MLB Winter Meetings: Cardinals acquire Marcell Osuna from Marlins

The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly completed a trade for Miami's Marcell Ozuna. Craig Mish of SiriusXM and Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com have each reported that the deal is done, pending a physical. 

Ozuna, 27, is coming off an excellent 2017 in which he slashed .312/.376/.548 (145 OPS+) with 37 home runs in 159 games.

The Marlins will acquire prospect pitcher Sandy Alcantara, made eight relief appearances for the Cardinals last season.

Longoria talks with Rays and Mikolas signing show Cardinals are making splashes

The St. Louis Cardinals have been in contact with the Tampa Bay Rays about closer Alex Colome, "those talks could shift or expand to include third baseman Evan Longoria," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday, citing an unidentified source.

The Rays are also reportedly looking to trim payroll, and Longoria, a Gold Glove winner, is due $86 million through 2022, $94 million if an option is exercised for 2023. Less than two weeks into the coming season Longoria, 32, would achieve “10/5” no-trade rights after 10 years of service time, including the past five with one team.

The Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants continue to await word on Giancarlo Stanton’s decision and whether he would waive his no-trade rights from Miami to accept to go to a new oganization. Both teams met with Stanton and his representatives last week in Los Angeles.

The Cardinals signed pitcher Miles Mikolas to a two-year contract Tuesday that will guarantee the righthanded starter $15.5 million. A native of Jupiter, Fla., who came to Cardinals spring training games as a boy, Mikolas, 29, returns to the majors for the first time since 2014 and after three great seasons in Japan’s top league. He went 14-8 this past season for Yomiuri with a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts for every walk.

“Our scouts have watched him as he refined his repertoire, improved his velocity and became one of the most effective pitchers in Japan the last couple (of) seasons,” wrote general manager Michael Girsch in an email.

The Cardinals are coming off their worst season in a decade, going 83-79 They finished a distant third in the NL Central.

Cardinals sign free-agent pitcher Mikolas to two-year deal

The St. Louis Cardinals have signed free-agent RHP Miles Mikolas to a two-year contract in the $14M to $16M range, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday.

Mikolas, returning to majors in this deal, was one of top pitchers in Japan last season. He had a 2.18 ERA in 62 starts for the Yomiuri Giants from 2015-17. He is another addition to a deep Cardinals rotation.

Though he cracked the big leagues at age 23, he had a 5.32 ERA and 1.430 WHIP in 37 appearances between 2012 and 2014 before his success in Japan.

Jose Martinez Named National League Rookie of the Month

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder/first baseman José Martínez has been voted National League Rookie of the Month for September. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

Martinez posted a slash line of .345/.427/.548 with 12 runs scored, 29 hits, five doubles, four home runs, 18 RBI and 12 walks to earn his first career monthly award. Among qualified NL rookie sluggers with at least 20 at-bats, Martínez finished the month first in on-base percentage; second in batting average; third in hits; tied for third in RBI; fourth in walks; tied for fourth in doubles and slugging percentage; and tied for fifth in home runs and stolen bases. This is the Cardinals' second Rookie of the Month Award this season, following José's teammate Paul DeJong, who took home rookie honors in July.

On September 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium, Martínez notched his third multi-hit game of the month to go along with a pair of RBI. Dating back to August 30th, the 29-year-old posted a career-best 10-game hitting streak to lead the Cardinals to a 7-3 record. During his torrid stretch, the La Guaira, Venezuela native slashed .484/.529/.871 with nine runs scored, 15 hits, three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI. Included in his hot stretch at the plate was his second multi- homer game of the season (also June 13th) on September 5th against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. In addition, the right- handed-hitting slugger tallied 72 hits over the course of his first 100 career games played, the most by a Cardinals hitter with 80-or-fewer plate appearances since Matt Adams (74) in 2012-13. Martínez finished his breakout season with a .309/.379/.518 slash line to go along with 47 runs scored, 13 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBI and four stolen bases.

Others receiving votes for NL Rookie of the Month included José's aforementioned teammate DeJong (.272, 16 R, 13 XBH, 13 RBI); backstop Jorge Alfaro (.290, 4 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI), first baseman/outfielder Rhys Hoskins (17 R, 5 2B, 7 HR, 23 RBI) and outfielder Nick Williams (.303, 13 R, 7 XBH, 22 RBI) of the Philadelphia Phillies; infielder Ozzie Albies (.297, 16 R, 7 XBH, 15 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves; third baseman Christian Villanueva (.344, 11 H, 4 HR, 7 RBI) of the San Diego Padres; and outfielder Victor Robles (.261, 6 H, 3 XBH, 4 RBI) of the Washington Nationals.

In recognition of their Rookie of the Month Awards, José Martínez and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees will each receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, for their accomplishments.

Pirates hit Cardinals with 8-run first in 11-6 win

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates used an eight-run first inning Saturday night to put a dent in the St. Louis Cardinals' push for a playoff spot with an 11-6 win at PNC Park.

St. Louis (81-73), which had its winning streak stopped at four, missed a chance to move into second place in the National League Central. The Cardinals trail the Milwaukee Brewers by a half-game and the first-place Chicago Cubs by five.

The Cardinals were 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot entering the day pending the Colorado outcome later Saturday.

Jordy Mercer was 3-for-3 with four RBIs, David Freese had three RBIs and Starling Marte added two RBIs for Pittsburgh (70-85), which is reduced to a spoiler role.

The eight-run first, when Pittsburgh sent 12 players to the plate and took an 8-2 lead, was highlighted by Mercer's two-run triple, Marte's RBI triple, Freese's leadoff double and four singles.

St. Louis starter Lance Lynn (11-8) was charged with all eight runs, six that crossed the plate while he was on the mound and two that Josh Lucas inherited.

Lynn's pitching line was like something from a nightmare -- eight runs and six hits with two walks and a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning. He has one win in his past nine starts.

Pittsburgh bumped its lead to 10-3 through five innings before St. Louis scored three in the sixth -- including tying a major league record by using six pinch hitters in the inning -- to close to 10-6.

Freese added an RBI double in the eighth to make it 11-6.

Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole (12-11) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts to break an 0-3 streak at home. He had gotten just five runs of support in his previous five starts, totaling 32 innings, but had plenty Saturday.

St. Louis' first inning looked promising with Tommy Pham hitting his 22nd homer, a two-run shot to dead center, but that was dwarfed by what the Pirates did in the bottom of the inning.

Pittsburgh's key hit that inning came from Mercer. He stepped to the plate with a 3-2 lead, the bases loaded and one out. He looped the ball into shallow center, where Dexter Fowler raced in and dived forward but missed, letting the ball get behind him.

It appeared that Mercer might have a shot at an inside-the-park homer, but he had to hold up at third with a still-impressive bases-clearing triple.

The Cardinals made it 8-3 on Pham's RBI double in the third, but Pittsburgh answered in the bottom of the third against Adam Wainwright when Marte's sacrifice fly made it 9-3.

The Pirates reached double figures in the fifth on Mercer's RBI double, making it 10-3.

NOTES: St. Louis 1B Jose Martinez, who left Friday in the seventh because of a sprained left thumb, had tests in St. Louis that showed no serious damage, manager Mike Matheny said. ... Matt Carpenter moved from 3B to 1B for the Cardinals, with Jedd Gyorko returning to his normal spot at 3B. ... Pittsburgh OF Jordan Luplow was named the organization's minor league player of the year and LHP Steven Brault the minor league pitcher of the year.

Padres shut out Cardinals 3-0

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- Lance Lynn and Clayton Richard have been friendly rivals since the 2003 Indiana state high school championships.

Richard pitched for state champion McCutcheon High of Lafayette. Lynn pitched for runner-up Brownsburg.

"It's always interesting to come across another Indiana native in the major leagues," Richard said Thursday night after he started the Padres to a four-pitcher, 11-hit, 3-0 shutout win over Lynn and the Cardinals at Petco Park.

Richard (7-13) allowed five hits over six innings and departed with a 1-0 lead. He walked one and struck out five. Craig Stammen, Kirby Yates and Brad Hand pitched one inning apiece to close out the win.

Lynn (10-7) allowed one run -- produced on three first-inning infield hits -- over six innings. He gave up six hits and three walks while fanning three.

Padres first baseman Wil Myers hit a two-run homer off Cardinals reliever Seung Hwan Oh in the seventh inning for the final margin.

However, the Cardinals went down swinging. They had six singles against the Padres' bullpen in the last three innings but couldn't score. St. Louis produced 12 baserunners in the game. Two were erased by double plays turned behind Richard. The other 10 were stranded, five while in scoring position.

Hand picked up his 16th save by striking out Dexter Fowler with the bases loaded to end the game. Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk hit back-to-back singles with one out in the ninth. After Hand struck out pinch hitter Luke Voit, pinch hitter Carson Kelly singled sharply to left to load the bases.

"I think every one of our guys thought we were going to pull it off right there," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Then Hand whiffed Fowler.

While the Padres pitchers worked out of numerous jams -- the Cardinals were retired in order only once -- Lynn was the victim of some terrible luck in the first ... as well as a lack of support for a second straight start.

Through six innings, the only difference between the Hoosier starters was the first-inning run San Diego scored without getting the ball out of the infield.

Manuel Margot opened the game with a topper between the mound and third that Cardinals third baseman Alex Mejia couldn't cleanly field. Margot stole second and moved to third on Carlos Asuaje's sacrifice bunt.

Jose Pirela then topped another roller toward Mejia. Margot raced home as Pirela reached first with a single and advanced to second on Mejia's throwing error. After Yangervis Solarte flied out, Myers reached on the inning's third infield single. Cory Spangenberg walked to load the bases before Lynn got the final out on a comebacker.

"The first was a little deceiving with the trouble he was in," Matheny said of Lynn. "But once again, not a lot of hard-hit balls, not a lot of mistakes. I thought he threw the ball well."

Lynn said, "Giving up three hits with none of them reaching the infield dirt, that's just baseball sometimes. I gave up one (run), and I'd like to have that one back."

Over his past two starts, Lynn has allowed one run over 14 innings, but the Cardinals have failed to score in the two games while he was pitching.

The Cardinals threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh. After Stammen struck out the first two batters he faced, Greg Garcia and Breyvic Valera hit back-to-back singles. It was the first major league hit for Valera, who made his major league debut Tuesday night at Petco Park.

Stammen then retired pinch hitter Tommy Pham on a liner to center.

Asuaje opened the bottom of the seventh with a single off Cardinals reliever Zach Duke, who faced only one batter. Oh retired the next two hitters before Myers connected on a 2-1 fastball, driving it 408 feet into the left field stands for his first homer since Aug. 12.

Richard had a total of 11 ground-ball outs. Only one out was recorded by an outfielder during his stint.

"Clayton held it together," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He stayed with the game plan."

"He's just funky," Matheny said of Richard, a former fastballer turned sinkerball specialist after two rounds of shoulder surgery. "Guys had trouble picking him up. He had good movement. He had that cutter working the inside part of the plate really well. That tied our guys up pretty good."

The Cardinals won the first three games of the series and finished a 10-game trip with a 7-3 record. The Padres finished an 11-game homestand at 6-5.

NOTES: Manager Andy Green said the Padres plan to stick with a six-man rotation although they have two days off next week bookending a two-game series in Minnesota. "Some guys will get an extra day's rest and some will get two extra days," Green said. ... Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said INF Matt Carpenter could return to the lineup Friday in St. Louis to face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carpenter missed the final three games of the Padres series with a sore right shoulder. ... 2B Kolton Wong (back) won't start Friday but is expected to be back in the lineup over the weekend. ... Even when Wong returns, Matheny said the Cardinals would continue to utilize the glove of rookie Alex Mejia late in games for infield defense.

Cardinals' Lynn, Padres' Richard hope decisions are made

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- The Cardinals' Lance Lynn and the Padres' Clayton Richard face each other as the teams put a bow on their four-game series Thursday, and both deserved a better fate their last time out.

Lynn (10-6, 2.99 ERA) was sensational against the Giants while Richard (6-13, 4.94) was solid versus the Dodgers.

But each pitcher got an "atta-boy" and little else as they each received a no-decision when they likely deserved better.

Especially Lynn.

"He was spot-on," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Lynn worked eight scoreless innings for the first time in three years in St. Louis' 2-1 loss to San Francisco. He allowed a hit to the second batter of the game and then dominated, scattering four walks after that.

"He is a bulldog and he just comes right at you," Matheny said.

The 6-foot-5, 269-pound Lynn makes his team-high 29th start despite missing all of last year with elbow surgery. His comeback continues to build although he answered the naysayers earlier.

"He checked the boxes off a long time ago," Matheny said. "You could tell in spring training how sharp he was and it was impressive. A lot of guys have the strength because they've worked so hard in their rehabilitation. But to have the stuff and the location to go along with it was impressive."

Lynn, who is 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA in six starts versus the Padres, ranks in the National League top 10 in many significant pitching categories such as starts (28), opposing batting average (.211), ERA (2.99) and hits/nine innings (6.79).

He's held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 12 starts, which paces the majors.

"He is tough and he is talented," Matheny said. "And he's healthy."

Matheny reminded reporters that coming back from Tommy John is no slam dunk. But Lynn has done it.

"It's not an easy process," Matheny said. "I know it is a little more streamlined now and predictable of how things will go but there are no guarantees. You have to put the work in and Lance has done that."

Richard, who is 3-1 with a 4.39 ERA in 13 games (nine starts) against the Cardinals, has given the team what it expected when inviting him back this year. He leads a young pitching staff with an unmatched work ethic and he gobbles up innings.

He leads the Padres in innings pitched (173) and in seven of his last eight games he's gone at least six frames.

Richard went six innings against the Dodgers last week, allowing eight hits and three runs. He kept the Padres within striking distance as they were able to beat Los Angeles on Yangervis Solarte's walk-off homer.

But Solarte was able to do that because Richard did his part earlier in the game. Among the few mistakes Richard made was one that Cody Bellinger hit into the right-field seats for his 35th home run. It was first time a left-handed hitter parked one of Richard's offerings since 2013.

"Really, one pitch to Bellinger wasn't competitive and he took advantage of it," Richard said. "Other than that, I feel as if I threw the ball pretty well. Was able to keep us in there."

Piscotty's blast lifts Cardinals past Padres

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN DIEGO -- One swing by Stephen Piscotty ruined the San Diego Padres' night.

The St. Louis right fielder ended a shutout bid by San Diego rookie Dinelson Lamet with a two-run homer in the seventh inning Wednesday night, leading the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Padres at Petco Park.

With a third consecutive win against San Diego, St. Louis (72-67) moved within two games of the Colorado Rockies for the National League's second wild card.

Lamet (7-7) had shut out the Cardinals on a hit and three walks, striking out eight, through six innings before giving up a single to center by Jose Martinez opening the seventh.

Piscotty then drove the first pitch from Lamet into the left field stands to erase a 1-0 deficit, which had come on a solo homer by Yangervis Solarte off Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty in the fourth.

The Cardinals added an unearned run in the eighth off Padres reliever Kirby Yates.

Pinch hitter Breyvic Valera drew a walk to open the inning and stole second. Dexter Fowler then hit a soft line drive to Wil Myers that ricocheted off the first baseman's glove for an error that allowed Valera to take third. Valera scored on Harrison Bader's sacrifice fly to right.

The Padres (62-78) opened the ninth with back-to-back singles by Hector Sanchez and Jabari Blash off Tyler Lyons, who then struck out Erick Aybar and Matt Szczur before retiring Cory Spangenberg on a fly to center to record his second save.

Reliever Ryan Sherriff (1-1) got credit for the win after throwing two scoreless innings.

Through six innings, the only hit allowed by Lamet was a one-out, first-inning single by Bader that just cleared the leap of second baseman Carlos Asuaje. After Bader's single, Lamet retired seven straight hitters before Fowler drew a two-out walk in the third.

Through the first six innings, Lamet never allowed more than one Cardinal to reach base in an inning, with no runner reaching second. One of the three walks he issued was erased in a double play.

Flaherty held his own with Lamet in his second career start. When he departed after five innings, his only blemish was Solarte's homer leading off the fourth.

After throwing a strike to get ahead of Solarte, Flaherty threw an 88 mph changeup that the Padres' third baseman drove into the right-field stands. It was the career-high 16th homer of the season for Solarte.

Flaherty allowed three hits and four walks with four strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 52 for strikes.

Flaherty worked his way out of a jam in the second with the help of some cautious base-running by Lamet.

The Padres pitcher lopped a short fly to right with one out that landed in front of Piscotty, then bounced past the Cardinal, but Lamet stopped at first. Asuaje followed with a hit to the gap in left-center, but Lamet stopped at second.

After Myers walked to load the bases, Jose Pirela hit a one-hopper to Alex Mejia that the Cardinals third baseman converted into an inning-ending double play.

Lamet wound up permitting two runs on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in six-plus innings.

NOTES: The Cardinals acquired RHP Juan Nicasio, 31, from the Phillies in exchange for minor league INF Eliezer Alvarez. ... Cardinals INF Matt Carpenter had an injection in his right shoulder and will miss several more games. ... CF Dexter Fowler returned to the Cardinals' starting lineup after missing three games with a sore hip. He went 0-for-3 with a walk. ... INF Jedd Gyorko, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 27 with a right hamstring strain, is running, and St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he is close to returning. ... Padres LHP Robbie Erlin, who has missed the entire season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, pitched a simulated game at Petco Park on Wednesday. He will continue throwing in the Arizona Instructional League and possibly winter ball.

Asuaje's RBI single in 9th lifts Padres past Cardinals

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- In the middle of a seventh straight losing season, the San Diego Padres are in developmental mode.

One of the things that has become clear is their team speed ranks up there with anyone.

It clearly affected the texture of Thursday night's game with the St. Louis Cardinals, especially in the last two innings. After using fleet feet to keep a rally at bay in the bottom of the eighth, San Diego employed its quickness in the ninth to take extra bases that proved vital to the winning rally in a 4-3 decision.

The result secured the Padres' first series win in Busch Stadium since the opening weekend of the 2011 season. They were 4-14 the past five years, including series sweeps in 2012 and 2016.

"Regardless of what has happened, the biggest thing for us is to do our job every night," left fielder Jose Pirela said through an interpreter. "Take every game like it matters and let the rest take care of itself."

Pirela put his footprints on both key sequences. He raced to the gap in left-center to cut off Paul DeJong's leadoff smash, turning a potential double into a single. That meant DeJong could only reach second on Dexter Fowler's subsequent single.

That kept the double play in order. Reliever Kirby Yates (3-4) induced St. Louis' fourth one of the night, a 4-6-3 bouncer off Yadier Molina's bat, and whiffed Jedd Gyorko on a 3-2 slider. That kept the game tied at 2.

It was then time for San Diego (57-70) to turn its speed loose offensively. Pinch-hitter Jabari Blash greeted Sam Tuivailala (3-2) with a single and then advanced to third on a hit-and-run single from Manuel Margot. When center fielder Dexter Fowler missed the cutoff man, an alert Margot took second.

Carlos Asuaje poked Zach Duke's second pitch under the diving Gyorko at first for an RBI single to snap the deadlock. Pirela then lofted a sacrifice fly to right, Margot barely beating Randal Grichuk's accurate throw home for what proved to be the winning run.

"It turned out to be pretty big, especially Manny taking that extra base on the throw from center field," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We can impact the game that way. We have that type of speed, so it's good to see it utilized."

In a different way, speed colored San Diego's two-run sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, St. Louis pitcher Carlos Martinez fetched a one-hopper from Cory Spangenberg that appeared to be a 1-2-3 double play.

But Martinez rushed his throw home and airmailed Molina, allowing Margot to score. When Matt Szczur beat out a slow bouncer to third, Asuaje scurried home with a 2-1 Padres lead.

"When it came time to throw it, I just lost control," Martinez said through an interpreter. "Those are the errors that will cost you a win. That's on me."

It was the only time San Diego got to Martinez, who allowed seven hits and one earned run over seven innings. He walked two and fanned six, but was denied his fourth straight win.

Padre starter Luis Perdomo matched Martinez during his six innings, scattering seven hits and yielding two runs. He walked two and fanned two while inducing a pair of double plays to give him 24 for the year.

Gyorko drilled an RBI double off Perdomo in the fourth to initiate scoring. Molina lined a two-out single down the left field line in the sixth that tied the game at 2.

Grichuk lined his 16th homer of the year to start the ninth against closer Brad Hand. The tying run didn't get out of the batter's box, though. Hand whiffed two hitters and bagged his 12th save.

"Last night was an ugly game, but I thought we were resilient tonight," Green said.

NOTES: St. Louis 1B Matt Carpenter (virus) didn't play for the second straight game but was available for pinch-hitting duty if needed. Carpenter, the team's usual leadoff hitter, wasn't at the ballpark for Wednesday night's game. ... San Diego RHP Jhoulys Chacin (hand) is considered day-to-day after being injured while fouling a pitch off Wednesday night. Chacin became the first player in MLB history to hit four batters and collect two hits in the same game during his 6-2 loss. ... Cardinals INF Jedd Gyorko had homered in six straight games against the Padres before failing to hit one Wednesday night.

Weaver helps pitch Cardinals to 6-2 win over Padres

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- With their pitching staff beat up, banged up and lit up, the St. Louis Cardinals desperately needed a quality start.

Luke Weaver did that and more Wednesday night, snapping an ignominious streak and giving their flagging playoff hopes at least a temporary boost.

Weaver tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in seven shutout innings, lifting St. Louis to a 6-2 decision over the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium.

In upping his record to 2-1, Weaver allowed three hits and a walk, throwing 69 of his 99 pitches for strikes. He gave the Cardinals (64-62) their third win in nine games and snapped a 12-game streak in which they had allowed at least five runs -- one shy of the franchise record.

"I guess it was important," Weaver said of his outing. "It helps when the command is there. I just told myself to trust my pitch. I got through the first (inning) and slowed things down, pitched with a little grit."

A fastball clocked at times at 96 mph didn't hurt, either. Nor did effective secondary pitches that occasionally fetched outs. Weaver retired 10 of the first 11 men he faced.

When San Diego (56-70) pieced together its one real threat against Weaver, loading the bases with two outs in the fourth, he reared and fired a 96 mph heater at Jabari Blash. A late swing meant an inning-ending whiff.

"He had everything," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "He had a good fastball, changeup, breaking ball. He was able to make pitches late in the count. We needed it."

While Weaver delivered a shutdown outing, second baseman Kolten Wong sparked the offense. Wong, moved up to the leadoff spot with first baseman Matt Carpenter (virus) missing the game, went 3-for-5 with three runs and two steals -- making him 11-for-26 in the last six games and improving his average to .314.

"Just understanding what kind of hitter I am," he said when asked about his performance. "I have to hit it in the gaps and run. That works for me. I'm not trying to do too much."

Wong led off the game with a double down the right-field line. Tommy Pham doubled to left field two pitches later. Dexter Fowler's deep fly ball to left with one out scored Pham easily from third for a quick 2-0 lead against Jhoulys Chacin (11-9).

Things got no better for Chacin, who after a clean second inning suddenly lost all of his command. He plunked two batters in the third, leading to Jedd Gyorko's two-out RBI infield hit.

An inning later, Chacin followed a two-out walk to Pham with a bad pickoff throw that skipped past first base for an error. Greg Garcia trotted home from third for a 4-0 margin.

Chacin hit two batters and walked two others in the fifth, mixing in a wild pitch that plated Fowler. Chacin's final line was 4 2/3 innings, six hits, five runs, three walks and three strikeouts.

He also hit four batters, tying a modern MLB record last set by the Chicago Cubs' John Lackey last month. Cardinal batters were plunked a franchise-record five times.

"Just a bad day," Chacin said. "That was really weird for me. My ball was moving like crazy, especially to the righties. I just (couldn't get a good) grip on the ball."

Gyorko's two-out RBI single in the eighth finished the St. Louis scoring. It plated Wong, who singled and then stole second and third on consecutive pitches.

Manuel Margot tripled home a run in the eighth for the Padres, while Cory Spangenberg tacked on a solo homer in the ninth, his 13th homer of the season.

The Cardinals stayed 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central but moved within 4 1/2 of Arizona and Colorado for the NL wild-card spots after both lost Wednesday.

NOTES: St. Louis RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery next week. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Wednesday. Rosenthal, who suffered the injury Aug. 16 in Boston, went 3-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 11 saves this year. ... LHP MacKenzie Gore, San Diego's first-round pick in June's draft, suffered his first pro loss Tuesday night in the Arizona Rookie League. But Gore has allowed only two runs in 20 innings, walking four and fanning 31. ... The Cardinals purchased the contract of LHP Ryan Sherriff from Triple-A Memphis and optioned RHP Josh Lucas to Memphis. Sherriff went 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA in 48 relief appearances for the Redbirds.

Solarte drives in six as Padres pound Cardinals

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS - Tony Gwynn never did it. Nor did Dave Winfield, or Nate Colbert. Not even Enzo Hernandez accomplished it.

And what exactly was it that Yangervis Solarte pulled off Tuesday night in Busch Stadium?

Try the first six-RBI game by a San Diego Padres player in St. Louis, enabling them to become the latest team to plunder the Cardinals' suddenly-shaky pitching in a 12-4 rout.

Solarte drilled a three-run double off Lance Lynn in the third inning, added a carbon-copy double to the gap in right center two innings later that snapped a 3-3 tie and capped his career-best game with a two-run homer in the eighth.

Solarte's 14th homer traveled an estimated 455 feet, soaring over the St. Louis bullpen in right center and allowing San Diego (56-69) to tie its season high for runs.

"I'm just going up there, trying to bring guys home," Solarte said through an interpreter when asked about his approach with men on base. "I'm thinking the middle of the field. If I'm trying to hit a home run, I won't hit one."

The Padres entered the game having scored just six runs in losing three of four games against the Washington Nationals. That included just one run in each of the series' first two games while facing the likes of Edwin Jackson and Matt Grace.

But like most opponents of late, San Diego's bats perked up when presented with Cardinals pitching. For the 12th consecutive game, St. Louis allowed at least five runs. It has given up at least six runs in five straight games.

That helps explain why the Cardinals (63-62), who woke up on Aug. 13 in a virtual tie for first place in the National League Central with the Chicago Cubs, now trail Chicago by 4 1/2 games. They have lost six of their last eight games after peeling off a season-high eight-game winning streak.

Not even the presence of Lance Lynn, St. Louis' most reliable starter this year, could prevent another long night. Lynn gave up six hits and four runs in six innings, walking one and fanning four in a no-decision.

The third inning got away from Lynn because three pitches got away from him. He sandwiched Manuel Margot's single by plunking .111-hitting pitcher Clayton Richard and Jose Pirela.

Solarte, 1-for-9 in his career against Lynn, burned him with a bases-clearing double.

"When you hit two guys, you're bound to give up some runs," Lynn said. "I need to be better than that. I had better stuff than the line showed."

Lynn might not have pitched up to his recent standard, in which he has not lost in eight starts, but he was still far better than his mates in the bullpen. Matt Bowman (3-5) and Zach Duke were torched in a six-run seventh that snapped a 4-4 tie.

Pirela's single scored Margot for a 5-4 edge and chased Bowman. Duke permitted Matt Szczur's two-run pinch-single up the middle and then allowed a three-run homer to Austin Hedges, his 16th home run of the year.

"It was a resilient win," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We kept scoring. We had big hit after big hit. We gave ourselves opportunities to plate a lot of runs."

The Cardinals wiped out a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the fourth with a sudden two-out explosion. After Yadier Molina doubled, Jedd Gyorko whacked a two-run homer to left, his seventh blast in eight games against the team which traded him after the 2015 season. Stephen Piscotty followed three pitches later with a solo shot.

Molina cracked a two-out solo shot to left center in the sixth to even the score and drive Clayton Richard off the mound. Richard lasted 5 2/3 innings, yielding six hits and four runs with a walk and six strikeouts.

Craig Stammen (1-2) threw two pitches to retire the last hitter of the sixth and picked up the win, thanks to San Diego's seventh-inning outburst.

"Everyone was playing with energy," Solarte said. "It's not so much about homers and RBI, it was everyone wanting to win. I want us to finish strong."

NOTES: St. Louis RF Stephen Piscotty was added to the 25-man roster, with 1B Luke Voit being optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Piscotty was the 26th man for Sunday night's Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., going 2-for-4 with a walk. ... San Diego activated OF Matt Szczur from the family leave list and optioned LHP Kyle McGrath to Triple-A El Paso. McGrath appeared in five games, going 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA. ... Cardinals C Yadier Molina's fourth-inning hit was the 1,705th of his career, allowing him to pass Ted Simmons for 11th place on the franchise list.

Cardinals call up RHP Lucas

(TSX / STATS) -- The St. Louis Cardinals called up right-handed reliever Josh Lucas from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

The team also optioned right-hander Mike Mayers to Memphis following Friday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lucas, 26, will be making his major league debut when he appears in his first game with the Cardinals. He is 8-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 43 appearances at Memphis, converting 14 of 17 saves. He ranks fourth in the Pacific Coast League in saves, while striking out 65 batters in 56 1/3 innings.

Mayers, 26, was recalled prior to Friday night's game against the Pirates and pitched two-thirds of an inning in the Cardinals' 11-10 victory at PNC Park. He faced seven batters and allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk.

Pirates, Cardinals hope to continue to swing hot bats

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(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- Offense has been king through the first half of an important four-game series between National League Central rivals St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals have 22 runs and 28 hits through two games, both wins over the Pirates, who have 17 runs and 25 hits.

"The offense has really been doing a great job," St. Louis' Matt Carpenter said after Friday's 11-10 game that turned into a nail-biter. "Guys have really settled in to their roles and (are) just swinging the bats with a lot of confidence, making it tough on the opposing pitcher and grinding out at-bats."

The final two games of the series Saturday and Sunday could help shape the division. If the Cardinals (63-59) can earn a sweep, it could improve their chances of overtaking the Chicago Cubs to win the division -- their win Friday pushed them into second, a half-game ahead of Milwaukee, and kept them 1 1/2 games out of first -- and at the same time potentially bury the Pirates (58-64), who have lost six straight.

"The quality of the baseball we've played in the last 2 1/2 months has been pretty good, and that's why we are where we are," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Now the offense has come around, we feel as good as we feel all year about contending and trying to win this division. We're in position to do that."

While Pittsburgh has fallen 6 1/2 games behind Chicago, the Pirates are still feeling good about themselves after they made late, though fruitless, comebacks in both games so far this series.

"They played. They continued to play. They continued to fight," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said after Pittsburgh came back from an eight-run deficit to get within one Friday.

"They worked well in the dugout together. They continued to talk baseball. We (had) lost five in a row, we're down (11-3), and the conversations they had, nobody backed off. Just keep playing."

Understandably, Matheny is just as satisfied with St. Louis' resilience.

"Guys are continuing to grind, and I think our offense is better right now," Matheny said. "This is the offense that they need to keep fresh in their minds. It does give our pitching a little bit of room for error."

On Saturday, that will be right-hander Michael Wacha (9-5, 3.85 ERA) to start. He is 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA in his past eight starts.

His last time out, Wacha sustained his first career August loss in 17 starts. He gave up four runs and eight hits, including Brandon Phillips' 407-foot homer, with one walk and one strikeout in five innings Sunday of St. Louis' 6-3 loss to Atlanta.

While Matheny lamented a lack of run support for Wacha in that game, Wacha shouldered the blame.

"I just gave up too many runs for us," Wacha told mlb.com.

Atlanta remains the only National League opponent against which Wacha has not won.That's not a problem with the Pirates. Against Pittsburgh, he is 4-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 12 career appearances, including 11 starts.

Chad Kuhl (5-8, 4.64 ERA) is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his past nine starts and has allowed more than two earned runs just four times in his past 14 starts.

His last time out, however, he gave up five runs (four earned) and four hits in five innings with five walks and five strikeouts on Sunday in Pittsburgh's 7-1 loss to Toronto. The thing was, all five of those Blue Jays runs came in a 40-pitch first inning.

"You'd like a redo or reset button in that first inning," Kuhl told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It kind of stinks to start off that way, but it's all behind you then. Do your best to go (forward) ... I felt fine in innings two through five. Just a tough start."

Hurdle said Kuhl was stung by "below-average command," and left pitches up in.

It would be timely for Kuhl to solve the Cardinals this series. Kuhl is 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA in four career starts against St. Louis.

Cardinals hold off Pirates in slugfest

(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- It's unknown whether Matt Carpenter was the only player who felt completely secure about St. Louis' ability to hold on Friday night, but he had enough confidence for everyone else.

"Never a doubt. Never a doubt," Carpenter, who drove in three runs, said after the Cardinals nearly blew an eight-run lead in their 11-10 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

"It was interesting, for sure, but I knew we'd find a way to finish it off."

Carpenter, Tommy Pham and Paul DeJong hit home runs, three of St. Louis' 13 hits, as the Cardinals built an 11-3 lead, only to watch the Pirates come back and have a shot at winning in the ninth.

DeJong was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs as St. Louis (63-59) won its second in a row and 10th in the past 12 to remain 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Pittsburgh (58-64) lost its sixth straight and fell five games behind the Cardinals and 6 1/2 behind Chicago, but the Pirates still felt good about their game after scoring 10 runs, including three homers, and climbing out of the early hole.

"We were able to get some positive offensive traction in our direction," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was fun to watch. Come up a run short at the end of the night. That's never the goal. The goal is to go out and leave everything on the field. They left everything on the field."

For the second night in a row in the divisional series, runners and runs abounded.

St. Louis scored in each of the first four innings for an 8-2 lead.

The Cardinals tacked on two more in the sixth and another in the eighth -- on Jose Martinez's two-out RBI single for the eventual winning run -- before Pittsburgh's Max Moroff hit the sixth homer of the game, a two-run, 420-foot shot in the eighth that cleared the stands in right and bounced into the Allegheny River.

"It hit the river? Bounced in? Didn't hit in the air?" Moroff deadpanned. "I hit that really well. Next time, I'll try and hit the river in the air."

Josh Bell and Elias Diaz each added an RBI double later in the eighth to make it 11-8.

The Pirates added two in the ninth on Bell's bases-loaded walk and David Freese's sacrifice fly before Seung Hwan Oh struck out Diaz with the bases loaded to end it. Oh picked up his 19th save.

"Any win we get is big," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "We're in the corner right there and we have to have somebody come in and make some big pitches for us. Oh did a nice job of that.

"Sometimes you have to figure out a way to scratch and claw your way to the end."

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (10-9) pitched seven innings and got stronger as he went. He allowed two early runs on homers but settled in to give up three runs on six hits, with four strikeouts and two walks.

"I started to get better toward the end, and deeper in the game I'm really trusting in my fastball," Carlos Martinez said through a translator. "It's just really helping me get this deep in the game."

The Pirates' comeback came against five relievers.

Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams (5-6) had gone at least six innings in four of previous five games but lasted just two batters into the fourth, giving up eight runs and seven hits -- three of them homers -- with three strikeouts and two walks.

"I thought the command was there; I just wasn't getting the (call on) the low pitch," Williams said. "I had all four pitches working in the (strike) zone. It's just unfortunate the low ball was taken away from me early.

"I'm a sinker-ball pitcher. I need that pitch called to get swings below the zone."

Pham's 16th homer -- a one-out shot to right after Carpenter struck out in the first inning -- gave him homers in consecutive at-bats and St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Pham led off the ninth Thursday with a homer.

The Pirates' start mirrored that of the Cardinals. Starling Marte struck out and Josh Harrison followed with a homer to right for a 1-1 tie. It was Harrison's 14th homer, setting a career high and, as with Pham, gave him blasts in consecutive games.

The Cardinals added some distance in the second on Greg Garcia's RBI single and Carpenter's 16th homer, a two-out, three-run shot to right-center field. That gave St. Louis a 5-1 lead and five runs with four hits.

"Pham's homer didn't sound great. The one that I knew was hit was Carpenter's," Williams said. "It was a sinker I just left up."

David Freese led off the bottom of the second with his ninth homer to pull Pittsburgh within 5-2.

DeJong took his turn, hitting the fifth homer of the game to lead off the third. His shot to center, his 19th homer, gave the Cardinals a 6-2 lead.

When St. Louis put runners at the corners with no outs in the fourth and Carlos Martinez up, the Pirates pulled Williams for Steven Brault. Martinez drove in a run with a sacrifice fielder's choice, and Pham drove in another on a groundout to make it 8-2.

Marte's two-out RBI triple in the fifth drew the Pirates to 8-3.

"That was a cool game," Moroff said. "Unfortunately, we lost, but it is what it is."

NOTES: St. Louis RHP Adam Wainwright was placed on the 10-day DL because of right elbow impingement. ... St. Louis RHP Mike Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. ... St. Louis 2B Kolten Wong was a late lineup scratch because of a hip problem. ... Pittsburgh LHP Wade LeBlanc was placed on the 10-day DL because of a left quadriceps strain. ... Pittsburgh LHP Steven Brault was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. ... For the second night in a row, a Pirates pitcher (Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams) bunted into a double play.

Cardinals, Pirates look to keep pressure on Cubs

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(TSX / STATS) -- PITTSBURGH -- Two teams scrambling to make headway in the National League Central will clash when the St. Louis Cardinals open a four-game set Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Neither is coming in hot, unless it's maybe hot under the collar.

St. Louis (61-59) blew a two-run lead in the ninth -- an inning that included Cardinals manager Mike Matheny getting ejected -- on Wednesday night and fell 5-4 to the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals took their third loss in a row.

Pittsburgh (58-62) blew a 4-0 lead and allowed five homers Wednesday in a 7-6 loss at Milwaukee, the Pirates' fourth straight setback.

The Cardinals are 5-4 against the Pirates this season.

The first three games of the series will be held at PNC Park, followed by the first MLB Little League Classic on Sunday night in Williamsport, Pa.

St. Louis won eight straight, at one point pulling into a first-place tie in the division, before the current losing streak.

Going into the series at Pittsburgh, the third-place Cardinals are three games ahead of the fourth-place Pirates and 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. The Milwaukee Brewers are tucked in the mix in second place, a game in front of St. Louis.

The Pirates have rallied several times this season but keep falling into the cusp of being realistically out of the hunt for a playoff spot.

It helps that they are in a weak division, and the series against St. Louis represents yet another chance to stay in contention.

Losing Wednesday hurt in more than one way. It not only extended Pittsburgh's losing streak and came against a division opponent ahead in the standings, but it led to a downcast postgame clubhouse.

"We wanted to win this one bad," starting and losing pitcher Gerrit Cole said.

At 21-23 within the division, the Pirates need wins in the series just as badly. Of course, St. Louis needs the victories, too.

St. Louis veteran Adam Wainwright (12-5, 4.87 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener Thursday.

Wainwright has dealt with some elbow soreness and skipped his between-starts bullpen session but is expected to take his normal turn in the rotation after he played catch Tuesday with no problem.

On Friday, the soreness kept Wainwright from throwing a pitch 90 mph or more, and he didn't have a strikeout, but it didn't stop him from posting his fifth win in as many decisions. He gave up one run on four hits in five innings during an 8-5 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Wainwright, who is four strikeouts from reaching 100 for the eighth time in his career, likened the pain to what he felt in 2014.

"A little inflamed area in my joint," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "In '14, it was a couple of weeks, and I had it one time earlier this year, and it was gone after one start."

Wainwright is 13-7 with a 4.11 ERA in 34 career games (29 starts) against the Pirates, including 6-4 with a 5.23 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) at PNC Park.

For Pittsburgh, Jameson Taillon (7-5, 4.50) will be looking for his third straight quality start Thursday after he allowed a total of 17 earned runs in two starts.

On Friday, Taillon allowed two runs in six-plus innings and struck out seven in a 4-2 win at Toronto. He will be looking to get above .500 at home, where he is 3-3 in nine starts.

Taillon is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.

Red Sox stun Cardinals with Betts' walk-off double

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- Mookie Betts is batting just .269 this season, well down from the .318 he hit in 2016.

But his 2017 season with runners in scoring position tells an entirely different story.

"I think it's his focus in those moments and none bigger than here tonight," Boston manager John Farrell said after Betts ripped a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning to give the Red Sox a dramatic 5-4 interleague victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

The Red Sox honored the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Impossible Dream team that came up a game short with a loss to the Cardinals the World Series -- and then went out and pulled off a dream win.

Thanks to Betts.

In the third inning, he delivered a sacrifice fly as Boston cut a four-run deficit in half. Then, with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth, he raised his batting average with runners in scoring position to .390 (39-for-100) with the winning hit.

He is 18-for-47 (.382) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

"I was just going up and trying to put a good swing on a good pitch and that's what I was able to do," Betts said after hitting a 3-2 pitch from Boston native John Brebbia.

The hit really shouldn't have been a winner and should have sent the game into extra innings. Jackie Bradley Jr. was trying to score from first and the relay throw home from shortstop Paul DeJong had him at the plate. But Yadier Molina couldn't hold the throw as Bradley clumsily got the plate on his second try.

"I was watching it unfold," Betts said of the play at the plate. "It was a good throw there. I thought they had him. He didn't catch it so we won."

The win, which completed a four-game Boston sweep of the Cardinals this season (two games this week and two in May), lifted the Red Sox to 3-48 this season when trailing after eight innings and kept them 4 1/2 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the American League East.

The Red Sox have won 12 of their past 14 games.

The Cardinals have lost three straight after an eight-game winning streak and fell 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, a player when the 2004 team lost the World Series to Boston and the manager when the same thing happened in 2013, was asked after the game how many times he thought this one was his to take home.

"Enough," he said "It's frustrating."

And he wasn't even around for the finish.

Trevor Rosenthal started the inning with a 4-2 lead and gave up a leadoff homer to Xander Bogaerts, his first home run since July 5, before walking Mitch Moreland on a 3-2 pitch that bounced to the backstop. Zach Duke (0-1) came on and struck out pinch-hitter Brock Holt on a 3-2 pitch after falling behind 3-0, then went 3-0 on Bradley before walking him at 3-2.

Brebbia entered, and with the count 0-2 on Eduardo Nunez, the pitcher held the set too long and plate umpire Chris Segal called time. That got Molina upset, and Matheny came out. Matheny, still fuming over a check-swing call earlier in the inning, was ejected by Segal.

"He said he needed timeout," Farrell said of the umpire. "The fact that he was kind of going at it with our catcher, you hate to see it at that particular point of the game.

"But a lot of barking going on all game long, the strike zone, not getting a call on a check swing in a big situation, just trying to get guys to do the job in big situations. And a lot of frustration at the end."

Nunez fouled out before Betts delivered against Brebbia, who grew up a Red Sox fan.

Boston closer Craig Kimbrel (5-0), who hadn't pitched since Sunday, threw a perfect ninth inning for the win.

St. Louis starter Lance Lynn allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings, but his throwing error delivered a run. He hasn't lost since July 4.

The Cardinals collected five hits in scoring all four of their runs in the second inning against starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who is 0-1 with a 4.78 ERA in six starts since coming off the disabled list and hasn't won since May 26.

Kolton Wong had three hits, an RBI and a run for the Cardinals.

The four-run second inning was wild, with Bradley twice trying to nail a runner trying to score from third base on a single. He was successful the second time, throwing out Matt Carpenter.

NOTES: Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Lonborg, Ken Harrelson, Rico Petrocelli and Reggie Smith headed the list of members of the 1967 Red Sox "Impossible Dream" team honored prior to the game. ... The Red Sox will pitch LHPs Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale on Friday and Saturday against the New York Yankees but still hadn't decided between RHPs Rick Porcello (on regular rest) and Doug Fister for Sunday. ... Boston will honor broadcaster Jerry Remy, battling cancer for the fifth time, and his 30 years in the TV booth on Sunday. He will throw out the first pitch. ... Boston LHP David Price (elbow) delayed a throwing session a day and will throw Thursday from flat ground. ... The Cardinals visit the Pirates this weekend for three games, the first two in Pittsburgh and the third, on Sunday night, in a small minor league stadium in Williamsport, Pa.

Red Sox vie for season series sweep of Cardinals

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(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- Back in May, Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez and St. Louis' Lance Lynn faced each other when the Red Sox and Cardinals squared off at Busch Stadium in the first of four games this year between the old World Series rivals.

On Wednesday night, the pitchers face each other again when the teams meet in the second contest of the two-game Boston portion of the season series.

Lynn looks to continue his recent pitching spurt, while Rodriguez again seeks for his first victory since coming off the disabled list after recovering from his latest knee injury.

Lynn (10-6, 3.12 ERA) also will attempt to keep his team from dropping all four 2017 games to the Red Sox -- and from losing their third in a row overall after an eight-game winning streak.

The 30-year-old right-hander, who lost that May game to the Red Sox, was the subject of trade rumors when the Cardinals were teetering on the brink at the deadline. However, Lynn stayed as he and his team took off. St. Louis is tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the National League Central, 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs.

Lynn is 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in his past seven starts, and he hasn't lost since July 4. He has held opponents to two runs or fewer in an major-league-best 18 starts and one or fewer in 12 -- tied for the major league lead.

He is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two regular-season starts against the Red Sox. He also pitched twice against Boston in the 2013 World Series, starting and losing Game 4.

In his most recent start, Thursday against the Kansas City Royals, Lynn took a line drive off the head and stayed in the game.

When manager Mike Matheny and trainer Adam Olsen came out to see him, Lynn, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said: "Go back to the dugout where you belong." Told they were doing their job by checking on his wellbeing, Lynn snapped: "I'm trying to do mine. Get off the mound."

Lynn wound up allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and five walks over six innings. He got a no-decision in the Cardinals' 8-6 win.

Boston's active roster is a combined 5-for-36 against Lynn, while no Cardinal has more than three career at-bats against Rodriguez.

Rodriguez (4-3, 3.80 ERA) is 0-1 with a 4.39 ERA in five starts since coming off the DL, but he deserved a better fate his last two times out. He gave up two runs on four hits in six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 4, then yielded two hits in six shutout innings against the Yankees on Friday in New York. He walked two and fanned seven during a game the Yankees rallied to win.

The Red Sox, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, improved to 12-4 in interleague play this season with a 10-4 victory over St. Louis on Tuesday night. Boston holds a 4 1/2-game lead the second-place Yankees in the American League East.

Red Sox back Porcello, crush Cardinals with eight-run fifth

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- Rick Porcello rode the loudest offensive support in the major leagues to a 22-4 record and a Cy Young Award last season.

This year, the support was down -- and so was Porcello.

That may be changing.

"Last three times out the worm has turned a little bit," Boston manager John Farrell said after Porcello cashed in on an eight-run sixth inning for his third straight victory, a 10-4 Red Sox win over the St. Louis Cardinals. "We've started to score some runs for him in a big way and he's gone out and logged innings."

After scoring four runs during the right-hander's four straight losses, the Red Sox have scored 27 runs in his last three starts. Suddenly, Porcello is 7-14 -- 3-0 in August.

"I feel good. The whole ballclub feels good right now," Porcello said. "So keep pushing forward and continue to play good baseball."

Hanley Ramirez and Sandy Leon drove in two runs apiece in the big inning. Ten consecutive Red Sox batters reached base, and 13 came to the plate while chasing Mike Leake (7-11) and propelling Boston to its 11th win in 13 games.

Boston is 3-0 against St. Louis, 12-4 against the National League.

But despite a 15-hit attack, the highlight of the night was a 5-4-3 triple play turned on a Yadier Molina grounder, in a 1-0 game in the fourth inning.

It was started by rookie sensation Rafael Devers, a third baseman who also had two more hits and drove in another run.

"For him to be so young and play beyond his years has been special to watch," teammate Mitch Moreland said of Devers, 20.

Ahead 9-0, Porcello allowed three runs in the sixth inning. However, he worked through seven in his second straight quality start. He was supported by the team's first triple play in six years and a pair of double plays (one on the slow-footed Molina), in the first five innings.

"I thought he came out tonight very sharp," Farrell said. "He had good location early on and then when they did put a couple of men on, he found a way to put a ball on the ground."

The Red Sox maintained their 4 1/2-game lead on the New York Yankees in the American League East, winning in St. Louis' first visit to Fenway Park since it lost Game 6 of the 2013 World Series.

Jackie Bradley Jr. also drove in two runs, and Xander Bogaerts contributed three singles and his first RBI since July 21.

Dexter Fowler had three hits, including a two-run double, for the Cardinals, who lost their second straight after an eight-game winning streak. They remained 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Leake was touched for eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. In his past two starts, he has allowed 20 hits and 13 runs (12 earned) in 9 1/3 innings.

"He pitched out of a pretty big mess in the first (after four straight singles had a run in and the bases loaded) and we thought he was going to roll for a while," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said, "but the fifth got him.

"You've got a team that's swinging the bat well. He wasn't getting a lot of chases, so he was trying a couple of different balls below the zone. Eventually you've got to come back and challenge them."

Said Leake: "I was just too much on the plate, letting them hit balls instead of making them see it move off the plate."

The triple play was the first for the Red Sox since they turned one against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 16, 2011. It was the first turned against the Cardinals since May 9, 2015 -- and Molina hit into that one, too.

"Those plays happen," Matheny said.

NOTES: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia will be out longer than the minimum 10 days in his second straight stint on the disabled list because of his balky left knee. ... Cardinals 3B Jedd Gyorko, who received a cortisone shot in his right knee Sunday, was able to return Tuesday after sitting out the weekend. ... Several members of the Cardinals visited the inside of the Green Monster earlier Tuesday. ... Boston LHP David Price (elbow) continues to throw off flat ground with no return date in sight. ... The Red Sox on Wednesday will honor the 50th anniversary of their 1967 Impossible Dream team that lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Cardinals. ... The Boston Globe reported domestic battery charges against Red Sox TV analyst Steve Lyons stemming from an argument with his girlfriend in January were dismissed in California. ... RHP Lance Lynn (10-6, 3.12 ERA) pitches for St. Louis against LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 3.80) in Wednesday's series finale.

Braves snap Cardinals' streak at 8

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals finally ran into a pitch that could shut down their scorching offense.

Knuckleballing R.A. Dickey scattered seven hits over seven solid innings Sunday as the Atlanta Braves snapped St. Louis' eight-game winning streak with a 6-3 decision at Busch Stadium.

Dickey (8-7) didn't give up a run until Carson Kelly singled home Kolten Wong, who tripled, with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Dickey walked two and fanned three.

Brandon Phillips provided the big hit for Atlanta (52-63) as it snapped a five-game losing streak. Phillips slugged a two-run homer in the fifth, his 10th of the year and second in as many games, to give the Braves a 4-0 lead.

Atlanta broke the scoring seal with two runs in the fourth off Michael Wacha (9-5). Danny Santana's one-out single with the bases loaded plated Freddie Freeman. Ozzie Albies followed with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Nick Markakis on a close play at the plate.

Wacha lost for just the second time in eight decisions. He allowed eight hits and four runs over five innings, walking one and whiffing one.

Nick Markakis gave the Braves a 5-0 lead in the seventh with a fielder's choice grounder that scored Ender Inciarte.

The Cardinals (61-57) put a scare into Atlanta in the eighth. Paul DeJong blasted a solo homer to left-center, followed by three straight singles. The last of those, Wong's grounder into right, scored Jose Martinez to make it 5-3.

St. Louis loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Jose Ramirez slipped a called third strike by Greg Garcia and induced an inning-ending bouncer to third from pinch hitter Yadier Molina.

Jace Peterson pinch-hit a triple to start the ninth and scored on a wild pitch for the Braves' final run.

Arodys Vizcaino worked a 1-2-3 ninth to garner his sixth save in eight tries.

The Cardinals dropped a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League

NOTES: St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko (right knee irritation) missed his second straight game and was replaced again by Greg Garcia. Gyorko could return to the lineup Tuesday night at Boston, even if it's just in the DH role. ... Atlanta OF Matt Kemp (right hamstring) said he will be able to return from the 10-day DL Friday night when the Braves return home to play. Kemp, batting .290 with 14 homers and 48 RBI, said he won't require a rehab stint. ... Cardinals LHP Kevin Siegrist (left forearm) has started throwing off flat ground but isn't yet ready to throw off a mound. There's no timetable for his return.

Surging Cardinals beat Braves behind DeJong, Grichuk

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. LOUIS -- According to the St. Louis Cardinals, it's all coming together just as they thought it would all along.

"I think the change everyone has seen is that the team is more unified," pitcher Carlos Martinez said through an interpreter. "Everyone's healthy, and everyone's supporting each other. I think that's how we're going to keep it going through the end of the season, and hopefully into the postseason."

Martinez did his part to keep St. Louis' longest winning streak in two years going, working six effective innings as the Cardinals won their eighth in a row by holding off the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Saturday night at sold-out Busch Stadium.

Randal Grichuk and Paul DeJong walloped solo homers for the Cardinals (61-56), who moved into a virtual first-place tie in the National League Central with the Chicago Cubs. Chicago lost 6-2 at Arizona, but maintains a winning-percentage edge of .001 in the standings because it has played two fewer games.

Still, this has been an impressive stretch for St. Louis, fueled mostly by offense. Consider that its output Saturday night was its lowest in a game since starting this winning streak with a 4-1 decision on Aug. 5 in Cincinnati.

But Martinez, who squared his record at 9-9, and two relievers pitched well enough to extend two streaks -- the Cardinals' winning streak and Atlanta's five-game skid. Martinez permitted seven hits and three runs, walking one and fanning seven.

Kurt Suzuki touched Martinez for a two-run single in the first, but the only hit of consequence he allowed after that was Brandon Phillips' two-out solo homer in the fifth. Working efficiently after the first, Martinez retired nine of 10 batters in one stretch.

"I think all the hard work is paying off," he said. "I have all the confidence in the world in our team."

A two-run deficit was nothing for an offense that has rolled up a whopping 68 runs during their winning streak. By the second inning, the Cardinals had already equalized. Dexter Fowler's single to right scored Matt Carpenter in the first, and Grichuk ripped his 15th homer to right-center with one out in the second.

Rookie right-hander Lucas Sims (0-3) skated out of two-out trouble in the second, but couldn't escape the next jam in the fourth. St. Louis did a lot of little things correctly in a three-run inning that shaped the game's remainder.

After Kolten Wong was plunked to start the inning, Grichuk doubled off the glove of Phillips at third. Greg Garcia grounded to second with the infield conceding a run, scoring Wong to make it 3-2.

Martinez grounded a single through a drawn-in infield, plating Grichuk for a 4-2 advantage. After Carpenter was hit by a pitch, Tommy Pham laced a single up the middle and Martinez sprinted home to cap the outburst.

"Seeing what guys expect from themselves, watching them take those grinding at-bats ... that excites me as much as anything," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

DeJong finished St. Louis' scoring in the seventh with his 17th homer, a 405-foot shot to left-center. Counting his 13 homers at Triple-A Memphis before he was recalled on June 15, DeJong now has 30 for the season.

"I was looking for that number and now I got it," he said. "It's on to the next number. I really don't have a particular one in mind. Last year it was 20, this year it was 30."

The Braves (51-63) nearly ruined things in the ninth. Deriving a fourth out because of Carpenter's error that enabled Danny Santana to reach base, they pulled within a run on Freddie Freeman's two-out, two-run single.

But on his 32nd pitch of the ninth, Trevor Rosenthal fanned Nick Markakis with a high changeup to secure his seventh straight save and 11th overall.

"These guys give you a hard 27 outs. They're never out of a game," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.

Sims was charged with 10 hits and five runs, four earned, over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and whiffed three.

NOTES: St. Louis 3B Jedd Gyorko (right knee irritation) was scratched from the lineup less than two hours before the game and replaced by Greg Garcia. Kolten Wong, who was scheduled to get the night off while Garcia played second, was inserted into the lineup so that Garcia could move to third. ... Atlanta RHP Luke Jackson Friday night became the first pitcher since New York Yankees RHP Dellin Betances to throw 2 1/3 perfect innings out of the bullpen and fan six hitters. Betances did it on May 15, 2014. ... The Cardinals Friday night became the first team since the 2006 Braves to win six straight games and score at least eight runs in each victory.