Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse delivers a pitch to the Houston Astros in the second inning. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse picked up his seventh straight win as he pitched seven innings of three-hit ball to earn a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. Lohse, now 13-2, retired his last 14 batters. He is 7-0 with a 2.21 ERA in 12 starts since he last dropped a 3-2 game against the Royals on June 15.
The Pirates may have won the battle, but are they losing the war?. Since beating the Cardinals in 19 innings, the Pirates dropped three straight at San Diego. The Cardinals have won consecutive games over the worst team in the NL to grab a half-game lead on Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the National League.
Mitchell Boggs worked the eighth and Jason Motte finished for his 29th save in 34 chances, completing a three-hitter. Allen Craig extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games with a first-inning single and scored a run for St. Louis. Jon Jay, Daniel Descalso and Yadier Molina each drove in a run.
| Atlanta | 71 | 53 | .573 | – |
| St. Louis | 67 | 56 | .545 | – |
| Pittsburgh | 67 | 57 | .540 | 0.5 |
| LA Dodgers | 67 | 58 | .536 | 1.0 |