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 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.
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