SAN DIEGO (AP) — Carlos Martinez was having no problem hitting 98 and 99 mph with his fastball in the eighth and ninth innings.

It was a message, all right.

“I think he was trying to show us he was still OK,” manager Mike Matheny said after Martinez threw a three-hitter and struck out 10 to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 victory Monday over the San Diego Padres.

“He did it in the eighth, too. That was for me, I think, just to show me he wasn’t tired,” Matheny said. “Believe me, I was cheering him on. I always am. It was set up for Carlos. He did a great job finishing it.”

The right-hander was remarkably efficient, allowing only three singles and three walks while throwing 109 pitches. The Padres didn’t get a runner into scoring position the whole game and never had two runners on in any inning.

Catcher Yadier Molina fielded Cory Spangenberg’s soft grounder and threw him out to end the game, and then wrapped Martinez in a big hug. Molina hit a two-run, bases-loaded single in the fourth.

Martinez smiled when asked about still throwing hard in the final innings.

“In the eighth inning he asked if I was tired and I said, `No, I’m going to finish my game,’ `’ he said through a translator. “That was my way of showing I’m not tired.’ `’

It was the second career shutout and complete game for Martinez (11-10). He got his first of each on June 10 when he threw a four-hitter and struck out 11 in a 7-0 victory against Philadelphia. He also pitched nine scoreless innings against San Francisco on May 20 in a game the Cardinals lost 3-1 in the 13th.

Martinez earned a big hug from Molina after the catcher threw out Cory Spangenberg to end the game.

Martinez said he’s motivated by going deep into games.

“Complete games, or games where I’m really effective, I need that mentally to use that for my benefit,” he said. “It shows me what I’m capable of and what kind of season I want to have and what I aspire to do.”

The Cardinals remained three games behind Colorado in the race for the NL’s second wild card.

“We just couldn’t get anything going against Carlos Martinez today,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “I thought he was really, really good. His slider was really good. Stuff was coming out great. Probably just not enough battle at-bats against him.”

Luis Perdomo (7-9) pitched well except for the fourth, when the first four Cardinals reached base. Tommy Pham singled, Paul DeJong walked and Jose Martinez singled to load the bases. Molina hit a fly ball to left-center field that bounced off the glove of left fielder Jose Pirela after a long run.

Green said it was a tough play.

“It’s a play I think he thinks he should make,” the manager said. “It wasn’t by any means an easy catch. He ran a really long way. He kind of opened that gap with Yadi. He kind of hit it right in the perfect spot.”

Perdomo allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out six and walked three.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 3B Matt Carpenter left in the fifth inning with right shoulder tendinitis. Matheny said it’s been a lingering problem. … Pham left in the seventh with a sore right shoulder. He was hurt sliding headfirst while stealing second in the fourth inning. He was checked by a trainer and stayed in the game in left field.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (10-7, 4.20) is scheduled to start Tuesday night’s game. He’s 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against San Diego.

Padres: LHP Travis Wood (3-4, 5.47) is 6-6 with a 5.37 ERA in 31 career games, including 18 starts, against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Even with star players resting or nursing minor injuries and manager Mike Matheny’s mixing and matching, the St. Louis Cardinals keep slugging and are never content with a late lead.

And they’re right in playoff contention at the start of September.

Harrison Bader hit a tiebreaking homer in the decisive sixth inning after Madison Bumgarner homered in the bottom of the fifth, and the Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 7-3 on Sunday to gain ground again in the wild-card race.

“It’s big, especially against Madison,” Jose Martinez said. “We went out there trying to do our job and get good at-bats from the first inning. It worked for us, he made a couple mistakes and we took advantage of those.”

Paul DeJong hit a solo homer in the fourth for the first St. Louis hit and Martinez followed with a drive to nearly the same spot over the left-field fence. It was the seventh time the Cardinals hit consecutive homers this year.

Luke Weaver (4-1) struck out nine over seven innings to just miss a third straight start with double-digit Ks, helping St. Louis move within three games of Colorado in the race for the NL’s second wild card.

Bumgarner (3-7) hit a solo drive in the fifth for his third homer of the year. It was his first time clearing the fences since he went deep twice on opening day April 2 at Arizona. He missed nearly three months following an April 20 dirt bike accident.

Martinez and Yadier Molina added consecutive RBI doubles in the decisive sixth, and Martinez hit another run-scoring double in the seventh and Bader singled home a run.

Bumgarner retired his first 11 batters before DeJong’s 21st homer. The 2014 World Series MVP, who was scratched Thursday night with the flu, allowed five runs and five hits in six innings.

“I didn’t give us a chance to win today, I let that game to get away from me,” said Bumgarner, who matched his career high with three homers surrendered. “I can’t let that happen.”

Center fielder Gorkys Hernandez made a sensational play in Bumgarner’s six-pitch first inning, leaping high over the wall in left-center to snag Tommy Pham’s deep fly for the second out.

“That’s one of the best catches we’ve seen all year,” Matheny said.

Bumgarner became the first pitcher to hit at least three homers in four straight seasons since Earl Wilson accomplished the feat in five consecutive years from 1964-68, according to STATS, LLC.

The Giants dropped their first series at home in the last seven, having won or split six in a row.

MATHENY ON CONCUSSIONS

Matheny, who finished his 13-year big league catching career with the Giants in 2006, appreciates the greater awareness and care when it comes to concussions.

He said medical personnel he worked with estimate his total at 25 to 30 documented concussions — and he figures it’s higher given how many he had in the minors while taking foul tips and being run over blocking the plate.

“I think one season I got flattened seven times,” the 46-year-old Matheny recalled. “That was just the way we were taught the game is you lay in front of the plate. … I had one player in particular got me three times, a college football player.”

Matheny isn’t sure he would have had the same career or even reached the majors if he didn’t play that way.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Dexter Fowler was held out after his hip tightened up after he slammed into a base hard Saturday. He was set to be re-evaluated Monday. … 1B Matt Carpenter sat out his second straight game in a planned break for rest. “We’re trying to get him right, we’re going to need him right,” Matheny said. … LF Pham returned after missing two games with a bruised thumb he hurt sliding into second Thursday night.

Giants: As the time passes that 1B Brandon Belt continues to deal with a concussion and if it becomes another couple of weeks, manager Bruce Bochy said it could “be doubtful he’d play this year.” … With LF Jarrett Parker out injured, the Giants brought Mac Williamson a bit sooner than planned to be the primary left fielder in the coming week. The Giants hope Parker’s mild left side strain will heal in time for him to return during next weekend’s series against the White Sox in Chicago.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (10-10, 3.52 ERA) is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in seven outings and four career starts against San Diego, where he will pitch Monday.

Giants: RHP Chris Stratton (2-3, 3.82 ERA) is scheduled to make his sixth major league start Monday at Colorado. He took the loss in an 11-0 defeat Aug. 27 at Arizona despite 10 strikeouts and two earned runs allowed over six innings.

— Associated Press —

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nick Hundley made the most of a summer heat wave with one big swing.

Hundley hit a game-ending homer in the 10th inning, and the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Saturday despite a stellar pitching performance from Lance Lynn.

“Good thing it was a warm day,” Hundley said. “I think earlier in the year it was windy and cold, maybe it doesn’t go out. I’m not complaining about that.”

The game-time temperature of 95 degrees was the third highest at AT&T Park and just the sixth that topped 90 degrees. Hundley led off the 10th with an opposite-field drive to right on a 1-0 slider from Ryan Sherriff (0-1) for his sixth homer of the season.

“He’s got good power,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “When he hit it, I thought it was going out. I’ve seen him do it before.”

The Cardinals were trying for their third straight win, but they wasted a terrific performance by Lynn and a prime scoring opportunity in the 10th. Dexter Fowler led off with a triple against Sam Dyson (2-2), but third baseman Pablo Sandoval cut down pinch runner Harrison Bader at the plate on Stephen Piscotty’s one-out grounder.

“That was the contact play,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “With less than two outs, ideally, you’d check down and get in a rundown and allow the batter to get to second.”

Lynn struck out four and walked four while pitching eight shutout innings of one-hit ball. The right-hander pitched eight or more scoreless innings for the first time since June 23, 2014, against the Rockies in Colorado.

“I don’t think he threw a ball over the middle of the plate,” Hundley said. “He was throwing fastballs on both sides of the plate, made it really tough.”

The Giants never got a runner to third base while Lynn was in the game.

“They weren’t going to let me go out there (in the ninth) but I started developing a blister and the last two innings I felt the effects,” Lynn said. “I’m lucky to get through eight. It was a good, well-pitched game. It just didn’t go our way.”

Buster Posey’s one-out single in the ninth off Seung Hwan Oh scored Hunter Pence with the tying run. It was Oh’s fourth blown save in 24 tries.

Pence opened the inning with a pinch-hit single and advanced to second on Joe Panik’s sacrifice against Tyler Lyons, who started the inning.

San Francisco right-hander Jeff Samardzija struck out nine and gave up one run in seven innings in his second straight strong start. The 32-year-old right-hander tossed a shutout in his previous outing against the San Diego Padres.

HEAT WAVE

It was the first time temperatures of 90 degrees or higher were announced on consecutive days at AT&T Park. Friday night’s game-time temperature was 93 degrees, the hottest announced temperature in a game that started after 7 p.m. at the ballpark.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LF Tommy Pham as out of lineup for a second straight day with a bruised thumb. Pham got hurt sliding into second on Thursday.

Giants: Samardzija started Saturday’s game instead of RHP Chris Stratton, who was scratched because he warmed up in the bullpen when Friday’s game was tied in the late innings. Stratton is expected to pitch next week in Colorado, probably on Monday, Bochy said. … Rookie OF Austin Slater, who is coming back from a left groin strain, was scheduled to play his second rehab game on Saturday with Triple-A Sacramento. . An MRI revealed a left oblique strain for OF Jarret Parker. He won’t play until after the Giants’ three-game series against the Rockies next week, Bochy said.

UP NEXT

Right-hander Luke Weaver (3-1, 2.48 ERA) will pitch Sunday’s series finale for St. Louis. The 24-year-old rookie has struck out 10 in each of his last two starts and has won his last three decisions. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner (3-6, 2.85 ERA) will face the Cardinals for the first time since Game 5 of the 2014 NL Championship Series. Bumgarner was supposed to pitch Thursday’s series opener but was a late scratch with flu symptoms.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pitcher Corey Knebel told center fielder Keon Broxton he owes him big time.

For good reason.

Domingo Santana and Jonathan Villar homered in the sixth inning, and Broxton made a leaping catch over the wall for the final out in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

Knebel pitched the ninth for his 30th save. He allowed a leadoff single to Yadier Molina, struck out the next two batters, and then watched Broxton snag Randal Grichuk’s deep blast to end the game.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the best one I’ve ever made, but it’s definitely one of the most important ones I’ve made,” Broxton said. “It’s huge. It’s everything. It’s what every outfielder dreams of: making a catch like that in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win. It was a lot of fun, for sure.”

Broxton replaced starting center fielder Hernan Perez with one out in the eighth as part of a double switch.

“I’m glad he was in there, for sure,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “Although Hernan Perez says he would’ve made the play.”

Chase Anderson (8-3) gave up two hits — both homers — in six innings, three earned runs, struck out six and walked two to improve to 4-0 in nine starts at Miller Park this season.

Santana hit his 22nd homer of the season and Villar’s was his 10th, giving Milwaukee a franchise-record nine players with at least 10 homers in a season.

St. Louis fell 2 1/2 games behind the second-place Brewers in the NL Central despite two home runs from Tommy Pham, who has 19 on the season.

Carlos Martinez (10-10), who entered the game 3-0 in his past four starts, allowed 10 hits, six runs — three earned — and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee won for the 10th time in its past 15 games by scoring three times in the sixth. Santana led off with an opposite-field homer to right, Stephen Vogt reached when his ground ball went through the legs of third baseman Matt Carpenter and Villar followed with another opposite-field shot to left for a 6-3 lead.

Grichuk hit his 17th homer in the fifth and St. Louis manager Mike Matheny thought he had another in the ninth.

“It was a good play, a good at-bat, too,” Matheny said. “Off the bat, I thought that ball was far enough, but he made a great play out there.”

LEAKE TRADED

Before the game, St. Louis sent starting pitcher Mike Leake to the Seattle Mariners for minor-league infielder Rayder Ascanio.

The 29-year-old Leake, who signed a five-year deal with St. Louis before the 2016 season, waived the no-trade clause in his contract.

He was 7-12 with a 4.21 ERA this season, but lost 10 of his previous 12 decisions after getting off to a 5-2 start.

Leake was scheduled to pitch at San Francisco on Friday, but it appears the Cardinals will bring up a prospect from Triple-A Memphis to take his place.

BASERUNNING GAFFES

Milwaukee not only had a runner thrown out at home and third base in the fourth inning, one of the racing sausages at Miller Park fell during the contest in the middle of the sixth.

STATS

St. Louis hit three home runs in a game in which it totaled five or fewer hits for the first time since April 8, 2004, also against Milwaukee.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (9-7) takes a three-game losing streak into his start at San Francisco.

Brewers: RHP Zach Davies (15-7) is 8-3 in his past 12 starts and has not allowed a run in the past 13 2/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Molina played after he was a late scratch Tuesday because of right lower abdominal soreness.

Brewers: Manny Pina did not play because of an apparent leg injury he sustained in the fourth inning Tuesday that forced him to leave the game.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Matt Carpenter rounded the bases after his two-run shot, looked up and pointed two fingers toward the night sky as he touched the plate.

It was a rather meaningless homer in terms of the game, extending a big lead for the St. Louis Cardinals in what ended up being a 10-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

It meant so much more for what it would cost Carpenter. The Galveston, Texas native followed through in his first game after pledging $10,000 for every home run that he hit the rest of the season to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

“I was kind of nervous about the expectations,” Carpenter said. “To be able to do it the first night, get one out of the way and see that money go for a good cause, I’m glad I was able to do that.”

Teammate Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals organization also have pledged to match Carpenter’s long-ball donations for hurricane relief efforts. So that fifth-inning drive off a 1-1 pitch from Carlos Torres meant a total pledge of $30,000 to aid flood victims.

“Happy to see him write that check. Hope he keeps doing it every night,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

St. Louis chased Matt Garza (6-8) with one out in the fourth. The right-hander walked five and allowed six runs, though only three were earned after the Brewers committed two errors in the third.

“The third inning we could have minimized that damage, but obviously defensively not getting those outs gave them some extra chances,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

The loss dropped the second-place Brewers to 3 1/2 games back of the NL Central-leading Cubs, who won on Tuesday. The Cardinals remained in third, five games back of Chicago.

STARTING TIME

Cardinals: Luke Weaver (3-1) gave up a solo homer to Eric Thames in the bottom of the third. The 24 year-old right-hander otherwise had another solid outing against the Brewers, striking out 10 while allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Weaver has a 3.00 ERA in four career starts versus Milwaukee, with 36 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Brewers: Garza’s ERA in August climbed to 7.67, and he walked five for the second time in four starts. Asked if Garza would take his next scheduled start on Sunday, Counsell said: “Right now that is what we are doing, yeah.”

Teams can expand rosters starting Friday, so it’s possible Milwaukee could turn to a minor league call-up as well.

SAFE AND SOUND

Matheny said his sons were safe after their apartments were flooded in San Jacinto, Texas. Jake and Luke Matheny transferred to San Jacinto College this month to play baseball. Mike Matheny said his sons had just moved into their off-campus apartments in San Jacinto, which is a suburb of Houston, about a week before Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast. The Cardinals skipper said they have been staying the last few days with teammates living in a third-floor apartment.

QUOTABLE

“There’s no such thing as a non-big series or a non-big game. … You can’t force your way to good games. That’s just the way it goes sometimes, and you move on to tomorrow.” — outfielder Ryan Braun on losing to the Cardinals after the Brewers took two of three games on the road against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was a late scratch because of right lower abdominal soreness. “I didn’t know anything about it but it didn’t seem like he was too worried about it. We’ll see how he shows up tomorrow morning,” Matheny said.

Brewers: C Andrew Susac (upper back) and LHP Brent Suter (rotator cuff) are expected to come off the 10-day disabled list when rosters expand to 40 players on Friday. Both players are scheduled to make rehab appearances this week at Class A Wisconsin. … C Manny Pina left after the top of the fourth after scrambling for a pitch that got away in the dirt. He said it felt like he had been pinched in the hip when he went down to block the ball.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Right-handed ace Carlos Martinez (10-9) takes the mound needing nine strikeouts to match his career-high 184 from 2015.

Brewers: Chase Anderson (7-3) looks for his first win in seven career starts against St. Louis. He is 0-2 with a 2.70 ERA versus the Cardinals, including no-decisions in two starts this season.

— Associated Press —