Saturday, August 16, 2014
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Cards capitalize on chances to beat Padres

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[August 16, 2014]  ST. LOUIS -- When St. Louis last saw Tyson Ross last month in San Diego, he was walking five batters, yet escaping his own jams and beating the Cardinals.

On Friday night, St. Louis did a better job capitalizing on another unusual streak of wildness from the Padres' right-hander.

Scoring all three runs off Ross via walks or hit batters, the Cardinals won their third straight and solidified their grip on the first wild-card spot in the National League with a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.

Lance Lynn (13-8) scattered six hits over six innings, allowing a run with a walk and six strikeouts as he moved within two wins of the NL lead. He received needed support from Ross' fastball inaccuracy.

Entering the evening with just 56 walks in 160 2/3 innings, Ross (11-11) started the night by walking the first three hitters.

"This guy's having a nice year," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said of Ross. "Once he gets locked in, he's pretty tough. So you'd better be able to do something early when you have the opportunity."

First baseman Matt Adams cashed in immediately with an RBI single to center, followed by a run-scoring fielder's choice from shortstop Jhonny Peralta for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Ross hit center fielder Jon Jay and passed third baseman Matt Carpenter for the second time, setting up a two-out RBI single from second baseman Kolten Wong that made it 3-0.

"I felt pretty good in the bullpen, but I just couldn't find the strike zone," said Ross. "The biggest problem was fastball command."

Ross allowed five hits and three runs in six innings, walking four and hitting Jay twice. In seeing his personal four-game winning streak end, Ross tied a season low with two strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Lynn emerged mostly unscathed, save for an RBI double in the fifth by center Will Venable. But Lynn departed for a pinch-hitter after the sixth inning, having piled up 102 pitches, 21 off San Diego foul balls.

"It felt like a grind from the first pitch," Lynn said. "I felt like I had a chance to go deeper into the game, but they drove my pitch count up with foul balls."

Three Cardinals relievers picked up the last nine outs, with Pat Neshek picking up his fourth save despite surrendering a two-out solo homer to pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal in the ninth. Closer Trevor Rosenthal, who entered the night tied for the MLB lead in saves with 36, was unavailable after pitching the last two nights.

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Lynn's outing was actually the shortest by a St. Louis starter since Monday night's 6-5 loss in Florida, where Shelby Miller lasted just five innings. Not coincidentally, the Cardinals (65-56) have won three straight.

With Pittsburgh losing 5-4 in Washington, St. Louis expanded its lead for wild card No. 1 over the Pirates to 1 1/2 games. It also moved within 1 1/2 games of NL Central leader Milwaukee, pending the outcome of the Brewers' game at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"We like all our guys to go deeper into games," Matheny said. "Going six or seven innings is a big deal and it takes some pressure off the bullpen. Now the guys can slip into their roles."

St. Louis scored its last run in the eighth on a two-out pinch-single by Oscar Taveras off reliever Blaine Boyer.

The Padres, which entered the series having won 11 of 14, fell to 57-64.

NOTES: St. Louis RHP Jason Motte (lower back strain) hasn't resumed throwing yet and is still feeling discomfort. Motte is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Sunday, but a September return looks more likely. He hasn't pitched since Aug. 1. ... San Diego INF Yangervis Solarte (oblique) didn't start for a second consecutive game, although Solarte believes he'll return to the lineup before the series ends. He was injured Wednesday in a 5-3 win over Colorado. ... Cardinals C Yadier Molina (right thumb) caught a bullpen session for the second straight day and said he hopes to start gripping a bat by next week. Molina has been on the DL since July 9 after surgery to repair a torn ligament.

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

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