MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Luke Weaver settled in after a shaky first inning to win for the first time in eight starts and Jose Martinez hit a three-run homer to pace the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Weaver (4-6) allowed two runs, both in the first, on five hits in 5 2/3
innings. He struck out a season-high nine and walked two for his first victory since May 11.
Martinez’s 11th homer capped a five-run fourth when St. Louis erased a 2-1 deficit. Dexter Fowler, who entered hitting .163, doubled twice and scored twice, and Harrison Bader reached four times, scoring twice for the Cardinals.
Fowler opened the fourth with a double to left and Bader walked. Both runners
advanced on Kelton Wong’s fly out to right. After Weaver struck out, Matt
Carpenter lined a two-run single to center to put the Cards up 3-2.
Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) issued his fifth walk to Greg Garcia and Martinez then
drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center to make it 6-2.
The Cardinals extended it to 8-2 in the fifth. Fowler again led off with a
double and Bader followed with an RBI single. Wong singled Bader to third and
Weaver laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt.
Chacin allowed a season-high eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking
out five and walking five.
The Cardinals pushed across a run in the first when Carpenter walked, Garcia
doubled and Marcell Ozuna lofted a one-out sacrifice fly to the wall in
right-center.
Milwaukee answered with two runs in the bottom half. Christian Yelich tied it
with his 10th home run, a one-out solo shot into the second deck in left. Ryan
Braun followed with a double to right and scored on Hernan Perez’s two-out
single. Jonathan Villar doubled Perez to third, but Weaver escaped by retiring
Erik Kratz on a hard-hit liner to right.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cards: OF Tommy Pham was not in the lineup after feeling ill before the game.
“He is just under the weather,” manager Mike Matheny said. “It has been going
through our clubhouse. Different guys are passing it around. Unfortunately when
you spend this much time together, is this kind of space, on flights, it is
going to run its course.”
Brewers: 3B Travis Shaw left in the third inning after fouling off the second
pitch of his at-bat. . RHP Matt Albers (10-day DL, right shoulder discomfort),
could start a throwing program next week, but his return is still a ways off.
“I think we’re looking post-All Star break for Matt,” manager Craig Counsell
said. . IF Nick Franklin (10-day DL, right quad strain) is in Arizona and still
experience soreness. “He’s not over the injury,” Counsell said. . IF Tyler
Saladino (10-day DL, left ankle sprain) continues to progress. “We’re closing
in on looking at setting a date to send him out on rehab.”
UP NEXT
Cards: RHP John Gant (1-2, 4.39) opens the three-game series at Cleveland on
Monday. Gant, filling in for injured Michael Wacha, was sent down to Triple-A
Memphis on May 31 and recalled on Thursday.
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