then retired 11 straight before Chris Davis

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ST. LOUIS -- Matt Holliday doesnt get too technical about what he tries to do at the plate for the Cardinals. Holliday hit his third home run in two games and broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run single, rallying St. Louis past the Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Sunday. "I just try to hit the ball to the middle of the field," said Holliday, who has five homers against the Cubs this season and 20 in his career. "Trying to hit a single up the middle is a good approach." Holliday finished with three hits and four RBIs for the Cardinals, who moved into a tie with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central. The Brewers lost 15-5 in San Francisco. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny was pleased with his teams performance. "I love it when guys do what theyve always done and people seem to forget year after year," Matheny said. "Hes an elite player. He continues to figure out ways to get it done no matter what. It was a big game and we needed it." St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong homered but left in the top of the eighth after falling backward when he tried to catch a popup in short right field. He appeared to hurt his head and shoulder, and was replaced by Pete Kozma. Kozma, in his third stint with St. Louis this season, led off the bottom half with a double. It was his second hit in four at-bats this year. After failing to get down two bunt attempts, Daniel Descalso got the third one down and beat Carlos Villanuevas throw to first for a single. With the bases loaded and two outs, Holliday singled off Villanueva (5-7) to drive in two runs. The ball appeared to hit Villanuevas foot, but the reliever said it actually struck the rubber and caromed into short left field. Jhonny Peraltas third single scored the final run in a three-run eighth. Pat Neshek (7-1) earned the win with one inning of work. Trevor Rosenthal got his 40th save in 45 chances with a scoreless ninth. The Cardinals trailed 5-0 but rallied to tie it at 6 with two runs in the seventh. With two outs and two on, Peralta and Yadier Molina each hit a run-scoring single off Pedro Strop. John Lackey pitched 6 1-3 innings in his sixth start for St. Louis since coming over from Boston on July 31. The right-hander allowed five runs, two earned, and nine hits. "Weve got a bunch of grinders," Holliday said. "We havent had the best offensive season. Lackey gave us a chance. He shut them down after the second and gave us a chance to get a couple here and a couple there. Next thing you know youre within a run and with a big hit, you have a chance to win the game." Lackey issued a leadoff walk in the second and made a throwing error that allowed a run to score. Chris Coghlan hit a two-run single and Luis Valbuena, who had three hits, added a two-run homer to make it 5-0. "I definitely would have liked to not let that inning get as far out of hand as it did and try to cut it to maybe two or three runs," Lackey said. "But I was able to make some adjustments after that and youve got to give the offence all the credit in the world today the way they came back, especially Matt, whos swinging the bat so well. It just was a big comeback win for us." Holliday hit his 16th homer in the fourth, and St. Louis scored three in the fifth. Wong hit a leadoff homer, and Matt Carpenters RBI double glanced off the glove of centre fielder Arismendy Alcantara at the warning track. Hollidays run-scoring double off the left-field fence chased starter Travis Wood. Holliday is 13 for 37 (.351) against Wood with four home runs. "They got a couple of pitches to hit out of the ballpark and they kept plugging away," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "Thats what happens when you play against good clubs. Thats the beauty of the Central Division. Ill still take my club against their club any day, and well keep battling." Alcantara gave the Cubs a 6-4 edge with a solo homer off reliever Randy Choate. Wong said he was fighting the sun trying to catch the popup and fell. He underwent concussion tests. "I felt really dizzy," Wong said. "Im not in any pain and I dont have any headaches." TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo (tightness in lower back) was out of the lineup again. Rizzo, second in the NL with 30 homers, has not played since Tuesday in Cincinnati, where his back tightened up during a 50-minute rain delay. He is expected back Monday. Cardinals: RHPs Michael Wacha (shoulder) and Jason Motte (shoulder) were scheduled to pitch Sunday night for Double-A Springfield. Both pitchers are on rehab assignments. SLUMPING St. Louis 1B Matt Adams did not start. He was 1 for 12 in three games against Chicago. Adams, who has only one homer since July 19, appeared in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter and struck out. His average dropped to .296. UP NEXT Cubs: Jacob Turner (4-8, 5.84 ERA) will make his second start at home Monday against Milwaukee. The St. Louis native is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three appearances with Chicago since he was acquired from Miami. Cardinals: Lance Lynn (14-8, 2.79) starts at home Monday afternoon against Pittsburgh. Lynns start will be his team-leading 28th of the season and his fourth against the Pirates. With a victory, Lynn would join Detroit ace Max Scherzer as the only pitchers with 15 wins in each of the last three seasons. Swingman Steve Nash Jersey . - Gary Kubiak is John Elways No. Swingman Jason Kidd Jersey .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.themavericksshop.us/jose-bar ... ks-jersey/. The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Devin Harris Mavericks Jersey .com) - Marian Gaborik scored his sixth goal in the last four games to help the Los Angeles Kings top the Arizona Coyotes, 4-2, Saturday at Staples Center. Zaza Pachulia Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. BALTIMORE -- Even though the Boston Red Sox insist that theyve turned the page from last year, their first win of the season was eerily reminiscent of 2013. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli homered, John Lackey threw six sharp innings and Boston ruined the Baltimore debut of Ubaldo Jimenez with a 6-2 victory Wednesday night. Dustin Pedroia had four hits for the defending World Series champion Red Sox, now 1-1 after losing to Baltimore on opening day. "Dustin, David and Mike. Thats three of the better hitters in the league," said Boston manager John Farrell, who rode the trio to 97 wins during the 2013 regular season. Lackey (1-0) looked even sharper than he did last year, when he had a 3.52 ERA in 29 starts. In this one, the right-hander allowed two runs and three hits before handing the ball to the bullpen, which finished with three scoreless innings. "I just threw country hard balls the first few innings, then was able to mix in other pitches later on," Lackey said. "I was very pleased for the first time. It felt pretty good. Its something I can keep building on." Lackey said he made "one mistake" -- an 0-2 pitch that Nelson Cruz hit over the right field wall for his second homer in two games. But the Orioles did little else right against Lackey, who walked one and struck out six in improving to 14-5 lifetime against Baltimore. "He had command and he was throwing strikes and he was working fast," Orioles catcher Matt Wieters said. "It seemed like it was the fourth or fifth inning before we really started to see some pitches over the middle of the plate. Youve got to tip your hat to him. When he can locate like that with his kind of stuff, youre going to have success." Ortiz connected in the third inning and Napoli made it 4-2 with a two-run shot in the fifth. Both homers came off Jimenez (0-1), who signed a four-year contract with the Orioles in February after winning 13 games with Cleveland last year. "The one to David, that was a good pitch," Jimenez said. "It seems like he was looking for that pitch and he hit it good. But the one to Napoli, I would definitely like to have that back. Oh-and-2, biig mistake.dddddddddddd I was trying to go away and left it right down the middle." Jimenez allowed four runs, five hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out six in his lamentable Orioles debut. "You always want to win. But it is part of the game," he said. "Thats how it goes. I still have 30 more games to go. I have to get ready for my next one." Ortiz put the Red Sox up 2-0 in the third inning with a drive to right following a single by Pedroia. Ortiz was 0 for 7 lifetime against Jimenez before connecting. "The pitch to Ortiz wasnt a bad pitch," Wieters said. "He was probably looking for something in and he got it and he didnt miss it. Youve got to give him credit." Lackey gave up a leadoff single to Nick Markakis, then retired 11 straight before Chris Davis walked with two outs in the fourth. Cruz followed with an opposite-field drive to right on an 0-2 pitch. Signed as a free agent in February, Cruz has accounted for all of Baltimores four runs this season -- three RBIs and a run scored. In the fifth, Jimenez hit Daniel Nava with a pitch and Napoli homered on an 0-2 count. Boston pulled away in the seventh against Ryan Webb. After two singles and an intentional walk to Ortiz loaded the bases, Napoli lined a two-run single to left. Napoli had a major league-leading 31 RBIs last year with the bases loaded. And this year, nothings changed. "In that situation, youve got one out and the bases loaded, so Im just trying to hit a flyball to get the run in," Napoli said. "I just happened to get a base hit, so thats extra. Its nice to come through in those situations." NOTES: Thursday nights series finale features a duel of left-handers: Bostons Felix Doubront against Wei-Yin Chen. ... Baltimore LHP Johan Santana, seeking to rebound from shoulder surgery, threw 30 pitches off a full mound Wednesday in Florida. "Its encouraging to see that Johans throwing all his pitches," manager Buck Showalter said. ... David Lough went 0 for 4 and Steve Lombardozzi went 1 for 3 in their Orioles debut. ... Lackey has gone at least five innings in 23 of 24 starts against Baltimore. China Jerseys ' ' '