Padres manager Andy Green is trying not to get too excited about San Diego’s run of success. His players seem to be enjoying it http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/kevin-king-jersey , though.

Eric Lauer carried a shutout into the sixth inning, Manuel Margot had three hits and the Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Wednesday night to win their fifth straight series.

San Diego has won 11 of 15 games, including five of its last seven. It’s the first time the Padres have won five consecutive series since 2010.

”It means we’re playing good baseball and that’s the most important thing,” said shortstop Freddy Galvis, who sparked the attack with a two-run double in the first inning.

Marcell Ozuna homered for the Cardinals, who have lost three of four.

Green warned his players about staying on an even keel heading into a four-game series in Atlanta.

”I don’t want to make too much out of the streak,” Green said. ”Over the course of a season, every team has some hot streaks and cold streaks. You can’t get caught up in those moments. It doesn’t serve the purpose.”

The Padres took two of three in a stadium where they had struggled. St. Louis had won 30 of its previous 42 home games against San Diego.

Lauer (3-4) gave up two runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He’s 3-0 when getting two or more runs of support.

”I felt a lot more comfortable out on the mound as far as not pressing,” Lauer said. ”I think I did a good job. I was out there just throwing my game.”

Lauer gave up six runs to St. Louis on seven hits during a 9-5 loss on May 11. The Cardinals hit four homers off him in a short 2 1/3 inning stint.

”I pretty much had the same game plan, I wanted to attack hitters,” Lauer said.

Brad Hand recorded his 21st save in 23 opportunities. He got Jedd Gyorko to ground into a double play after hitting Yadier Molina to start the ninth.

San Diego reliever Jose Castillo struck out all four batters he faced. The Padres pitching staff did not walk a batter in the three-game series.

St. Louis starter Luke Weaver (3-6) gave up four runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. He has just one win over his last 11 starts.

”I didn’t think it was a terrible start,” Weaver said. ”They just capitalized on the moments they needed to. I’ve just got to go back to the drawing board.”

Margot, who singled in the second and fourth, stretched the lead to 3-0 with a run-scoring triple in the sixth. Raffy Lopez followed with a broken-bat single off reliever Austin Gomber for a 4-0 lead.

Margot has hit safely in his last six games, going 9 for 20. He had two hits in a 4-2 win Tuesday.

Ozuna, who leads the team with 21 multihit games, has hit safely in 11 of his last 12.

St. Louis came into the series having won three of four.

”Sometimes we do our best with a real good team and sometimes – well I don’t know,” Ozuna said. ”It’s baseball and in baseball anything happens.”

SHARP DEFENSE

The Cardinals have not allowed an error in their last six games. It is their longest errorless stretch since Aug. 3-8 last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: C Austin Hedges began a rehab assignment with Class A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. He went 1 for 2. Hedges was placed on the DL on May 1 with right elbow tendonitis. He has missed 38 games.

Cardinals: INF Jose Martinez will be out on paternity leave for the upcoming weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.

UP NEXT:

Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (5-3, 3.43) will open a four-game series at Atlanta against RHP Anibal Sanchez (2-0, 2.37) on Thursday. The Padres are in 10-3 when Tyson starts and have won the last six.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (8-1 http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/montravius-adams-jersey , 2.47) face LHP Jon Lester (7-2, 2.22) in the first of a three-game home series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Wacha has won his last eight decisions against the Cubs.

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Alex Smith has been part of some embarrassing playoff defeats in Kansas City, including the Chiefs’ huge blown lead in Indianapolis several years ago and the nip-and-tuck loss to Pittsburgh last season.

None of them compares to Saturday night.

After leading the Chiefs to a 21-3 halftime lead over Tennessee, the veteran quarterback watched in horror as everything unraveled. Marcus Mariota led the Titans on three touchdown drives, Smith could not even manage to get his team a field goal, and the Chiefs were stunned 22-21 to end their season.

Perhaps even end Smith’s career with the Chiefs.

So when he was asked in a somber postgame news conference whether this was the most disheartening loss of his career, Smith was unequivocal: ”Yeah,” he said. ”Without a doubt.”

”You know, it felt like the opportunity we had in front of us, the talent we had – the group – when we play the way we’re capable of playing, yeah, the sky’s the limit,” Smith said. ”Tonight isn’t a good example of that. Not consistent enough. Didn’t come out and make the plays we needed.”

That has become a familiar refrain for the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Especially the games at Arrowhead Stadium.

Despite having one of the proudest traditions in the NFL, and their stadium having a certain mystique about it, the Chiefs are miserable when the postseason rolls around.

They haven’t won a home playoff game since January 1994, when Joe Montana was under center, and only two in their entire history.

If not for a road win over the Houston Texans a couple of years ago, the Chiefs would still be searching for their first postseason victory of any kind since that home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

”Whenever you lose it always hurts, regardless of if it’s one point or 20 points. But to go down like this – it really hurts,” said Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson Anders Bjork Jersey , one of the longest-tenured players in the history of the franchise.

”I’ve been playing this game for a long time and 21-3 at halftime, you win. And we didn’t. You’re good enough, you come out with that win.”

There were numerous plays that made this defeat particularly gut-wrenching.

In the first half, Johnson blitzed in a flash and sacked Mariota, who clearly lost the ball before he hit the ground. But the officials ruled the play was over, it could not be reviewed and the Titans had time for a field goal that wound up being crucial in a game where every point mattered.

”I thought that’s why we had replay and some of those things,” Smith said afterward.

In the second half, the Chiefs took umbrage with another whistle when the Titans scored the go-ahead TD on a pass to Eric Decker. The Titans went for a 2-point conversion.

Mariota was getting sacked when the ball popped out again. Frank Zombo picked it up and began running the other way for what would have been two points, giving the Chiefs the lead back with just over six minutes left in the game.

The whistle again had been blown, and referee Jeff Triplette told a pool reporter Mariota’s forward progress had been stopped, allowing the Titans to retain the slimmest of leads.

”I don’t really have anything good to say,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, ”so I’m just going to kind of stay away from any comments on those guys. I don’t want to get fined or whatever. It’s not worth it.”

The final frustration came as the Titans were trying to run out the clock. Derrick Henry coughed up the ball and this time no whistle was blown, so Johnson returned the fumble for a touchdown. The crowd went wild as fireworks popped over Arrowhead Stadium – until replays showed that Henry was down.

The officials gave the ball back to the Titans and this time they ran out the clock.

Along the way, the Chiefs lost All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce to a concussion and defensive tackle Chris Jones to an ankle injury, depriving them of emotional leaders on both sides of the ball.

The result was yet another heartbreak for a franchise that has known its share of them.

”Honestly we just didn’t come out ready to play in the second half, that’s what I’d say,” Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt said. ”Nobody likes losing and this one’s for real. We’re going home.”

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