D-Backs fall to Cardinals, 8-2

The Diamondbacks still have a slight lead in the major leagues with 82 quality starts, although it has been one turn through the rotation since their last one.

D-Backs notebook: Dunn starts 2nd straight game at first base

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St. Louis evened its series with the D-Backs at one game apiece with an 8-2 victory Tuesday at Chase Field, hitting three home runs off starter Yusmeiro Petit the day after hitting four against Randy Johnson.

Petit gave up two-run homers to former D-Backs Troy Glaus and Yadier Molina as the Cardinals took a 5-0 lead, and this time the D-Backs could not recover, not like they did in turning a 5-1 deficit into an 8-6 victory Monday.

Petit allowed only four hits in 4 2/3 innings, but he walked batters in front of the homers to Glaus and Molina.

“The walks before the hits did the damage. If there’s no one on, it doesn’t hurt so much,” manager Bob Melvin said.

The D-Backs have been without a quality start — six innings or more, three earned runs or less —– since Johnson’s Aug. 27 outing in San Diego.

The last five games, the starters have given up 23 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings.

Doug Davis has the only victory in the run, as the D-Backs have lost seven of their last nine, and Dan Haren is the only starter who has gone at least six innings.

“Sometimes it’s a little bit contagious,” Melvin said. “The rest of the guys try doubly hard. It’s certainly not characteristic of our staff. I think it’s a bump in the road.”

The D-Backs (70-68) lead Los Angeles by 1 1/2 games in the NL West after the Dodgers won their fourth straight game, beating San Diego, 8-4. Colorado is five back, the closest it has been since April 22.

“This is how we’ve been all year,” third baseman Mark Reynolds said of the tightening race. “It’s nothing new. We know how to handle it. Our destiny is in our hands in the stretch. We just have to grind it out and win games.”

St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright, making his third start since missing 10 weeks with a sprained middle finger, gave up one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings before leaving because off muscle spasms.

Conor Jackson’s one-out double in the fourth inning was the D-Backs’ first hit, and they did not break the shutout until Jeff Salazar opened the sixth with a triple and scored on David Eckstein’s one-out single.

Adam Dunn singled in the D-Backs’ other run in the eighth.

“He was locating his pitches well,” Reynolds said of Wainwright, “throwing his breaking ball for strikes.”

 Turning point: Yadier Molina hit a two-run home run with one out in the fourth inning, his second homer in as many games, to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead.

Stat of the game: David Eckstein has three RBIs in his first two games with the D-Backs.

Unsung hero: Jeff Salazar has five hits in his last 10 at-bats after tripling and scoring the D-Backs’ first run Tuesday.

Starter struggles continue: D-Backs starters have given up 23 earned runs in their last 22 2/3 innings over five starts. That makes for a 9.13 ERA, and they have given up 36 hits and 14 walks.