Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright was in vintage form, pitching six sharp innings as the St. Louis Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep by beating the San Diego Padres 4-1. The Padres hadn’t swept a series in St. Louis since 1980, and Wainwright (1-0) prevented it from happening this time at Busch Stadium. The 37-year-old Wainwright gave up one run and five hits. He struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk while throwing 100 pitches.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have sent struggling pitcher Alex Reyes to Triple-A Memphis. The 24-year-old righty had Tommy John surgery in February 2017 and suffered a torn lat strain on May 30, 2018. He pitched just once in the majors last year, giving up three hits and two walks in four innings.

UNDATED (AP) — April is only a week old, and already Whit Merrifield is halfway to matching Joe DiMaggio’s famous hitting streak. That’s because Merrifield’s run began toward the end of last season. The Kansas City infielder has now gone 28 straight games with a hit. DiMaggio’s 56-game mark isn’t exactly in jeopardy at the moment, but Merrifield needs only two more games to tie George Brett’s franchise record.

DETROIT (AP) — Tyson Ross pitched seven impressive innings in his Comerica Park debut, and the Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to five with a 3-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Ross signed with the Tigers in the offseason, and this was the last current ballpark he hadn’t pitched in. He allowed a run and five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bill Moos is on a roll as Nebraska’s athletic director. The 68-year-old has pulled off two of the splashiest hires in college athletics in the 18 months since he arrived. He brought in Scott Frost to coach football and Fred Hoiberg to lead the basketball program. Moos has done all this while batting away criticism for leaving a hefty debt at Washington State and fending off social media rumors that forced the administration to issue a statement of support.