Matt Holliday had three hits, including one of St. Louis' four home runs as the Cardinals trounced the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 Tuesday in the opener of their three-game interleague series.

Holliday took Jays starter Brett Cecil deep in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. He followed with a run-scoring double in the fourth that gave the Cardinals the lead for good.

Colby Rasmus added his 14th home run of the season while Felipe Lopez and Yadier Molina also had long-balls for the Cardinals, won have won three of their last four. David Freese added a pair of RBIs in the victory.

Jaime Garcia (7-3) kept Toronto in check over six innings, surrendering three runs on six hits. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter. Even though his ERA rose to 1.79, it's still the second-lowest in the majors.

Cecil (7-4) was tagged for six runs on eight hits over five innings as he dropped his second straight decision following a five-game winning streak. The left-hander struck out four and walked one.

Jose Bautista was the lone bright spot for the Blue Jays, belting a pair of home runs to give him a league-best 20 on the season. They were his first homers since June 4.