardinals: OF Tommy Pham was held out of the starting lineup because of flu-like symptoms and also to provide another day off to rest a sore groin. Manager Mike Matheny said Pham was available off the bench, but he did not get into the game.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Luis Castillo (1-2, 6.75) starts the final game of a three-game set in St. Louis against Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (2-0, 4.26). Castillo earned the victory in his first appearance this season, but lasted just five innings in his last two starts in which he took the loss both times. Mikolas will go for his first victory at Busch Stadium since joining the Cardinals in the offseason. He got a no-decision in his only home start this year, a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Wacha kept up his strong pitching against Cincinnati, Yadier Molina hit two-run double in the first inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals won 4-2 Friday night to spoil Jim Riggleman’s debut as Reds interim manager.

Riggleman replaced Bryan Price, who was fired Thursday after Cincinnati lost 15 of its first 18 games.

Wacha (3-1) gave up one run and six hits in 6 2/3 innings, his longest outing of the year, to improve to 10-1 in his career against the Reds.

Jose Martinez had three hits and an RBI, raising his batting average to .358 this season. He has eight RBI over his last seven games. Tommy Pham scored twice.

Bud Norris picked up his fifth save in five chances despite allowing a two-out RBI single to Alex Blandino, helping the Cardinals won for the sixth time in seven games.

Brandon Finnegan (0-2) lost for the second time in two starts against the Cardinals this year. Finnegan came off the disabled list (left biceps strain) April 14th. He allowed five hits and four runs while walking four over three innings.

The Reds have lost 11 of their last 12.

Pham, who scored on Molina’s bases-loaded double in the first, walked in the second and scored on Martinez’s double to make it 4-0.

Tommy Pham scored for the second time in two innings. Following a walk, he scored on a two-out double by Jose Martinez to pad the Cardinals early lead to 4-0.

The Reds’ only damage against Wacha came in the third as Billy Hamilton scored on Jose Peraza’s sacrifice fly. It was Cincinnati’s first run since the eighth inning against Milwaukee on Monday, ending a 21-inning scoreless streak. Last season the Reds season-high scoreless streak was 20 innings.

FOURTH TIME’S A CHARM

The Reds appointment of Riggleman as interim manager marks the fourth time in his career that he has held this position. He previously was named interim manager in San Diego, Seattle and Washington. He was promoted to manager everywhere but Seattle. Riggleman also managed the Chicago Cubs (1995-1998) and managed in the Cardinals’ minor league system (1982-’88).

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: OF Scott Schebler was activated from the 10-day disabled list and LHP Cody Reed (0-0, four appearances) was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Schebler was on the DL with a right ulnar nerve contusion.

Cardinals: RHP Sam Tuivailala threw a bullpen session Friday and St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Tuivailala will begin an official rehabilitation assignment the middle of next week. Tuivailala was placed on the DL with a left knee strain.

UP NEXT:

Reds RHP Homer Bailey (0-3, 3.42) will face Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (2-1, 1.75) in the second of a three-game series on Saturday. Martinez is 7-3 in his career against Cincinnati and the Cardinals have won seven of his last nine starts against the Reds, including last Sunday’s 3-2 win in Cincinnati. Bailey is still looking for his first win in five starts. He is 6-14 in his career against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —