ST. LOUIS (AP) — After a rough debut, Cleveland Indians rookie Shane Bieber has found his routine.

Edwin Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall hit back-to-back homers, Bieber pitched six strong innings and the Indians beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Bieber (3-0) struck out seven to become the seventh pitcher in baseball’s modern era to strike out six or more batters in each of his first four major league starts. After giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first outing, Bieber has given up just two runs in his last three starts and lowered his ERA to 2.22.

The Indians avoided a series sweep and have won eight of 10. Cleveland starters improved to 17-2 with a 2.26 ERA across 26 starts in series finales, including wins in their last nine decisions.

Bieber jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Jack Flaherty in the fourth for a double, his first major league hit.

Jose Martinez snapped Bieber’s scoreless innings streak at 14 innings with a one-out RBI single in the third.

Encarnacion and Chisenhall gave the Indians a 2-0 lead in the second, marking Cleveland’s fifth back-to-back home runs this season.

Francisco Lindor walked and Michael Brantley doubled to spark a two-run third that extended the Indians’ lead to 4-0. Tyler Naquin doubled home another run in the sixth.

Flaherty (3-3) went four innings, his shortest outing this season as the Cardinals had their four-game winning streak snapped. It followed perhaps his most dominant start, in which he carried a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings against Milwaukee on Friday.

Matt Carpenter walked, doubled and scored a night after scoring five runs and getting five hits.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (8-2, 2.69 ERA) will get the start as St. Louis hosts Atlanta and RHP Julio Teheran (5-5, 4.52 ERA) in the first of a three-game set Friday. Mikolas threw 2 1/3 scoreless relief innings in his only career appearance against the Braves on Aug. 15, 2012.

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Bedford 10, Fremont-Mills 3
CB Thomas Jefferson 10, St. Albert 0
Glenwood 9, Red Oak 3 (Game 1)
Glenwood 5, Red Oak 2 (Game 2)
Denison-Schleswig 12, St. Albert 0
Harlan 6, Sioux City East 1
Lewis Central 7, Kuemper Catholic 2
Shenandoah 10, Southwest Valley 0

Western Iowa Conference Tournament

IKM-Manning 10, Tri-Center 0
Treynor 10, Griswold 0

Rolling Valley Conference

Coon Rapids-Bayard 8, Woodbine 1
Exira-EHK 12, CAM 2
Glidden-Ralston 10, Boyer Valley 0
West Harrison 14, Ar-We-Va 2

Corner Conference

Fremont-Mills 13, East Mills 8
Sidney 12, Stanton 2

Pride of Iowa Conference

Lenox 10, Southwest Valley 0

Mount Ayr Classic

Lenox 10, Orient-Macksburg 0
Martensdale-St. Marys 18, West Central Valley 4
Mount Ayr 16, Murray 0
Murray 1, Wayne 0

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Denison-Schleswig 18, Red Oak 4 (Game 1)
Denison-Schleswig 11, Red Oak 0 (Game 2)
Harlan 5, Sioux City West 4
Kuemper Catholic 2, Lewis Central 1 (Game 1)
Lewis Central 9, Kuemper Catholic 5 (Game 2)
Martensdale-St. Marys 7, Creston 3
Shenandoah 4, Glenwood 3
St. Albert 13, Atlantic 1 (Game 1)
St. Albert 9, Atlantic 8 (Game 2)

Western Iowa Conference Tournament

Logan-Magnolia 6, AHSTW 5
Tri-Center 7, Treynor 5

Rolling Valley Conference

Ar-We-Va 6, West Harrison 3
Boyer Valley 4, Glidden-Ralston 2
CAM 22, Exira/EHK 0
Coon Rapids-Bayard 5, Woodbine 4 (10 inn)

Corner Conference

East Mills 16, Fremont-Mills 4
Essex/South Page 18, Clarinda Academy 8 (Game 1)
Essex/South Page 15, Clarinda Academy 0 (Game 2)
Sidney 7, Stanton 6

Pride of Iowa Conference

East Union 5, Nodaway Valley 3
Lenox 11, Southwest Valley 1

Other Scores

Southeast Warren 11, West Central Valley 3