PITTSBURGH — Matt Holliday hit a tie breaking home run and Kyle Lohse won his eighth consecutive decision, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Holliday led off the sixth inning with his 24th home run, a drive to right field off A.J. Burnett (Central Arkansas Christian) that put St. Louis ahead for good at 3-2.
Lohse (14-2) pitched five innings before being lifted following a 34-minute rain delay in the top of the sixth. He allowed 2 runs and 5 hits while striking out 3 and walking none.
Lohse has not lost in 13 starts dating to June 15 and raised his career record against Pittsburgh to 9-2.
Burnett (15-5) gave up 4 runs, 3 earned, and 7 hits in 5 2/3 innings, struck out 3 strikeouts and walked 1. He lost at home for just the second time this season in 10 decisions and 13 starts.
Holliday, Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker each had two hits for the Cardinals as did Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes for Pittsburgh.
St. Louis, which has won six of seven, entered play with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second NL wild-card berth. Pittsburgh fell three games behind the Cardinals with its sixth loss in seven games.
The Cardinals added a run in the sixth after Holliday’s home run as Yadier Molina hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
The Pirates drew within a run in the seventh inning on Barmes’ RBI double. They put runners on first and second in the eighth but closer Jason Motte came in and escaped the jam by getting Josh Harrison to hit into an inning-ending force play.
Motte retired the side in the ninth for his 31st save in 36 opportunities.
BREWERS 15, CUBS 4 Aramis Ramirez hit two of Milwaukee’s five home runs to lead the Brewers to a victory over Chicago. Ramirez hit a two-run shot in the fifth and a home run in the ninth as Milwaukee beat Chicago for the sixth consecutive time.
ROCKIES 10, DODGERS 0 Jeff Francis (5-4) and three relievers pitched a combined fourhitter as host Colorado beat Los Angeles to spoil the Dodgers debut of Josh Beckett. Beckett (0-1) was acquired in a nine-player mega deal deal with the Boston Red Sox over the weekend.
American League ATHLETICS 3, INDIANS 0 Brett Anderson gave up two hits over seven innings as visiting Oakland beat Cleveland. The Indians lost starter Roberto Hernandez (0-3) after 2 1/3 innings with a sprained right ankle and fell to 5-24 since July 27. Anderson (2-0), in his second start since returning from elbow ligament replacement surgery in July 2011, retired the first 13 batters until Michael Brantley was ruled safe with an infield hit in the fifth inning. TV replays showed that umpire Jerry Meals missed the call.
BLUE JAYS 8, YANKEES 7 Colby Rasmus hit a three-run home run off Rafael Soriano with two outs in the ninth inning and visiting Toronto took advantage of Derek Lowe’s wild pickoff throw in the 11th to beat New York.
MARINERS 1, TWINS 0 Felix Hernandez struck out five in a five-hitter and Eric Thames hit a home run in the eighth inning to lift visiting Seattle to a victory over Minnesota. Hernandez (13-5) hasn’t lost a decision since June 12.
ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 3 Nate McLouth hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, Lew Ford also connected and host Baltimore rallied to beat Chicago. It was the franchise-record 13th consecutive one-run victory for the Orioles, who trailed 2-1 in the sixth and 3-2 in the eighth.
RANGERS 6, RAYS 5 Adrian Beltre was 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBI, including the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning, to lead host Texas to a victory over Tampa Bay.
RED SOX 5, ROYALS 1 Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from the disabled list with his best start of the season and Cody Ross drove in three runs, leading host Boston to a victory over Kansas City.
Monday’s games NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 3
Milwaukee 15, Chicago Cubs 4
Colorado 10, LA Dodgers 0
Cincinnati at Arizona, (n)
Atlanta at San Diego, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 5, Kansas City 1
Baltimore 4, Chicago White Sox 3
Oakland 3, Cleveland 0
Toronto 8, N.Y. Yankees 7 (11)
Texas 6, Tampa Bay 5
Seattle 1, Minnesota 0
Sports, Pages 18 on 08/28/2012