ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Jordan Walker went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and Matthew Liberatore pitched 5 2/3 effective innings Friday night, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium III.

The Cardinals improved to 19-13, while the Dodgers fell to 20-12.

Walker’s performance extended a hot streak. He had driven in three runs in a 10-5 win at Pittsburgh on April 30, another RBI in a 5-4 victory April 29 and three RBIs in an 11-7 win April 28. On Friday, he was the catalyst for St. Louis, delivering a pair of run-scoring doubles and a single.

The game’s decisive moment came in the seventh inning. St. Louis led 4-2 after six innings, then broke the game open with three runs, two of which came on Walker’s second double.

Emmet Sheehan started for the Dodgers and took the loss, falling to 2-1. He worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits while striking out eight. Sheehan struggled with his command at times but kept the game close until the Cardinals erupted.

Liberatore earned his first win of the season against one loss. He allowed two runs on five hits, striking out four and walking three. He departed with two outs in the sixth, having held the Dodgers to just four hits through the first five innings.

The Dodgers struck first in the second inning. Andy Pages led off with a sharp line-drive single to right field. Max Muncy followed with a double to center, scoring Pages and giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.

But St. Louis answered immediately in the bottom of the first. After JJ Wetherholt struck out, Ivan Herrera singled. Alec Burleson popped out, but Walker singled, putting runners at first and second. Nolan Gorman then launched a home run to right field, his fifth of the season, scoring Walker and giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. Gorman finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs.

The Cardinals extended their lead in the third inning. Burleson led off with a solo home run to right field, his fifth of the season, pushing the margin to 4-1. Walker followed with a single, but Gorman grounded into a forceout and Masyn Winn popped out, leaving Walker stranded.

The Dodgers cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Shohei Ohtani flied out, but Freddie Freeman singled. Will Smith walked after a challenge overturned a called third strike, and Teoscar Hernandez walked to load the bases. Kyle Tucker then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Freeman. Smith advanced to third, but Pages lined out to end the inning.

St. Louis put the game away in the seventh. Herrera led off with a single. Burleson walked, bringing up Walker. He doubled to left, scoring Herrera and Burleson, then advanced to third on a fielding error by Hernandez. Gorman flied out, but Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch. Nathan Church grounded into a forceout, scoring Walker and making it 7-2.

The Dodgers had chances to rally. In the fourth, Will Smith singled and Hernandez singled, putting two on with one out. But Tucker lined out sharply and Pages grounded into a double play to end the threat.

In the eighth, Freeman singled, but Smith lined out and Hernandez flied out. Tucker walked, putting two on with two outs, but Pages struck out after a challenge confirmed the call.

The Dodgers mounted a brief threat in the ninth. Muncy flied out, Miguel Rojas grounded out, then Hyeseong Kim doubled. But Ohtani flied out to center to end the game.

Kyle Hurt pitched a scoreless inning for the Dodgers, striking out two. Jack Dreyer worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits but no runs, striking out one.

For the Cardinals, George Soriano pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings, striking out one. Gordon Graceffo worked a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit and striking out one. Matt Svanson closed the ninth, allowing one hit but no runs.

Walker’s four-hit night was the standout performance. He also scored twice and drove in two runs. Burleson added a home run and an RBI, while Herrera had two hits and scored once.

The Dodgers finished with seven hits and left seven runners on base. Freeman had two hits, while Pages, Muncy, Smith and Hernandez had one each. Kim doubled in the ninth.

The Cardinals finished with 12 hits, with Walker leading the way. Herrera had two hits, and Burleson, Gorman, Winn and Church each had one. Pedro Pages doubled, and Victor Scott II did not record a hit but walked once.

Attendance was 28,308. The game lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes.

The Dodgers had lost two consecutive games entering Friday, falling to Miami 3-2 on April 29 and 2-1 on April 28. They had won three of four before that. St. Louis entered on a four-game winning streak, having swept a three-game series at Pittsburgh.

Both teams continue their series Saturday and Sunday at Busch Stadium. The Dodgers then travel to Houston for three games, while the Cardinals host Milwaukee for three games.

The Interstat game simulator had projected a final score of Los Angeles 6, St. Louis 5. The Interstat ELO system had given the Dodgers a 64.4 percent probability to win. Los Angeles had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 9 went under the over-under line of 8.5.