Cardinals 3, Diamondbacks 1

[August 27, 2015]  PHOENIX -- St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong doubled in the go-ahead run in a two-run seventh inning, and right-hander John Lackey gave up one run in seven innings in the Cardinals' 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field.

Left fielder Stephen Piscotty singled to open the seventh inning off right-hander David Hernandez (1-4) before Wong doubled over left fielder David Peralta's glove into the corner to drive in Piscotty.

Wong scored on a two-out single by third baseman Matt Carpenter as the Cardinals (81-45) ran their winning streak to four games. St. Louis remains 4 1/2 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central.

Lackey (11-8) gave up a first-inning home run to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, but Arizona had only two more runners get as far as second base. Lackey retired the final seven he faced and used only 88 pitches.

St. Louis right-hander Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth for his 40th save, tying Pittsburgh's Mark Melancon for the major league lead.

Cardinals first baseman Mark Reynolds homered off Arizona starter Patrick Corbin to tie the game at 1 with one out in the fifth inning.

Arizona (62-64) has lost three in a row after winning the previous four and has lost all six games against the Cardinals this season. The final game of a four-game series is Thursday.

The Diamondbacks dropped 7 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers after entering the St. Louis series five games behind.

Goldschmidt and right fielder Ender Inciarte had two hits for Arizona.

Goldschmidt's 25th homer of the season with two outs in the first inning gave Arizona a 1-0 lead. The first baseman is the only player in the majors with 25 homers and 20 stolen bases in 2015.

Lackey was backed by infield double plays in three of the first six innings.

Corbin gave up three hits and one run before being removed after six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

NOTES: St. Louis CF Jon Jay (wrist) took early batting practice Wednesday and is expected to begin a rehab assignment shortly before returning to the team. ... Cardinals 1B Matt Adams also could return in the next week from a quadriceps injury that required surgery and has kept him out since May 27. ... Arizona CF A.J. Pollock entered Wednesday's game with a .412 batting average in 92 plate appearances in August, tops in the NL and second in major leagues among players with at least 50 plate appearances. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera was hitting .500 in 52 plate appearances. Pollock went 0-for-4 Wednesday. ... The Cardinals were the first team in the majors to reach 80 victories, getting there Tuesday.

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.