ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Jacob deGrom allowed one run over six innings and the Texas Rangers held off a late St. Louis Cardinals rally for a 2-1 victory Monday night at Busch Stadium III before a crowd of 21,770.

DeGrom scattered four hits and struck out nine while walking two to improve to 4-4 on the season. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and yielded only a solo home run to Masyn Winn in the sixth. Jacob Latz pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his eighth save, striking out two.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Ezequiel Duran doubled to left field, scoring Brandon Nimmo from first base. An inning later, Nicky Lopez singled and Joc Pederson followed with a run-scoring base hit to make it 2-0.

St. Louis cut the deficit to 2-1 on Winn’s second homer of the season, a fly ball to left field in the sixth. The Cardinals put the potential tying run on base in the fourth and seventh innings but could not push across the equalizer.

St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy took the loss, falling to 3-5. McGreevy allowed two runs on six hits over five innings, striking out two and walking two.

The Cardinals had their best scoring opportunity in the second inning after Nolan Gorman walked and Jimmy Crooks singled. But Victor Scott II’s double loaded the bases with two outs before JJ Wetherholt lined out sharply to second baseman Nicky Lopez, ending the threat.

Texas manufactured its first run in the fourth. Nimmo led off with a single and moved to third when Duran ripped a double to the left-field gap. Jake Burger’s flyout to right field was not deep enough to score Nimmo, but Duran’s hit brought him home.

The Rangers added an insurance run in the fifth. Danny Jansen walked to start the inning and advanced to third on Lopez’s single. Pederson then grounded a single through the middle, scoring Jansen and moving Lopez to third. Josh Jung grounded into a double play to end the inning, but Texas held a two-run edge.

DeGrom retired nine of the final 11 batters he faced after the second inning, striking out the side in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Winn’s homer was the only damage. The right-hander allowed only one additional hit after the second, a single by Bryan Torres in the fourth.

Latz entered in the ninth and struck out Winn and Gorman swinging after Torres grounded out, sealing the victory.

The Rangers’ offense managed eight hits, including two each from Duran and Lopez. Pederson had a hit and a walk. Texas stranded six base runners.

St. Louis had five hits, led by Scott’s double and singles from Torres and Crooks. Alec Burleson went 1 for 4. Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker and Iván Herrera each went hitless. Walker struck out three times, and Herrera fanned twice.

Texas improved to 29-31, while St. Louis dropped to 31-27. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Rangers, who had lost four of their previous six. The Cardinals had their three-game winning streak halted.

The series continues Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. Texas will send right-hander Jon Gray to the mound opposite St. Louis left-hander Steven Matz.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of St. Louis 4, Texas 3, and Interstat’s ELO system had given the Cardinals a 51.70 percent probability to win. Texas was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5, and the combined total of three runs went over the over-under line of 7.5.