ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright won his 18th game to tie for the major league lead, Matt Holliday hit a long three-run homer in the first inning and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-1 Friday night to stop a three-game losing streak. Wainwright (18-9) allowed one run and six hits in eight innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. He retired his final 16 batters, improving to 7-1 against Colorado. Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto are the other 18-game winners.

Holliday ended a nine-game RBI drought and homered for the first time this month, sending a 467-drive off Jorge De La Rosa (13-11) into Big Mac Land beyond left field. It was the second-longest homer at 9-year-old Busch Stadium behind Holliday’s 469-foot drive against the Chicago Cubs’ Ryan Dempster on July 20, 2012.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals stayed 2½ games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh. De La Rosa allowed four runs — three earned — and four hits in six innings. Colorado has scored just three runs during a four-game losing streak.