Carlson homers twice, Mikolas gets first win in two years

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dylan Carlson homered twice, including a grand slam, to help Miles Mikolas win for the first time in two years as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 8-2. It was the Cardinals’ sixth win in a row and extended their lead for the second wild card spot to 1 1/2 games over San Diego. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 and remain one game back of St. Louis. Mikolas (1-2) threw 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out three. He last won on Sept. 12, 2019. Mikolas missed all last season with an injured right shoulder, and he missed a considerable part of this season with right forearm tightness.