Cardinals 5, Brewers 1
ST. LOUIS -- With the Pittsburgh Pirates not letting up, the St. Louis Cardinals have little margin for error in the National League Central.
But St. Louis had Jaime Garcia on the mound Saturday night and that - coupled with a big first inning - was more than enough for it to maintain its lead.
Checking the Milwaukee Brewers on seven hits and a run over eight innings, Garcia became the fifth Cardinals starter to reach double figures in wins in a 5-1 victory at sold-out Busch Stadium.
Garcia (10-5), who walked none and fanned eight, beat Milwaukee for the third time since Aug. 8. The only trouble he experienced occurred in the sixth, when rookie outfielder Michael Reed doubled in his first big league at-bat and later scored on a single by first baseman Jonathan Lucroy.
The result enabled St. Louis (98-57) to hold its three-game lead on Pittsburgh, a 4-0 winner Saturday at the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals and Pirates meet in Pittsburgh for a three-game series starting Monday night.
Rookie starter Tyler Wagner (0-1) gave up six hits and five runs over four innings in his second big league start for the Brewers (65-90). Wagner walked four and struck out Carnone.
St. Louis roared out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Left fielder Matt Holliday laced an RBI double to the wall in left-center, followed two batters later by a run-scoring single from shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Second baseman Kolten Wong capped the rally with a two-run single.
Holliday ripped his second RBI double an inning later to make it 5-0.
Garcia cruised through the first five innings, yielding just two singles and walking none with five strikeouts.
NOTES: St. Louis RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder tightness) is being shut down for the year, but won't need surgery. Martinez, who finished 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA in his first year as a starter, left Friday night's game after seven pitches. ... Milwaukee RF Ryan Braun (lower back tightness) returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 18. Braun pinch-hit Friday night. ... Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (left Achilles) threw 27 pitches in a simulated game, recording strikeouts of 1B Matt Adams and OF Randal Grichuk. Wainwright, who also worked on fielding and covering first base, could pitch next week during a trip to Pittsburgh and Atlanta.