Villar's single lifts Brewers past Cardinals
MILWAUKEE -- Jonathan Villar's two-out RBI double in the ninth gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night at Miller Park.
Trevor Rosenthal gave up a leadoff walk to Kirk Nieuwenhuis to open the ninth but exited with an injury after a sacrifice bunt by Hernan Perez,
Seung Hwan Oh took over retired pinch-hitter Andy Wilkins to bring up Villar, who ripped a 3-2 offering to left fielder Tommy Pham.
Pham's throw home was just a shade behind Nieuwenhuis, and after a brief review, the Brewers celebrated their first walk-off victory of the season.
Chris Carter hit two of Milwaukee's three runs off Michael Wacha. Wacha scattered five hits, struck out eight, walked two in 6 2/3 innings but exited after taking a come-backer from Jonathan Villar off his right ankle.
Jimmy Nelson only allowed two runs despite giving up six hits and four w walks -- one intentional -- with a pair of strikeouts over six innings.
Nelson was in for the line but Will Smith allowed a game-tying home run by Yadier Molina.
Jeremy Jeffress (2-2) allowed two runners to reach in the ninth on an error by Villar and a single by Pham. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy also had a passed ball but Jeffress ended the ninth by retiring Jhonny Peralta.
Carter put Milwaukee on the board with a solo home run to lead off the second, his team-leading 21st of the season.
St. Louis answered in the third as Wacha drew a one-out walk and Greg Garcia, Aledmys Diaz and Matt Holliday followed with three straight singles to make it a 2-1 game.
Lucroy tied the game at two when he took Wacha deep with one out in the sixth and Carter followed with his second of the game.
NOTES: Milwaukee recalled INF Yadiel Rivera from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday, filling the spot cleared when INF Aaron Hill was traded to the Boston Red Sox a day earlier. Rivera has appeared in 18 games over three separate stints with the Brewers this season, batting .204 with two RBIs. ... With Hill gone, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said INFs Hernan Perez and Will Middlebrooks would split time at third base for the time being. ... The Cardinals were still without SS Jhonny Peralta, who took part it batting practice but was out of the starting lineup for a third straight game with a sore right thumb. Peralta said he hoped to return to action before the All-Star break but manager Mike Matheny wasn't sure if that would be possible. ... St. Louis has gone 12-0-1 in the last 13 series with Milwaukee and is 7-2 against the Brewers this season.