Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton earned the nickname “Ground Chuck” last season for his ability to get grounders and keep the ball in the park.

But as Morton discovered during Tuesday night’s 10-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, when he’s up in the strike zone, the ball can go a long way.

Morton (1-2) allowed just six homers last season, the fewest in the majors among pitchers with at least 100 innings. The second one he’s served up this year was David Freese’s tiebreaking, three-run shot to right-center in the fifth, Freese’s sixth overall and third in five games.

Given the location of what was supposed to be a sinker in, Morton was not surprised where it landed.

“It was just up,” Morton said. “It didn’t do anything. It stayed up and he did a great job of staying back and hitting it to right-center.”

The Cardinals had dinged Morton for two early runs, but he was holding his own until losing control in the fifth. Matt Holliday singled with one out and Carlos Beltran walked ahead of Freese’s homer.

“He had a chance to get out (of it) but the ball just got up and flat and he missed spots,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He missed a lot of spots tonight and they did what they’re supposed to do and what they’ve been doing for a while now.”

The Pirates topped five runs, their season best for the first 21 games, for the second straight night after beating Atlanta 9-3 on Monday. But they committed four errors, matching their season worst April 20 also against the Cardinals in a 4-1 loss, leading to four unearned runs.

Morton gave up six runs, five earned, in 4 1-3 innings. Two starts ago he allowed one earned run in five innings in a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals.

“However the guys get on, they get on, and you have to make pitches and get out of situations,” Morton said. “However they get on, you have to do your job.”

Adam Wainwright worked seven solid innings for his first win since September 2010. Holliday homered in the sixth off Jared Hughes to cap a three-hit night with two RBIs.

Allen Craig had two hits and an RBI in his season debut after rehabbing from knee surgery performed last fall shortly after he belted three homers in the World Series. Rafael Furcal had two hits, including his first homer, a two-run shot off Tony Watson in the seventh that made it 10-4.

Wainwright (1-3) was hurt only by the long ball in his fifth start of the season, allowing five hits but giving up two-run homers to Jose Tabata in the third and Pedro Alvarez in the seventh. The right-hander totaled 39 wins from 2009-10 but missed last season following reconstructive elbow surgery, and became the last member of the rotation to get a win this year.

His previous victory was his 20th of the 2010 season.

“I think if you look at 90 percent of my game today, it was pretty good,” Wainwright said. “I feel like each time I’m getting a little sharper.”

Tabata ended a 140-at-bat homer drought dating to Aug. 17, 2011, against the Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse. Alvarez was the first Pirates player to reach double figures in RBIs with his sixth homer and a run-scoring single, giving him 12 on the year. Garret Jones has 10 RBIs after an RBI single off Fernando Salas in the eighth cut the deficit to three.

“We’re always finishing and grinding it out,” Alvarez said. “We’re playing to the last pitch. Maybe if we played a little better defense earlier in the game, we don’t find ourselves in that kind of a situation.”

Jason Motte worked the ninth for his fourth save in five chances.

Plate umpire C.B. Buckner left the game due to illness during a pitching change with one out in the bottom of the seventh and a crew of three finished the game, with second base ump Dan Iassogna moving behind the plate. Buckner briefly went to the St. Louis clubhouse for attention during a break between innings before calling it a night.

NOTES: Lance Lynn (4-0, 1.33 ERA), off to a great start as the stand-in for injured ace Chris Carpenter , opposes A.J. Burnett (1-1, 1.38) in the second game of the three-game series Wednesday. … Slow-footed Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 4 for 4 in steals. He caught Morton so unaware in the fourth there was no throw and was on the front end of a double steal in the seventh that prompted a wild throw from catcher Rod Barajas , allowing a run to score. … Morton did not miss injured Cardinals 1B Lance Berkman , who is 8 for 14 with two homers and six RBIs against him.

Adam Wainwright worked seven solid innings for his first win since September 2010, and the St. Louis Cardinals got big nights at the plate from David Freese and Matt Holliday to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-7 on Tuesday.

Freese’s sixth home run and third in five games was a tiebreaking, three-run shot off Charlie Morton (1-2) in the fifth. Holliday homered in the sixth off Jared Hughes to cap a three-hit night with two RBIs.

Allen Craig had two hits and an RBI in his season debut after rehabbing from knee surgery performed last fall shortly after he belted three homers in the World Series. Rafael Furcal had two hits, including his first homer _ a two-run shot off Tony Watson in the seventh that made it 10-4.

Wainwright (1-3) was hurt only by the long ball in his fifth start of the season, allowing five hits but giving up two-run homers to Jose Tabata in the third and Pedro Alvarez in the seventh. The right-hander totaled 39 wins from 2009-10 but missed last season following reconstructive elbow surgery, and became the last member of the rotation to get a win this year.

His previous victory was his 20th of the 2010 season.

In his first four starts, the Cardinals didn’t score while Wainwright was in the game. This time, he left with a 7-4 cushion. Wainwright’s ERA remains unsightly at 6.75, the highest at any point during his career as a starter, but he’s made strides the last two outings, with the Cubs getting one run in six innings April 24.

The Pirates topped five runs, their season best for the first 21 games, for the second straight night after beating Atlanta 9-3 on Monday. But they committed four errors, matching their season worst April 20 also against the Cardinals in a 4-1 loss, leading to four unearned runs.

Tabata ended a 140-at-bat homer drought dating to Aug. 17, 2011, against the Cardinals’ Kyle Lohse. Alvarez was the first Pirates player to reach double figures in RBIs with his sixth homer and a run-scoring single giving him 12 on the year. Garret Jones has 10 RBIs after an RBI single off Fernando Salas in the eighth cut the deficit to three.

Jason Motte worked the ninth for his fourth save in five chances.

Plate umpire C.B. Buckner left the game due to illness during a pitching change with one out in the bottom of the seventh and a crew of three finished the game, with second base ump Dan Iassogna moving behind the plate. Buckner briefly went to the St. Louis clubhouse for attention during a break between innings before calling it a night.

Morton was the toughest pitcher to homer against in the majors last season, allowing just six in 171 2-3 innings, with five by left-handed hitters. Freese’s sixth of the season was the second in 21 1-3 innings this year, both by right-handed hitters. Ramon Hernandez of Colorado connected in Morton’s previous start.

Wainwright has allowed six homers in 26 2-3 innings, twice as many as anyone else in the rotation. In 2010, he permitted 15 homers in 230 1-3 innings.

NOTES: Lance Lynn (4-0, 1.33 ERA), off to a great start as the stand-in for injured ace Chris Carpenter, opposes A.J. Burnett (1-1, 1.38) in the second game of the three-game series Wednesday. … Slow-footed Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 4 for 4 in steals. He caught Morton so unaware in the fourth there was no throw and was on the front end of a double steal in the seventh that prompted a wild throw from catcher Rod Barajas, allowing a run to score. … Morton did not miss injured Cardinals 1B Lance Berkman, who is 8 for 14 with two homers and six RBIs against him. … Jon Jay and Molina each had two hits, and both have nine hits in the first four games of a six-game homestand.

ST. LOUIS — Thursday was a day of firsts for several Cincinnati Reds hitters, and another day to forget for Adam Wainwright.

Brandon Phillips homered for his first RBI of the season and Drew Stubbs homered for his first extra-base hit as the Reds backed soft-tossing Bronson Arroyo’s eight innings and broke loose for a 6-3 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals that avoided a three-game sweep.

“It’s been so long since we played a game like that,” manager Dusty Baker said. “I’m just glad our offense got clicking.”

Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had connected just once in their previous nine games and began the day with a .211 batting average.

The Reds picked on Wainwright (0-3), a 20-game winner in 2010 coming off reconstructive elbow surgery that sidelined him all of 2011.

Wainwright is winless in his first three decisions for the first time in his career. He allowed multiple home runs in consecutive starts for just the second time.

“His velocity is a little bit down,” Ludwick said. “I feel like we were able to take advantage of it a little bit and in that scenario, you’ve got to. When he’s on, when he gets back to 100 percent, he’s one of those guys that sometimes you’re lucky to get one run against.”

Although he said it was a “valid question” to ask whether the comeback had been a lot tougher than he had anticipated, Wainwright added: “I’m just in a funk.

“You can say whatever you want to about surgery and all that. My arm feels fine, I’m just not throwing great.”

Wainwright allowed four runs in five innings, leaving him with a 9.88 ERA. He thought his fastball had more life and his curveball also was improved, but “my cutter was brutal, and that’s what both home runs were on.”

Phillips hit his first homer since Sept. 20 against the Astros, a span of 53 at-bats, and drove in his first run in 40 at-bats. Stubbs was 3-for-5 and the home run was his first extra-base hit in 50 at-bats.

Ludwick’s two-run homer was Cincinnati’s second in a span of three at-bats in the fourth. Stubbs hit his first against Victor Marte in the seventh.

Matt Holliday’s three-run homer in the sixth was the only damage against Arroyo (1-0), who struck out five and walked none in scattering five hits. Arroyo threw just 90 pitches.

“He doesn’t throw any fastballs on fastball counts,” Holliday said. “He mixes it up, slow, slow and slower, and then he’ll sneak his fastball in there. He had us off-balance.”

Joey Votto added an RBI single in the Reds’ ninth against Fernando Salas. Sean Marshall struck out the side after allowing a leadoff hit in the ninth for his second save in as many chances.

Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay left after the seventh with a sprained right shoulder after bumping into the wall trying to grab Stubbs’ homer. Jay said X-rays showed no significant damage and said he was day to day.

“I was about to make my jump and just miscalculated my steps,” Jay said. “It’s not too bad. Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day.”

Earlier Thursday, general manager John Mozeliak said first baseman Lance Berkman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left calf injury. The Cardinals plan on activating utilityman Skip Schumaker from the 15-day DL from a pulled right side muscle sustained in spring training.

“If you can’t run, you can’t play,” Berkman said after the game. “It’s not really that tough of a decision.”

Phillips got his RBI with one out in the third, Jay Bruce followed with a single and Ludwick hit the next pitch beyond the visitor’s bullpen.

Arroyo allowed two hits the first five innings, but the Cardinals opened the sixth with three consecutive hits. Rafael Furcal and Jay singled before Holliday, who had been 3-for-26 on the homestand, hit his third homer to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals are 9-4. A sweep against the Reds would have given the franchise its best start to the season since it was 13-3 in 1982, a World Series title year.

Notes: The Reds are 3-21-2 in 26 series in St. Louis since 2003. … Right-hander Homer Bailey (0-2, 5.40) starts for the Reds in the opener of a three-game series today at the Chicago Cubs. St. Louis’ Lance Lynn (2-0, 1.50) makes his fifth career start at Pittsburgh. … Wainwright previous allowed homers in consecutive starts May 5 and 10, 2009, surrendering two each against the Phillies at home and at Cincinnati. … Marshall has seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. … Rafael Furcal had two hits for the Cardinals and is 6-for-10 the past two games.

MIAMI — The sellout crowd in the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark cheered the introduction of their starters, who were accompanied by women dressed as Latin showgirls. There was another roar for Muhammad Ali, who delivered the first pitch.

Then Kyle Lohse and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals went to work, and the place grew quiet.

Lohse held Miami hitless until the seventh inning and pitched into the eighth to help the Cardinals win the first game in Marlins Park, 4-1 Wednesday night.

The Marlins’ new animated home-run sculpture never budged. It was the fourth inning before they even managed a baserunner, and by the time they scored in the eighth, they trailed 4-0.

“It’s a good ballpark for a pitcher, obviously,” Lohse said. “It’s pretty hard to get it out.”

New Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was asked if the team’s new home is a pitcher’s park.

“For Lohse, yes,” Guillen said. “But it’s too early to say how the ballpark is going to play.”

The crowd of 36,601 included newly retired Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who quietly rooted for his former team from the press box.

He watched Lohse retire the first 10 batters before hitting Emilio Bonifacio with a pitch. The runner was erased when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play.

Newcomer Jose Reyes singled for Miami’s first hit to start the seventh, and Omar Infante scored the Marlins’ run in the eighth on John Buck’s double. Lohse went 7 1-3 innings, allowing only two hits and one run.

The right-hander led the Cardinals last year in victories and ERA but got the call for opening day only because ace Chris Carpenter is sidelined with nerve irritation that has caused weakness in his pitching shoulder.

David Freese, the World Series MVP, had a two-run single in the first inning to give Lohse the cushion he needed. Freese and Rafael Furcal each had three of the Cardinals’ 13 hits.

“Tonight was fun,” Freese said. “It’s always nice to get the season going and to open up here, beautiful ballpark, the fans were excited about it and so were we.”

Jason Motte earned the save with a one-hit ninth, completing the four-hitter and sending the Cardinals to the clubhouse to celebrate first-year manager Mike Matheny’s debut win.

“We gave him a little water shower,” Lohse said. “Most people go with the adult beverage but we went with the water.”

Things were so bad for Guillen’s team that Marlins ace Josh Johnson recorded the ballpark’s first strikeout — but as a hitter.

Johnson allowed 10 hits and three runs in six innings. The 2010 NL ERA leader was pitching for the first time since last May 16, when shoulder inflammation ended his year.

Ramirez, making the switch to third base from shortstop, had an especially rough night. He drew scattered boos when he pulled up rather than dive for a grounder to his left, and he failed to throw out Furcal on a bunt that went for a hit. Ramirez also struck out with a runner aboard in the ninth to finish 0 for 4.

Both teams began the season with a new look. The Marlins, anticipating better attendance and higher revenue in their new home, acquired three All-Stars in an offseason spending spree. The Cardinals, coming off a thrilling late-season charge to the World Series title, lost slugger Albert Pujols to free agency and La Russa to retirement.

La Russa visited with Matheny before the game. Also on hand was baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who said his reaction to the ballpark was, “Wow.”

Among the eye-catching features is the colorful home-run sculpture beyond the center-field wall, but the Marlins failed to activate it, although Giancarlo Stanton did send two flies to the warning track.

The retractable roof, which is expected to be closed for all but about 10 games, was opened 30 minutes before the first pitch, revealing a nearly full moon on a 79-degree evening. Surprise guest Ali delivered the first pitch, which Ramirez gently took from the champ’s hand.

The first pitch from Johnson to Rafael Furcal caught the outside corner for a called strike. Furcal then grounded to new shortstop Reyes for the first out.

Cardinals newcomer Carlos Beltran followed with the first hit, a sharp single to right. He took third on a double by Lance Berkman, and Freese drove in both runs with a two-out single.

Furcal’s two-out RBI single in the second made it 3-0, and a 50-foot groundout by Daniel Descalso brought home an insurance run in the eighth.

NOTES: The Marlins drew 41,237 for last year’s home opener, then went on to finish last in the NL in attendance for the seventh consecutive year. … Before the game, Guillen said Ramirez has a chance to be the NL MVP. … The only no-hitter on opening day was thrown in 1940 by Hall of Famer Bob Feller for the Cleveland Indians against the Chicago White Sox. … Lohse pitched five shutout innings in his only other opening-day start, which was in 2008.

St. Louis was the center of attention in 1904.
The city was hosting the World’s Fair in Forest Park and was also selected to have the first Summer Olympic Games on American soil. People from all over the world met in St. Louis and not only witnessed what the Fair had to offer, but the city as well — and baseball was part of the summer spectacle. The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t have an exciting season that year, they eventually finished in fifth place with a 75-79 record.
St. Louis visitors were entertained, St. Louis baseball fans probably weren’t happy their baseball team wasn’t doing so well, but there was one particular road trip they took where the fans came out in mass numbers — the Cardinals probably couldn’t count the number of people that showed up to the train station to greet them, yet that’s what happened when the St. Louis Cardinals came to play Hannibal.
It was all thanks to veteran first baseman Jake Beckley. The Hannibal native was near the end of his career when he came to the Cardinals and since the team was going to have some open dates following a series with the Chicago Cubs before a road trip to play the Cincinnati Reds, Beckley was able to bring his team to Hannibal for a Sept. 8, 1904, exhibition game. This wasn’t the first time “Old Eagle Eye” — Beckley’s popular nickname — brought a big league team to town. Beckley brought the Pittsburgh Pirates to Hannibal in 1896 — his seventh year in the pros.
The train pulled into station at noon and when the players exited the cars, They were met with a roar of cheers and applause. Beckley made room arrangements in the Kettering Hotel (demolished in the 1990s to make room for the new flood wall) where the team rested before game time at Athletic Park later that afternoon.
“I may pitch an inning or two to satisfy the crowd, but that will be all” Cardinals player/manager and future Hall of Fame pitcher Kid Nichols told a Courier-Post reporter at the train station. “The team is badly crippled and I have been doing so much of the pitching here of late that I’m in no condition to do any work today. I am well pleased with Hannibal, and I think you have a nice little city here.”
After the players were out of the public eye, fans headed for the ballpark where they would witness a close battle and a dramatic finish.

Down to the wire
The Cardinals scored first with a run in the top of the first. The Redbirds added to their lead with another run in the third.
It looked as if this was going to be a routine exhibition game with a big league team going up against nine amateurs, but Hannibal came back in the bottom of the fourth when the second baseman Monahan and outfielders Jessup and Gallagher scored after reaching on base hits. The big inning put Hannibal up over St. Louis 3-2, but the Cardinals kept going strong.
According to the Courier-Post article, “it was apparent that something had to be done or the visitors would be beaten.”
After a scoreless fifth thanks to dominant pitching from St. Louis’ Nichols and Jack Dunleavy and Hannibal’s Myers (who pitched a complete game), the Cardinals came back to tie Hannibal 3-3 when they scored a run in the sixth.
Hannibal’s eight total hits on the day weren’t enough to send more runners home following their big fourth inning takeover. Myers struck out four Cardinal batters while Nichols only managed to whiff one and Dunleavy retired two. In the seventh, however, the Hannibal hurler couldn’t stop his fellow Hannibalian from stealing the show.
“It was in the air that the Cardinals would win in the seventh inning and they appeared to save that determination themselves,” the Courier-Post reported.
After St. Louis’ Charlie Swindells and John Farrell reached on base hits, Beckley came to the plate. He was a big man standing higher than six feet and weighed at just about 200 pounds.
“He made a feint as if he intended to bunt the ball and all the base runners to make a double steal,” the Courier-Post reported, “but instead he lifted the sphere over the right field fence and with that ever present smile that accompanies his feats, he trotted around the bases.”
Beckley’s blast put St. Louis ahead, and with the scoreless innings that followed, the homer that gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead ended up being the game’s final score.
The Cardinals left the next morning for their road series where they took two of three games from the Reds.

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. …

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