Carlos Beltran and David Freese homered again on Tuesday night, and Kyle Lohse provided another stingy performance, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The defending World Series champions are 5-1 for the first time since 2008.

Beltran, counted on to help make up for the loss of Albert Pujols, hit his third homer off Mike Leake (0-1). Freese, the World Series MVP, added a two-run shot off Leake — also his third.

St. Louis came into the game leading the majors with nine homers. It has five in its first two games at Great American Ball Park.

Lohse (2-0) has made impressive starts in Florida’s summery warmth and Cincinnati’s April chill. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 4-1 win in Miami last Wednesday, allowing only one run and two hits.

With temperatures in the 40s on Tuesday night, he was sharp again, allowing Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly and four hits in six innings. Jason Motte retired the side in order in the ninth for his second save in two chances.

The Cardinals rotation has been sensational so far, going 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA.

The Reds handed out another big contract before the game, giving second baseman Brandon Phillips a deal through 2017 worth $72.5 million. It came only five days after Votto got an additional 10 years and $225 million, looking to turn the 2010 NL Central champions into a consistent contender.

Phillips got a cramp in his left hamstring during a 7-1 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night and is expected to miss several days.

For the second game in a row, the Cardinals got to a Reds starter before he could break a sweat. They hit three homers in the first inning off Homer Bailey on Monday night.

Beltran hit Leake’s fifth pitch into the stands in right field. Leake escaped another big Cardinals first inning by getting Yadier Molina to ground into a double play with the bases loaded. Molina also grounded into a double play with two runners aboard in the eighth.

Lance Berkman, who has the most homers by a visiting player at Great American Ball Park, tripled into the right-field corner in the sixth. Freese followed with his third homer, a drive that bounced off the top of the wall in right field and caromed up into the stands.

Berkman left the game in the eighth with tightness in his left calf.

Zack Cozart hit his second triple of the season in the bottom of the inning and scored on Votto’s sacrifice fly, making it 3-1. 

NOTES: LHP Jaime Garcia starts the final game of the series for St. Louis. He’s 6-1 in his career against the Reds with a 3.13 ERA. He has given up more than three runs only once in his seven starts against Cincinnati. … RHP Johnny Cueto makes his second start for Cincinnati. He pitched seven innings in a 4-0 opening win over Miami last Thursday. … SS Rafael Furcal was out of the Cardinals’ starting lineup for the first time, getting some rest. … Reds RH reliever Nick Masset, who started the season on the 15-day DL with a sore shoulder, hasn’t started throwing yet.
 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Bard is not concerned with the stamina needed to start. He’s concentrating on his control.

Bard was hit hard, with Shane Robinson’s bases-loaded triple in the eighth inning chasing the Boston pitcher Thursday as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Red Sox 9-6.

Bard, trying to convert to a starter after serving as Boston’s setup man, allowed seven earned runs in 2 2-3 innings.

“Physically, I could throw more pitches,” Bard said. “Obviously (I) just wasn’t in the zone, wasn’t throwing strike one. (I) just need to be a little more aggressive early in the count.”

The Cardinals trailed 6-4 entering the eighth inning but Robinson, a reserve center fielder, cleared the bases with a triple off

Bard.

“I actually felt pretty comfortable because I’d faced Bard all three years of college,” said Robinson, who went to Florida State when Bard was at North Carolina. “I was just looking for something I could do some damage with. He gave me a pitch to hit.”

Boston starter Alfredo Aceves, one of the pitchers Bard is competing with, scattered three hits over four innings and struck out four while allowing just one run.

The start was Aceves’ first of the spring and he has a 1.00 ERA in nine innings.

He allowed three hits in the first two innings before retiring six consecutive batters to conclude his appearance.

With rumors swirling about how the Red Sox may use him, Aceves believes he is “valuable” in whatever

role Boston chooses for him.

“The rhythm of the game was a priority for me personally,” Aceves said when asked about Thursday’s outing. “So far, so good (this spring). I think everything is good.”

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said before the game that he wants to see all the fourth and fifth starter candidates throw two more times before making any decisions.

Kyle Lohse made the start for the Cardinals and allowed three runs in 3 2-3 innings. He gave up a two-run home run to Darnell McDonald in the fourth.

Lohse did not allow a run in his first three innings on the mound. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny indicated Lohse began to tire in the fourth inning.

“I thought he looked good in the first three (innings),”

Matheny said. “When he starts feeling a little bit fatigued, the ball starts coming up for him. . That’s kind of something I’ve seen from him in the past. As we stretch him out, he’s going to get stronger and carry that good stuff later in the game.”

Cardinal right fielder Erik Komatsu had an RBI double to right-center field in the top of the second inning to open the game’s scoring.

Attempting to score from first on the double, St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter collided with Boston shortstop Nick Punto as Carpenter rounded second base. The Cardinals’ left fielder, who was knocked to the ground and lost his helmet after the two slammed into each other, was awarded home as interference was called on Punto.

Both players were not

injured and remained in the game.

Dustin Pedroia hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead.

St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal was 2 for 4 with an RBI while center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 3 for the Red Sox.

Also on Thursday, MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have sent a minor league pitcher to Boston as part of the compensation deal for hiring executive Theo Epstein.

The Cubs traded 21-year-old righty Aaron Kurcz to Boston. He was 5-4 with a 3.28 ERA last season as a starter and reliever at Class A Daytona.

The Cubs previously sent reliever Chris Carpenter to Boston. The Red Sox still owe a player to Chicago to complete the deal.

Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli hits a two-run double in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. / Matthew Emmons-U.S. PRESSWIRE

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Can the St. Louis Cardinals’ good fortune against the Philadelphia Phillies continue in the National League Division Series?

The Phillies finished with a major league-best 102-62 record this season, yet the Cardinals were 6-3 against them and outscored them 34-32.

A recap of the teams’ meetings in 2011:

May 16 in St. Louis

Cardinals 3, Phillies 1

Jake Westbrook threw one of his best games of the season in outdueling control artist Cliff Lee, who walked a season-high six batters. The Phillies scored their only run against Westbrook in the second on Ben Francisco’s RBI single, but the Cardinals scored two in the fourth and one in the seventh against Lee. Nick Punto and Ryan Theriot had RBI singles in the fourth before Jon Jay’s RBI single in the seventh ending Lee’s outing.

May 17 in St. Louis

Cardinals 2, Phillies 1

Lance Berkman singled against J.C. Romero with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth to score Jay with the winning run. Yadier Molina’s RBI single in the fourth gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead against Roy Oswalt, but the Phillies tied the game with an unearned run against Jaime Garcia in the eighth. Garcia yielded just five hits in eight innings, with one walk and five strikeouts, but did not earn a decision.

June 21 in St. Louis

Phillies 10, Cardinals 2

The Cardinals led 2-1 entering the eighth, but the Phillies scored nine runs against relievers Trever Miller, Jason Motte, Brian Tallet, Miguel Batista and Maikel Cleto and cruised to the one-sided win. Motte hit two batters and forced in a run, and Batista walked in a pair of runs in what turned out to be his final appearance with the Cardinals. He was released the next day.

June 22 in St. Louis

Phillies 4, Cardinals 0

Lee blanked the Cardinals on six hits and benefited from fourth-inning home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, both against Kyle Lohse. Howard’s came with a man aboard. The only extra-base hit the Cardinals had against Lee was a double by Lohse.

June 23 in St. Louis

Cardinals 12, Phillies 2

This time, it was the Cardinals’ turn for a big eighth inning. Already leading 6-1, they scored six times against Danys Baez to blow open the game. Jay drew a bases-loaded walk, Matt Holliday had a two-run single and Berkman hit a three-run homer. Jay also homered in the first against Oswalt, and Theriot had a two-run single to highlight a three-run second.

Sept. 16 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 4, Phillies 2, 11 innings

Rookie Adron Chambers’ first major-league hit, a single against Michael Schwimer, drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning and Tyler Greene followed with an RBI double. The Phillies had tied the game at 2 in the ninth when Corey Patterson dropped a two-out fly ball. Molina’s home run in the eighth against Antonio Bastardo gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

Sept. 17 in Philadelphia

Phillies 9, Cardinals 2

Philadelphia plated six runs in the eighth to run away with the win. Raul Ibanez had the big blow, a two-out grand slam against Marc Rzepczynski. St. Louis had just cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 in the eighth on RBI singles by Berkman and David Freese against Michael Stutes.

Sept. 18 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 5, Phillies 0

Chris Carpenter threw eight shutout innings, Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first and Allen Craig connected for a two-run shot in the sixth to power the Cardinals. Both homers came against Cole Hamels. All eight Philadelphia hits against Carpenter were singles. Carpenter walked one and struck out five.

Sept. 19 in Philadelphia

Cardinals 4, Phillies 3

Lohse outdueled Cy Young Award candidate Roy Halladay, who surrendered Berkman’s two-run homer in the first. Berkman also had an RBI single in the third, and Pujols rifled an RBI double in the seventh. Lohse allowed seven hits and one unearned run in seven innings, walked one and struck out five. Octavio Dotel got the final out, stranding the tying run at first after the Phillies had scored twice against Motte.

– David Wilhelm

Lohse threw six scoreless innings on eight days’ rest and the Cardinals got home runs from Jon Jay and Matt Holliday in the third, slicing into the Brewers’ formidable NL Central lead with a 4-2 victory Tuesday night.

“I think I said about a month ago when I started getting moved around and skipped, I’d take the ball when Tony (La Russa) says it’s my turn and go as long as I can until he says that’s enough,” Lohse said. “I try not to worry about all the other stuff, because then you’re going to be distracted. I try not to get upset.”

The Brewers thought wind blowing in from center robbed them of three homers against Lohse. But they didn’t get upset, either.

“The elements played their part,” said Nyjer Morgan, who had three hits. “It’s all good. we’ll come back tomorrow and bring it to them.”

Lohse (13-8) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked three. He was pushed back two days behind Chris Carpenter and Jake Westbrook after giving up four runs in five innings in a win against Pittsburgh in his last start.

“I don’t think he enjoyed it and was upset because he got bumped,” manager La Russa said. “But the difficulty today was that he was pitching against a good team and he did great.”

La Russa left shortly after the game to catch a Santana concert.

Yovani Gallardo (15-10) gave up three runs in six innings, and has allowed six home runs in 10 2-3 innings over his last two starts, both losses to the Cardinals. He gave up only three his previous seven starts combined.

Gallardo dropped to 1-7 with a 5.66 ERA for his career against the Cardinals, the lone victory on May 7 in St. Louis when he took a no-hitter into the eighth of a 4-0 victory.

“Good or bad, you don’t look at those things,” Gallardo said. “Every game’s a different game, every start’s a different start. You’ve just got to go out there and give your team a chance to win.”

Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI double in the eighth for the Brewers, who lead the Central by 9½ games with 19 to play after their four-game winning streak was snapped. Corey Hart extended his hitting streak to 18 games for Milwaukee, which is a major-league best 40-16 since July 6 — with six of the losses against the Cardinals.

Hart flied out twice to the warning track in center and Ryan Braun also flied out to the track in center in the fifth, all against Lohse.

“Oh yeah, we would have had a lot of runs if we were in our ballpark,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Braunie really crushed his, but then again Holliday hammered his ball, too. The elements sometimes work against you.”

Jason Motte allowed three hits and Prince Fielder’s RBI single in the ninth before earning his third save in six chances in a September shot at closing. The run ended a streak of 21 consecutive scoreless appearances for Motte, and also was the first earned run he allowed in 34 appearances since June 24. Fernando Salas, who has 23 saves in 28 chances, got the first two outs in the seventh.

“I’m sorry it’s over, but kind of glad,” Motte said. “I don’t have to worry about you guys coming up and asking me about it every day.”

Lance Berkman, who struck out three times against Gallardo the last meeting, gave the Cardinals the lead with an RBI in the first — also his 100th career RBI against the Brewers. Jay hit his 10th homer with one out in the third and Holliday hit his 22nd just inside the right-field foul pole with two outs.

“The home run to Jay, that ball is far in off the plate. I threw the pitch where I wanted to and he turned on it,” Gallardo said. On Holliday’s homer: “That ball was up. He goes that way pretty good and put a pretty good swing on it.”

The Cardinals had three straight singles off Kameron Loe with one out the seventh with Jay getting the RBI before Albert Pujols hit into his major-league leading 26th double play. The Cardinals lead the majors with 151 — 15 shy of the major league record held by the 1958 Cardinals.

NOTES: Zack Greinke (14-5) opposes Chris Carpenter (8-9) in the finale of a three-game series. Carpenter is 5-6 with a 5.05 ERA in 14 career starts against Milwaukee and is 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA in three starts this year. … Pujols has one more double play ball than Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez. Holliday and Yadier Molina are in a three-way tie for second in the NL along with Atlanta’s Alex Gonzalez. The double play all was Pujols’ first in 28 games. … Lohse beat the Brewers for the first time in four decisions at home. … Hart doubled to lead off the game and singled to start the ninth and is batting .359 (28-for-78) with five homers and nine RBIs. … Brewers rookie Taylor Green is 4-for-4 as a pinch hitter after singling in the eighth. …

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.