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After Yadier Molina’s two homers led the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 win at Milwaukee Saturday Cheap Customized Chicago Bears Jerseys , manager Mike Matheny spoke hopefully of a bounce the win would create.

His instinct proved correct Sunday when St. Louis capped a rough road trip with an 8-2 rout that allowed it to salvage a split of a four-game series with the National League Central leaders and pushed it within 4 1/2 games of the Brewers.

The Cardinals open a six-game homestand Monday night in Busch Stadium with the second of four straight series against first-place teams, facing the Cleveland Indians.

St. Louis (40-36) scored just seven runs in its first three games in Milwaukee, whiffing 34 times, with 15 occurring in a 2-1 loss Friday night. It fanned another 11 times on Sunday but mixed in 10 hits, including a three-run homer by Jose Martinez to cap a five-run fourth inning that turned momentum for good.

While the Cardinals enter the series with hope that they are turning things around, Cleveland (43-33) did so during the last week. Its 12-2 rout Sunday of Detroit was its seventh straight win, moving it eight games ahead of the Tigers and Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

The Indians also appear to have the mound advantage for the series opener with Mike Clevinger (6-2, 3.00 ERA) against spot starter John Gant (1-2, 4.39).

Clevinger’s last start was one of his best this year. He notched 10 strikeouts Tuesday night in 7 2/3 innings of a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Clevinger has lasted at least six innings in five straight starts, solidifying his place in a deep rotation.

“His fastball had really good life,” Chicago manager Rick Renteria told mlb.com. “He was keeping the ball down below the zone. You saw him get a lot of checked swings on some of his breaking pitches … he’s got a pretty good repertoire and was able to command consistently in the zone consistently throughout the whole ballgame.”

Gant is starting in place of Michael Wacha, who took his 8-2 record to the disabled list last week after suffering an oblique strain Wednesday in Philadelphia. The former Atlanta Braves prospect is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts this year Cheap Customized Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys , leading some to wonder why Dakota Hudson (10-2 at Triple-A Memphis) or Daniel Poncedeleon was not picked to replace Wacha.

In his last start, Gant lasted 5 1/3 innings on May 25 in Pittsburgh, losing 8-1 despite fanning seven and walking none. He was charged with four hits and three runs.

Gant has made one career start against Cleveland, lasting two innings in a 2016 game for the Braves and permitting one run and three hits with two strikeouts.

Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.24) starts Tuesday night for St. Louis opposite Corey Kluber (11-3, 2.10). Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.50) faces the Indians’ Shane Bieber (2-0, 2.45) in a battle of rookie right-handers on Wednesday night.

Neither Jarrod Dyson nor Justin Upton could tell whether Upton’s bases-loaded line drive to the deepest part of center field would have made it out of Angel Stadium.

Dyson made sure nobody will ever know with a leaping, lunging catch that might have saved a win for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early two-run homer and Zack Greinke pitched into the seventh inning of the Diamondbacks’ 12th victory in 16 games in June, 7-4 over the struggling Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

Dyson had an early RBI single, and he prevented at least a couple of runs in the seventh with his catch on a possible grand slam by Upton. The nimble outfielder made it look relatively easy, turning Upton’s shot into a 390-foot sacrifice fly.

”It was real sweet to take four off the board like that Cheap Customized Dallas Cowboys Jerseys ,” Dyson said. ”I don’t know if it was going to go over, but if I didn’t catch it, there was going to be more than one baserunner scoring.”

Greinke (6-5) gave up back-to-back homers by Upton and Albert Pujols in the fourth, but the Diamondbacks backed him with six early runs, responding well after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a home loss to the Mets on Sunday.

Greinke left after giving up Kole Calhoun’s one-out single in the seventh with a 6-2 lead. Two more Angels reached base against Yoshihisa Hirano before Dyson dramatically tracked down Upton’s full-count drive to the wall.

”I knew I hit it hard, and it was going to be at least off the wall,” Upton said with a grimace. ”He was in good position, and he’s fast, and he just got it. … I did my job. I hit the ball on the barrel, and I thought I had a home run. That’s baseball.”

Mike Trout nearly pulled his own leaping feat moments later, but Nick Ahmed’s homer glanced off his glove on the way over the center-field fence in the eighth for Arizona’s final run in its ninth win in 11 games.

”He’s one of a kind,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Dyson Cheap Customized Denver Broncos Jerseys , who thinks he has taken away at least three potential homers by opponents this season. ”You just appreciate every play he makes, every little thing he does.”

Ketel Marte also homered and Jeff Mathis had a two-run double for the Diamondbacks.

Trout had two singles and two walks for the Angels, who have lost seven of eight to fall well out of playoff position in the AL.

Upton – the Diamondbacks’ No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft – and Pujols connected to start the fourth for the Angels’ first back-to-back homers since last August.

”I think we have the makings to go on a run,” manager Mike Scioscia said. ”We’re still a good club, and we’ll just focus on (Tuesday’s) game.”

Arizona led 2-0 after two batters in its first game at Angel Stadium since June 2015. Goldschmidt followed Jon Jay’s leadoff single with his 15th homer, giving him 26 hits in his last 51 at-bats during another torrid stretch for the Diamondbacks’ cornerstone.

TROUT’S TIME

Trout leads the majors with 62 walks and is batting .439 in June, but he didn’t score a run. He also was caught stealing for the first time in 14 attempts this season by Mathis.

BARRIA BLUES

Jaime Barria (5-3) yielded six hits and six runs in four innings for the Angels. The 21-year-old Panamanian rookie lost his second straight start after winning five of his first seven in the majors. ”Obviously, I wasn’t locating my fastball,” he said.

BIG SAVE

Archie Bradley got four outs for his third save. He threw 19 consecutive fastballs before his first off-speed pitch, and Upton grounded it into a double play for the first two outs of the ninth.

ALBERT’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pujols’ homer was the 626th of his career, pulling him closer to Ken Griffey Jr. (630) for sixth place on baseball’s career list. Pujols scored the 1,751st run of his career Cheap Customized Detroit Lions Jerseys , tying Jimmie Foxx for 21st place.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: OFs Steven Souza Jr. (strained pectoral) and A.J. Pollock (broken thumb) are making progress in their recoveries, but aren’t cleared for full baseball activity.

Angels: After batting .145 before his injury, Calhoun went 2 for 3 in his return from a nine-game absence with a strained right oblique muscle. Even with Calhoun back, the Angels have 13 players on their disabled list, including nine pitchers. … Right-handed reliever Jim Johnson played catch. He is out with back stiffness. … RHP Garrett Richards is playing catch, but still resting his left hamstring strain.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: Matt Koch (5-3, 4.09 ERA) is 3-0 in four starts since May 22. He has never faced the Angels.

Angels: Relief pitcher Felix Pena (0-0, 10.13 ERA) is expected to make his first start of the season while Los Angeles patches a hole in its injury-plagued rotation. The offseason acquisition has been up and down from Triple-A Salt Lake, never earning a regular spot in the bullpen.

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