The game was settled before Milwaukee had a chance to answer. St. Louis scored twice in the first inning, handed Michael McGreevy a lead he would protect for most of the afternoon, and beat the Brewers 5-1 on Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| STL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 7 | 0 |
McGreevy was the story. The right-hander worked 6.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk on 90 pitches. His ERA: 3.01. The Cardinals' bullpen covered the final 2.2 innings without allowing a run, completing the team's efficient afternoon. McGreevy picked up his fourth win of the season against seven losses.
Alec Burleson drove the offense. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, finishing with 3 RBI. In the first inning, Masyn Winn scored on Jordan Walker's double to right, and Walker then scored on Burleson's double to right, putting St. Louis ahead 2-0 before Milwaukee had recorded an out in the field. Jose Fermin extended the lead in the fourth, homering to left center — 404 feet — to make it 3-0. Then in the sixth, Burleson launched a two-run homer to right, 443 feet, with Walker scoring ahead of him, pushing the Cardinals to 5-0. Walker finished 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI.
Kyle Harrison absorbed the loss for Milwaukee, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits over 4.0 innings with 2 strikeouts and no walks on 70 pitches. He falls to 8-2 on the season, carrying a 3.01 ERA. The Brewers managed their only run in the seventh, when Garrett Mitchell scored on Cooper Pratt's sacrifice fly to left, but the margin was never in doubt.
St. Louis improved to 48-43. Milwaukee, the NL Central leader at 58-34, dropped this one after entering as the division's top club.