The game was effectively decided before the fourth inning began. Milwaukee's Brewers poured six runs onto Andre Pallante in the second and third frames Thursday night at Busch Stadium, building a cushion that St. Louis could never fully close. The Brewers won 8-4, improving to 59-34 on the season.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
| STL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
Jake Bauers was the offensive catalyst. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, drove in three runs, and scored twice. His three-run homer to right in the third inning — a 391-foot shot that scored Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang — stretched the Milwaukee lead to 6-0 and ended any realistic hope of a Cardinals comeback. Bauers carries 17 home runs and 57 RBI on the season. Turang added his own contribution, going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI, including a solo shot to center in the seventh that pushed the lead to 7-4.
The Brewers opened the scoring in the second when Sal Frelick singled to right, bringing home Bauers for the game's first run. Cooper Pratt followed with a single to center, scoring Andrew Vaughn to make it 2-0. In the third, Turang singled to right to score Garrett Mitchell, and then Bauers delivered the decisive blow with his three-run homer. St. Louis answered with a run in the fourth on Lars Nootbaar's single to center, scoring Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker's three-run homer to left in the sixth — a 406-foot drive that scored JJ Wetherholt and Burleson — pulled the Cardinals within 6-4. But Turang's solo homer in the seventh and William Contreras' sacrifice fly in the ninth, which scored Chourio, gave Milwaukee the final margin.
Logan Henderson earned the win, going 5.1 innings and allowing 3 runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk, improving to 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA. Pallante absorbed the loss, surrendering 6 runs on 8 hits over 5 innings, falling to 10-6 with a 3.96 ERA. The Cardinals' bullpen covered the final 4 innings, allowing 2 more runs.
Walker's homer was a reminder of what St. Louis has in the 22-year-old — he now has 22 home runs and 73 RBI this season. But the Cardinals fell to 48-44, dropping this one after the Brewers made their statement in the early innings. Milwaukee, the NL Central's division leader, showed why they own the best record in the division.