ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Cardinals needed a big hit, and Dexter Fowler delivered - again.
Fowler hit a three-run homer and Adam Wainwright tossed five solid innings, leading St. Louis to a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
The Cardinals have won three in a row since a season-high seven-game losing streak.
Daniel Nava homered for the Phillies, who have dropped five in a row.
Philadelphia led 2-0 before Fowler connected against Aaron Nola (3-4) in the fifth inning. Eight of Fowler’s nine homers in his first season with St. Louis have given his team the lead.
“I could have kissed him,” Wainwright said. “That was such a big hit for us as a team, but also for me.”
Tommy Pham, who had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run for St. Louis, said Fowler’s homer served as a perfect pick-me-up.
“A big momentum-shifter right there,” Pham said. “He’s a clutch player.”
Wainwright (7-4) gave up six hits, struck out four and walked two, bouncing back nicely from a rough start at Cincinnati on Tuesday. Seung Hwan Oh pitched a rocky ninth inning for his 15th save.
Wainwright needed 50 pitches to get through the first two innings, but allowed just one hit over his final three frames.
“I had very, very average stuff,” Wainwright said. “It wasn’t coming out great. But we found a way to win.”
Nola gave up just four hits, but needed 93 pitches to get through five innings on a 90-degree afternoon.
“I just didn’t execute the pitch where I wanted it,” Nola said of the Fowler home run.
Pham and Eric Fryer added run-scoring singles in the sixth, and Kolten Wong’s RBI double made it 6-3 Cardinals in the eighth. Wong’s hit took on added importance when Oh faltered in the ninth.
Philadelphia pulled within one on RBI singles by Odubel Herrera and Howie Kendrick. Oh then got Tommy Joseph to fly to right with two runners on, ending the game.
“It was good to see us score off their closer in the ninth inning,” Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said. “We just fell short again.”
WORTH NOTING
Herrera went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.
BUSCH DOMINATION
The Cardinals have won 11 of their last 13 games at home against Philadelphia and have captured the last five series between the teams in St. Louis.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: INF Cesar Hernandez was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. He suffered the injury making a throw on Friday. … RHP Joaquin Benoit was activated from the disabled list and got two outs, allowing two runs and three hits. He had been on the DL since June 3 with a left knee strain.
Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was held out of the lineup for the third straight game with lower back stiffness. He is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday, according to manager Mike Matheny.
UP NEXT
Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-7, 5.15 ERA) will face Boston RHP Rick Porcello (3-8, 4.46 ERA) in the first of a two-games series against the Red Sox on Monday. The teams meet for two games in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (4-3, 2.88 ERA) will pitch on Tuesday afternoon against Milwaukee in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. LHP Marco Gonzales will make his season debut for St. Louis in the nightcap.
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