Early in the game, Lance Berkman injured his right knee stretching for a throw at first. His replacement, Matt Carpenter booted a ground ball in the fourth allowing the Dodgers to get on the board and L.A.’s Clayton Kershaw did the rest in a 6-0 Cardinals loss.

First, Berkman. He just returned from the DL last weekend after returning from a calf injury and has played in just 13 games. Berkman is not sure what the issue is. “I wish I knew. We’re just going to wait and see what the MRI says, but it just doesn’t feel right. It buckled on me twice, and I don’t know why it did that. I was able to move around OK in here, and then it buckled again. So I have to be careful with it. It’s not too painful, but it’s just a weird feeling. I wish I could describe it. There’s a little bit of instability that’s mildly concerning.”

Carpenter’s error led to two run after Adam Kennedy hit a hard grounder down to first with runners on second and third and no outs in the fourth. Jake Westbrook suffered the loss giving up four runs, three earned, in 6.1 innings.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals had no answer for Clayton Kershaw. He went the distance for L.A., throwing a six hit shutout while striking out four.

The Cardinals made three errors including third baseman David Freese’s errant throw on pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff’s two-out grounder that allowed Brandon Belt to score the go-ahead run as the Cardinals lost 7-5, splitting the two game series with the Giants.

First baseman Lance Berkman also made an error in the second inning to help lead to a two-run single. Three of the five runs scored off Adam Wainwright (2-5) were unearned.

The Cardinals are banged up. With Jon Jay already on the DL, Carlos Beltran (right knee) did not start for a fourth straight game. He came out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. Allen Craig sat after tweaking his left hamstring.

Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia struck out nine and David Freese broke out of a 0 for 17 slump as the 2011 World Series Champs beat the 2010 World Series Champs, 4-1, Wednesday night in San Francisco.

Garcia held the Giants most of the night until the sixth inning when Buster Posey singled in a run to tie the game at 1-1. Following, in the seventh, David Freese hit a solo homer off Madison Bumgarner to put the Cardinals back on top. In the eighth, Skip Schumaker doubled home two.

Garcia pitched 7.1 innings and gave up nine hits along with his nine K’s. The Cardinals stopped Bumgarner’s eight start home winning streak.

St. Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina jumps for joy after hitting the winning RBI single against the Chicago Cubs. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

The Cardinals snapped a four game losing streak in a back and forth game with the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium winning 7-6. Yadier Molina hit an RBI single off Cubs closer Rafael Dolis with two outs in the ninth inning.

Alfonso Soriano, who hit 26 home runs last year, tied it for the Cubs with his first of the season leading off the ninth against Jason Motte (2-1). That came after Matt Carpenter’s second homer in four games off James Russell had put the Cardinals up in the eighth.

Matt Holliday also homered for the Cardinals. Bryan LaHair homered for the Cubs. It was his tenth of the year and fifth against the Cardinals.

The Cubs scored three runs in the first off Kyle Lohse who got a no-decision.

Cardinals David Freese is tagged out at home plate by Cubs catcher Geovany Soto as he tries to score from first base in the sixth inning. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Alfonso Soriano singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Bryan LaHair had three hits, including a two-run homer, his fourth against the Cardinals, who dropped their fourth in a row falling to the visitors 6-4 Monday night at Busch Stadium.

LaHair has nine homers this season and was walked in the eighth as Mitchell Boggs was on the mound to face Soriano who was 0 for 9 with seven strikeouts lifetime against Boggs. The Cubs managed to score after the Cardinals turned a 3-5-4 double play earlier in the inning. Lance Berkman, the first baseman, fielded Starlin Castro’s popped-up bunt and threw to third to force David DeJesus, then David Freese’s relay to first was there in plenty of time to get Castro. Tony Campana was on second, and LaHair was intentionally walked, Soriano’s first hit gave them the lead.

The Cubs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth against starter Jake Westbrook, but the Cardinals rallied with four runs in the bottom of the sixth off Ryan Dempster, still looking for his first win of the season. Yadier Molina’s two-run double and Skip Schumaker’s tying RBI single were the key hits in the Cardinals’ four-run sixth. Schumaker is a career .431 hitter against Dempster.