Cardinals 5, Rockies 1: Matt Holliday blasted a three-run homer and Adam Wainwright struck out eight over eight innings as St. Louis claimed the opener of a three-game series against visiting Colorado.

Wainwright (18-9) tied Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner for the major-league lead in wins while yielding one run on six hits with no walks. Holliday went 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Randal Grichuk singled and scored twice for St. Louis, which snapped a three-game losing streak and remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Pittsburgh in the National League Central.

Holliday staked Wainwright to an early 3-0 lead with a 467-foot homer in the first inning off Jorge De La Rosa (13-11), who allowed four runs (three earned) over six frames. Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson and Rafael Ynoa had two hits apiece for Colorado, which has lost four in a row.

The Rockies cut the deficit to 3-1 in the third as Blackmon recorded a leadoff single and later scored on Nolan Arenado’s two-out double. Arenado’s RBI snapped a 21-inning scoreless streak for Colorado, which has been held to two runs or fewer in 10 straight road games.

St. Louis answered in the bottom of the third on Jhonny Peralta’s run-scoring single before adding an insurance run in the eighth on Yadier Molina’s RBI double off Nick Masset. Wainwright retired the final 16 batters he faced and improved to 7-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his career against Colorado.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Colorado 1B Justin Morneau left the game in the sixth inning due to left side intercostal soreness and is listed as day-to-day. … St. Louis LHP Marco Gonzales will start Sunday in place of RHP Michael Wacha, who is being given a few extra days of rest. … The Cardinals have won 20 of their last 28 games against the Rockies.