"At this juncture of a shrinking schedule, the Cardinals ask only for a shot at the remarkable.

And at this point of his ace's season, manager Tony La Russa would like to do the same for Adam Wainwright.

The two goals meshed neatly Sunday before a Busch Stadium crowd of true believers as Wainwright was perfect through three innings, unhittable through five innings and merely dominant through eight as the Cardinals claimed a third win within their four-game series against the San Diego Padres.

A two-run first inning against Padres starter Jon Garland, a fourth-inning sacrifice fly and a sixth-inning home run from the Cardinals' rejuvenated center fielder provided plenty enough for Wainwright to take a 4-1 decision before an announced attendance of 37,885.

How bueno was Waino? By the third inning, he thought he carried no-hit stuff as he struck out four while retiring the first nine hitters he faced.

"It's been awhile since I've carried one through one (inning), much less five," said Wainwright, who entered Sunday with five losses in his past six starts before improving to 19-11. "My defense was playing good. I was moving it around. I really thought I was going to do it."

The win returned the Cardinals to six games behind the struggling Cincinnati Reds' division lead. The Cardinals have 14 games remaining.

The performance also moved Wainwright closer to becoming the franchise's first 20-game winner since Chris Carpenter went 21-5 in 2005.

"Mentally and physically, I'm in the exact same place I was at the end of last year except I think I'm a little bit stronger. I think my stuff is sharper. I'm throwing a little bit harder," Wainwright noted after his fastball consistently hit 94 miles per hour.

What occurred last October has made Wainwright's 20th win something of a crusade for La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan.

Wainwright carried 19 victories into an Oct. 2 start, left in the seventh inning with a 6-1 lead, then watched as the Milwaukee Brewers scored 11 unanswered runs in a three-inning pillage of the bullpen. Deprived of a 20th win, Wainwright finished third in balloting for the NL Cy Young Award despite leading the league in wins and innings pitched while ranking fourth in ERA."