CHICAGO -- Yadier Molina had a simple goal for his ninth-inning at-bat with the bases loaded and the score tied on Sunday. [url

CHICAGO -- Yadier Molina had a simple goal for his ninth-inning at-bat with the bases loaded and the score tied on Sunday. Grey Air Max 2018 . "I was looking not to strike out," he said. After fouling off some tough two-strike pitches, Molina hit a ground-ball single up the middle to drive in two runs and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped out of an offensive funk with a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. "I got a little lucky that they were playing me to pull," Molina said. "It was a good at-bat. I was able to put the ball in play and good things happened." The defending National League champions had lost four of five to fall a game below .500. The Cardinals scored all their runs with two outs. Molina, moved into the No. 2 spot to jump start the lineup, was 0 for 4 before coming through in the ninth. But it was a wild pitch in the seventh inning that allowed the Cubs to tie the score at 3 that had Molina more frustrated. The pitch from reliever Carlos Martinez was in the dirt and trickled through Molinas legs, allowing Luis Valbuena to score. "I was there," Molina said. "I dont know. Its one of those things. I was ready for it and the ball still goes through my legs." Kevin Siegrist (1-1) got the win in relief, while Trevor Rosenthal picked up his eighth save in as many opportunities despite a scare in the ninth inning. Hector Randon (0-1) took the loss for the Cubs, who were attempting to win four straight games for the first time since July. While Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had looked for Molina, one of his hottest hitters, to get the offence going, it was a couple of struggling batters at the bottom of the lineup that got things started early. With two outs in the second inning and Jhonny Peralta on first base, Randal Grichuk drilled a triple into the right-centre field gap for a 1-0 lead. Mark Ellis, who went 3 for 4, followed with a double to left-centre to make it 2-0. Both Grichuk (.167) and Ellis (.143) entered hitting well below .200. St. Louis stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third as Matt Adams doubled home Matt Holiday. The Cubs pulled within 3-2 in the fourth with some clutch two-out hitting. With one out, Ryan Kalish singled and John Baker walked. After a groundout moved the runners to second and third, Cubs starter Jason Hammel singled to right to drive in both. Molinas go-ahead single to centre came on the sixth pitch of the at-bat from Randon. "I thought I made a good pitch today, but something happened," Randon said. Molina seemed more relieved that the wild pitch wasnt a factor than he drove in the game-deciding runs. "(Molina) does a good job of not wearing his emotions and how frustrating that is for him," Matheny said. "Its hard to count the number of balls he keeps in front of him, the number of runs he saves. Its something we dont take for granted." Valbuena doubled in a run with two outs in the ninth to make it 5-4, but Rosenthal got Anthony Rizzo to ground out to end the game. "Guys kept grinding it out," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "We just fell a little short." NOTES: The ESPN broadcast team of Dan Shulman and John Kruk worked from the bleachers. ... While making a rehab start Sunday with Double A Springfield, LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) was hit by a pitch on the left elbow and left after two innings and 28 pitches. "I think they went in and took precautionary X-rays," Matheny said. "I havent heard anything back yet." ... In the same game, RHP Jason Motte threw a scoreless inning, striking out three, in his first rehab outing. ... Rizzo entered with a .429 on-base percentage, which was fifth-best in the National League. ... The Cards open a series in Atlanta on Monday, with RHP Shelby Miller (3-2) facing RHP Aaron Harang, while the Cubs host the crosstown White Sox with RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-3) going up against LHP Jose Quintana (1-2). Black Air Max 2018 Outlet .com) - Virginia is for loving Latrell Scott. White Air Max 2018 On Sale . Team officials did not indicate the extent of the injury Saturday, simply listing Rose with "left knee soreness." Rose has played two preseason games without any sign of problems. The first NBA game in South America now will be missing its biggest star. http://www.wholesaleairmaxsale.com/ . Torres calmly stroked a 51st-minute spot kick down the middle with goalkeeper Romel Quinonez diving right to convert a penalty earned by Javi Martinez. Spain controlled play at the Sanchez Pizjuan but found it hard to convert against a well-organized Bolivian team before Iniesta charged forward to curl around Quinonez in the 84th to seal victory.Nick Compton needs to adopt a more positive approach to his batting going forward if Englands No 3 wants to save his Test career, according to Sky Sports pundit Michael Holding. The Middlesex batsman made just nine runs from 34 balls on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Emirates Riverside as the home side closed on 310-6.However, after also failing in Englands comprehensive first Test win at Headingley last week when making a three-ball duck, the pressure is now very much on Comptons shoulders going into his second innings in Durham. Holding, however, thinks Compton should be more aggressive the next time he walks to the wicket, with the former West Indies paceman using compatriot Lawrence Rowes past difficulties for his country as an example of how to hit your way into form. Weve picked out Joe Root as our player of the day after his 80 helped England reached 310-6 after the first day of the second Test People have been saying that maybe he needs to change the way he bats, Holding told Sky Sports. There are two viewpoints.I remember years ago when Lawrence Rowe was having struggles in the Caribbean and he was not getting any runs. He went out there against England blazing one afternoon and got something like 47 or 48 in quick time. And then he came back and got a triple century.Greg Chappell went through a similar situation in Australia in the Eighties and they asked Greg, when he did eventually get some runs, if he ever thought about going out and throwing his bat.And he said: No, that is not the way I have ever batted. I just decided to keep on batting the way I know how to bat and eventually the runs will come. Milinda Siriwardana was pleased with his performance after he picked up two wickets on day one of the second Test against England Well Compton may need to start thinking a little more positively about his stroke play, because he goes out there in this defensive mode. And I think he is putting a lot of pressure on himself by being in that defensive mode.He needs to loosen up a bit. Do not go out and throw the bat, but loosen up a bit.Mahela Jayawardena, meanwhile, agrees with his fellow Sky Sports pundit and the one-time Sri Lanka captain believes Compton is placing himself under too much pressure when going out to bat.You felt that he was on a mission after he got out in the first Test match caught behind, he said of the right-hander who has been out for scores of 15, 26, 0, 19, 6, 0 and 9 in his last seven Test innings. England opener Alex Hales told David Lloyd he thinks England had the better day after England posted 310-6 So his focus was on trying to get forward and making sure that he controls that. Cheap Air Max 2018 Sale. And you could see his intent of playing forward all the time. Then all of a sudden the short ball came out of nowhere because he was not prepared.You need to be going with the flow, rather than putting yourself under pressure, by batting with a plan.It probably was a planned thing from the Sri Lankans, but he was not ready for that short ball and he took it on. Alex Hales (left) chats to Nick Compton on the opening day of the second Test in Durham So he just needs to clear his mind and bat the way he bats naturally and be more positive.One England player who is not struggling for runs so far this summer is opener Alex Hales, who made an impressive 83 on day one at the Riverside, his second score in the eighties after falling 14 runs short of a century in Leeds last week. He is showing why the selectors showed faith in him. They knew what he could produce and he has shown he could adapt Michael Holding on Alex Hales However, Jayawardena feels the Nottinghamshire batsman must now take the next step up by recording that elusive maiden Test ton in order to make him feel like he belongs at the highest level of the game.He needs to get that hundred, as once you get that, you feel you belong in Test cricket, he said.He has found a way to control his innings and tempo, but once he gets those big runs under his belt, then he can start to control his innings better. The longer he spends time there, he will find a way to control his tempo better.Jayawardena, though, has urged Hales to carry on playing his natural game, despite the Englishman once again getting dismissed playing an attacking shot against a spinner, as he also did at Headingley. Watch a pick of the action from the first day of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka Either way, Holding thinks Hales is demonstrating just why England coach Trevor Bayliss picked him for the tour of South Africa and then kept faith with the opener after his lean time with the bat during the winter.When he didnt do that well in South Africa a lot of people, including myself, were saying he doesnt really look like he is going to make it at Test level. England knew exactly what he could produce - and he is now producing.When he came into the side people spoke about his possibly being a dasher, but he hasnt batted that way in Test cricket as he realises it isnt going to work. He dug in at Leeds when wickets were tumbling around him.And now he is showing why the selectors showed faith in him. They knew what he could produce and so its good to see he can adapt. Also See: Hales and Root star on day one Second Test: As it happened Second Test scorecard Compton: My career is on the line ' ' '